Chinese Language Education in Australia: Attending to the Lifeworlds of Learners

Given the history of the presence of Chinese in the landscape in Australia it is now one of the languages that presents the greatest variation in learner background in languages education. This diversity of backgrounds is generally understood as a structural and pedagogical challenge (Orton JM. Chin Educ Soc 49:369–375. https://doi.org/10.1080/1061/932.2016.1283939 , 2016) with impact on Chinese language learning in schools. What is less evident is the fundamental difference that pertains to the learners’ lifeworlds and their affiliation with Chinese, their perceptions of its value, nature, and the purpose for learning it, and the different personal meanings that Chinese language learning can hold for diverse learners of the language in Australia. In this chapter, we discuss a case study with a single teacher of Chinese, working with a range of learners of senior secondary Chinese, enacting a curricular intervention designed within a multilingual and intercultural orientation. We illustrate the ways in which the teacher addresses the nature and purpose for learning for diverse learners within the class group. In particular, we consider themes related to the students’ lifeworlds, their affiliation with the language and culture and their identity, and the multilingual and intercultural nature and purpose of learning for the diverse learners of this language.