Learning Motivation and Academic Satisfaction Among Spanish College Students Learning Chinese as a Foreign Language: An Empirical Analysis

Higher education serves as a fundamental driver of social progress and individual professional development. This study examines the motivational profiles of 112 Spanish-speaking college students who are learning Chinese as a foreign language, focusing on the factors that influence their decision to study this language and their academic satisfaction within the university context. The study is based on an analysis of data collected from these students, using statistical analyses to explore relationships between motivational factors, academic satisfaction, and academic performance. The findings reveal that intrinsic motivations—such as interest in Chinese culture and traditions, personal growth, and intellectual challenge—predominate over extrinsic motivations, including prospective employment opportunities, when selecting Chinese as a foreign language as a major or compulsory subject. In addition, both intrinsic and extrinsic motivations show distinct associations with specific dimensions of academic satisfaction. The statistical analyses further indicate that there is a positive correlation between motivation, academic satisfaction, and academic performance, as measured by grade point average. The study concludes that intrinsic and extrinsic motivations are both relevant in understanding students’ academic satisfaction and performance in Chinese as a foreign language learning, with intrinsic motivation playing a particularly prominent role.