Self-Assessment of Chinese Language Competence among International Students: An Analysis of Core Language Skills

HRMARS - Chinese language proficiency is an important factor influencing the academic success and social integration of international students studying in China. This study examines the self-assessment of Chinese language competence across six key skill areas: listening, speaking, reading, writing, communicative competence, and Chinese information literacy. Using descriptive statistical analysis, the study evaluates the mean and standard deviation values representing students’ perceived proficiency levels. The results indicate that reading competence shows the highest mean score (M = 3.82, SD = 0.70), suggesting relatively stronger confidence in reading ability, while writing competence records the lowest mean score (M = 3.58, SD = 0.77), indicating comparatively greater difficulty. Listening (M = 3.74, SD = 0.72), speaking (M = 3.69, SD = 0.75), communicative competence (M = 3.71, SD = 0.73), and Chinese information literacy (M = 3.63, SD = 0.76) demonstrate moderate levels of self-perceived proficiency. The findings suggest that although international students generally perceive themselves as moderately competent in Chinese, productive skills such as writing require further development. The study contributes to understanding the linguistic challenges faced by international students and highlights the importance of targeted pedagogical strategies to strengthen language competence.