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Xinsheng Cao

Chinese language teacher, Saudi Arabia

 

Hovsepyan Kristine

Independent literary translator, Armenia

 

Abstract

Tandem is often used by learners who want more chances to practise Chinese outside class. However, access to Chinese-speaking partners does not always lead to stable or useful practice. This study examines how beginner and lower-proficiency learners of Chinese reported using Tandem, what difficulties they met during exchange, and how they later described changes in their use of the platform. It used a descriptive survey with follow-up interviews. The data came from questionnaire responses by 53 adult learners of Chinese and interviews with six participants. The findings show that many learners began with clear goals and some preparation, but their strategy use was uneven. Immediate interactional strategies, including correction requests, translation tools, note-taking, and using multiple modes to express meaning, appeared easier to sustain than more organised planning. Repeated difficulties also emerged, including fear of making mistakes, difficulty understanding partners, topic breakdown, pronunciation or listening problems, and unbalanced interaction. Across the questionnaire and interview data, later use was more often reduced, selective, or redirected than fully discontinued. This pattern did not simply indicate a loss of motivation. It showed learners reassessing Tandem’s learning value when open exchange failed to provide enough correction, topic control, or continuity for focused Chinese practice. Because this was an exploratory study with a small, self-selected sample from one platform, and because it relied on learner-reported data, the findings should be read as perceived patterns of use rather than direct evidence of interactional processes. Within this boundary, the study mainly applies to beginner and lower-proficiency learners. It suggests that open peer exchange can support extra exposure, but these learners still need correction, manageable topics, sentence-level support, and more continuous interaction to turn access into useful practice.

 

Keywords

Tandem, beginner Chinese learners, open peer exchange, selective use, participation adjustment

 

从积极尝试到选择性使用： Tandem 平台中文学习者的互动与调整
 

曹新胜

中文教师，沙特阿拉伯

 

Hovsepyan Kristine

独立文学译者，亚美尼亚

 

摘要

Tandem 为中文学习者提供了课堂外接触母语者和进行真实交流的机会，但这种开放式同伴交流并不必然转化为稳定、有效的语言练习。本文关注初级及较低水平中文学习者在 Tandem 平台上的使用经验，重点分析他们如何使用学习策略、在互动中遇到哪些困难，以及这些经验如何影响后续参与方式。研究采用描述性问卷和后续访谈相结合的方法，数据来自 53 名成人中文学习者的问卷回答和 6 名学习者的访谈资料。 研究发现，许多学习者最初并非随意使用 Tandem，而是带着较明确的学习目标进入交流，并会提前准备词语、句子或话题。然而，这种计划性参与在实际互动中并不稳定。相比提前规划、设定小目标和协商交流方式，请求纠正、使用翻译工具、记录新词和借助多模态资源等即时性策略更容易被持续使用。与此同时，学习者在交流中反复遇到害怕出错、难以理解对方、话题难以延续、发音或听力困难以及互动不平衡等问题。进一步分析显示，学习者后续使用 Tandem 的变化并不主要表现为完全退出，而更多体现为减少使用、选择性使用或转向其他学习工具和学习场景。这种变化不能简单理解为学习动机下降，而是学习者在反复经历反馈不足、话题控制有限和互动连续性较弱之后，对平台学习价值进行重新判断的结果。研究认为，开放式同伴交流可以扩展初级及较低水平中文学习者的接触机会，但若缺少纠正反馈、可控话题、句子层面支持和稳定互动，其对早期中文学习的支持作用仍然有限。由于本研究样本较小，且来自单一平台，并主要依赖学习者自我报告资料，本文结论应被理解为学习者感知和回顾性经验的呈现，而不是对 Tandem 实际互动过程的直接观察。

 

关键词

Tandem，初级中文学习者，开放式同伴交流，互动困难，参与调整