Chinese Language Instruction Methods at the University of Ibadan: A Comparative Analysis

The University of Ibadan, one of Nigeria's oldest and most prestigious universities, offers Mandarin language instruction within its Department of Linguistics and African Languages, attracting students from across South West Nigeria. This study conducts a comparative analysis of Chinese language instruction methods employed at the university, examining communicative language teaching, grammar-translation approaches, audio-lingual methods, and technology-enhanced instruction. A mixed-methods design was adopted, combining classroom observation of ten Mandarin instruction sessions across different proficiency levels, interviews with six Mandarin instructors, and questionnaires administered to 100 students. Results indicate that Mandarin instruction is predominantly grammar-translation oriented at introductory levels, which students find useful for HSK examination preparation but limiting for conversational fluency. Technology-enhanced instruction is used supplementarily rather than systematically integrated into the curriculum. Students express strong preference for communicative activities, citing role-plays and dialogue practice as the most engaging and effective learning experiences. Native Chinese speaker instruction is available for only 40 percent of courses offered. The study concludes that Mandarin instruction at the University of Ibadan would benefit from a curriculum revision emphasising communicative competence, systematic integration of digital language tools, and increased native speaker engagement through the Confucius Institute network. These changes are particularly urgent given growing demand for practical Mandarin proficiency in Nigeria's commercial sector.

Keywords: Mandarin instruction methods, University of Ibadan, language pedagogy, communicative language teaching, South West Nigeria