Analysis of Basic Mandarin and English Learning Needs in A Private Junior High School in Makassar

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the needs for basic Mandarin and English language 
learning that has been conducted at a private junior high school in Makassar, as 
a reference for determining whether this activity should be continued and for the 
development of learning materials and syllabus creation. This study identifies 
the challenges in learning Mandarin and English after attending Mandarin and 
English lessons, the benefits of learning Mandarin and English, the continuity of 
the basic Mandarin and English training program, and the needs for learning 
basic Mandarin and English based on the four core language skills. This research 
uses a descriptive-analytical method with a quantitative approach. The data was 
obtained through a questionnaire distributed to 15 respondents, consisting of 
junior high school students from a private school in Makassar, teachers, and 
parents. The analysis of the questionnaire data indicates that the respondents are 
interested in learning Mandarin and English by increasing the number of study 
hours and changing the learning themes, as 53.3% of them feel they have already 
understood the current material well enough. In terms of Hanzi recognition and 
writing, they experienced significant difficulties—93.3% of the participants 
reported that they found learning Hanzi to be challenging. The overall results of 
the needs analysis for basic Mandarin and English learning suggest that students 
require Mandarin skills primarily to understand simple conversations and basic 
vocabulary.