ABSTRACT
This chapter reports, discusses, and analyses, in the light of the theory of language management, major findings of the Chinese language teaching and learning practices in the classrooms of the two Confucius Institutes, along with opinions and views of the students as reflected in their responses to questionnaire and in interviews. The findings show that there was obvious impact by the teachers and their teaching on the classroom interactions and the learning of their students, and the teaching was largely driven by the beliefs and experiences of the teachers concerned. It was also clear that the students on the Confucius Institutes were not passively learning what was offered, but influencing the teachers and courses by their behaviour, not only in the classrooms, but also by their feedback, and above all, by their decision to continue the course or not. It found that few students cared who offered and taught Chinese language as long as the courses and teaching met their needs. The motivation of learning Chinese was mostly instrumental, for jobs and career advancement. Therefore, most of them were not keen to take HSK test for short-term scholarships to study in China.
