区域国别视角下韩国本土中文考试的比较研究——以韩、日、美、法四国高考中文考试为中心

A Comparative Study of Local Chinese Language Examinations in South Korea from a Regional and National Perspective: Focusing on College Entrance Chinese Examinations in South Korea, Japan, the United States, and France

This study examines South Korea’s local Chinese language examinations, with a focus on the Chinese language component of the college entrance examination, from a regional and national perspective. It conducts a comparative analysis using the Chinese language examinations of Japan, the United States, and France as reference points. Through an international comparison of examination systems, structures, question types, and content of representative local Chinese language examinations, the study finds that South Korea’s local Chinese examination system is relatively balanced and comprehensive. Guided by demand and the characteristics of the Chinese character cultural sphere, South Korea has established specialized examinations such as the Chinese Tour Guide Examination and the HNK (Korea-China Business Chinese Proficiency Test). The fairness of South Korea’s Chinese examinations is evident in their design. Japan’s college entrance Chinese examination, part of the same Chinese character cultural sphere, shares significant similarities with South Korea’s, though South Korea places greater emphasis on assessing knowledge of Chinese culture. Japan’s reading comprehension questions are uniquely designed, incorporating additional short texts on the same theme to enhance the evaluation of applied reading skills. These questions progress from easy to difficult, starting with language elements and encompassing language skills, but they focus solely on reading and translation. Compared to non-Chinese character cultural sphere examinations, such as the U.S. AP Chinese exam and France’s college entrance Chinese exam, South Korea’s college entrance Chinese examination notably prioritizes the assessment of linguistic knowledge. Its question design is meticulous, flexible, and diverse, incorporating contextual and multimodal elements like images, which aligns with cognitive patterns of second language acquisition and meets South Korea’s local learning and assessment needs while emphasizing language application skills. However, South Korea’s local Chinese examinations face several challenges. There is a notable lack of specialized-purpose Chinese examinations, and more demand-driven exam development is needed. Despite the variety of examination types, the absence of top-level design hinders their development. The college entrance Chinese examination primarily assesses reading skills, with insufficient question types and limited explanatory power regarding language proficiency, resulting in a persistent lack of effective integration between high school and university Chinese education. This study aims to provide valuable insights and references for the further improvement of South Korea’s local Chinese examinations, centered on the college entrance exam, as well as for local Chinese examinations in other regions and countries.

本文旨在从区域国别的视角，考察以韩国高考中文考试为核心的韩国本土中文考试体系。通过对比分析日本、美国、法国的中文考试，深入探讨考试体系、代表性本土中文考试的考试结构、题型及内容。研究发现，韩国本土中文考试体系较为均衡且全面，注重需求导向和汉字文化圈的区域特色，特别设置了中文导游考试和HNK（韩中商务汉字能力考试）。从考试性质来看，韩国中文考试体现了较高的公平性。在汉字文化圈内，日本的高考中文考试与韩国颇为相似，但韩国对中国文化的考察更为深入。日本阅读题命题独特，通过附加相同主题的短文资料，加强对应用型阅读内容的考察，命题难度由易到难逐步提升，从语言要素入手，兼顾语言技能，但仅限于阅读和翻译技能。与非汉字文化圈的美国AP中文考试和法国高考中文考试相比，韩国高考中文考试明显更重视语言本体的考察。其命题设计精细、灵活多样，语境及图片模态的多重设计更契合第二语言习得的认知模式，满足韩国本土学习与测评的需求，强调语言运用能力。然而，韩国本土中文考试亦存在亟待解决的问题。专门用途中文考试缺项较多，亟需以需求为导向加强考试研发。尽管考试种类繁多，但缺乏顶层设计，发展动力不足。高考中文考试仅考察阅读技能，题型不够丰富，成绩对语言能力的解释力度不足，导致高中与大学的中文教学难以实现“一体化”有效衔接。希望本研究能为以韩国高考中文考试为中心的韩国本土中文考试，以及其他区域国别的本土中文考试的进一步完善，提供有益的借鉴和参考。