https://jurcon.ums.edu.my/ojums/index.php/MANU <div> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>MANU, Journal of Humanities </strong>is published annually in June and December by the MANU Jurnal Pusat Penataran Ilmu dan Bahasa, Universiti Malaysia Sabah. With its inaugural issue printed in 1998, the Journal witnessed the publication of Volume 34 in 2023. MANU Journal of Humanities invites the submission of articles and book reviews in academic disciplines related to Humanities, such as Modern Languages, Literature, History, Philosophy, Religion, Visual and Performing Arts, Communication Studies, and Cultural Studies. We particularly welcome manuscripts that focus on Malaysia and Southeast Asia issues. Only manuscripts written either in Bahasa Melayu or the English Language will be considered for publication. MANU Journal of Humanities is indexed by the Malaysian Citation Index (MYCITE). MANU Journal of Humanities is also aiming to be indexed in SCOPUS in the near future.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>ISSN: 1511-1989 / e-ISSN: 2590-4086</strong></p> <p style="float: left;"> </p> </div> Penerbit UMS en-US MANU Journal of Humanities 2590-4086 <p style="text-align: justify;"><span>All right reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced without prior written permission of the copyright holder. The written permission of the copyright holder must be obtained before any parts of this publication is stored in a retrieval system of any nature.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span>Requests for permission to duplicate an article, review or part of this journal should be addressed to the Chief Editor, MANU, Centre for the Promotion of Knowledge and Language Learning, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, 88400 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.</span></p> https://jurcon.ums.edu.my/ojums/index.php/MANU/article/view/7321 <p><strong><em>Abstract </em></strong><em>China’s economic development has contributed to growing global interest in learning Chinese. In Malaysia, strong diplomatic and economic ties with China have further increased demand for Chinese as a Foreign Language (CFL). Despite this demand, many non-native learners continue to face challenges in developing communicative competence due to pedagogical and contextual factors. This study examines beginner-level Malaysian CFL learners’ perceptions of the Production-Oriented Approach (POA) in a higher education context. Data were collected from 140 undergraduates enrolled in a 14-week beginner-level CFL course using a questionnaire that explored perceptions of language proficiency and learning processes. The findings reveal a differentiated pattern of perceived development, with stronger perceived improvement in reading, writing, translation and sentence construction, and comparatively lower perceived development in speaking and listening. This suggests that POA may be more effective in supporting structured and output-oriented language use, while oral skills may require more sustained interaction and exposure. In addition, learners reported positive perceptions of vocabulary development, knowledge application, motivation and engagement, indicating a close relationship between language learning and active learning processes. Overall, the study suggests that POA is perceived as a supportive and engaging instructional approach in beginner-level CFL classrooms. However, its perceived effectiveness appears to vary across language skills, highlighting the importance of balancing structured output with opportunities for interactive and communicative practice. By providing evidence from a Malaysian CFL context and focusing on beginner-level learners, this study contributes to a more context-sensitive understanding of how POA is experienced in classroom practice.</em></p> NABIHAH ALIA ABD RAHMAN Copyright (c) 2026 2026-09-09 2026-09-09 37 2 1 14 10.51200/manu.v37i2.7321