Nel, Norma2016-12-132016-12-132016Nel, N. (2016). Teaching and learning of Mandarin as a foreign language in South African schools. Perspectives in Education, 34(2), 43-56.2519-593X (online)0258-2236 (print)http://hdl.handle.net/11660/5225http://dx.doi.org/10.18820/2519593X/pie.v34i2.4Globalisation has influenced the demand for the acquisition of Mandarin. As a proactive response, the South African Department of Education included Mandarin as a second additional language in the National Curriculum Statement grades R–12 in March 2015. The research reported on in this article was context specific. It entailed a case study of a school in Gauteng that had introduced Mandarin as a foreign language. Chomsky’s language theory, the interactionist theory and Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory are acknowledged. A qualitative inquiry strategy was employed; individual and focus group interviews, questionnaires and observations were used as data gathering tools. Content analysis was done manually. Themes, categories and subcategories were identified. The research culminated in a case study narrative elaborating on the main themes, namely motivation and beliefs, teaching Mandarin, and learners’ learning experiences.enMandarinForeign languageTeachingLearningArticleFaculty of Education, University of the Free State