1、 Introduction

Discussed the impact of multilingual and multicultural societies on national development and international relations in the context of globalization, as well as the attention paid to inheritance languages as important resources. The study of inheritance language learning has become an emerging field, and the learning motivation and engagement of Chinese inheritors have received attention from the academic community. The learning motivation of inheritors includes both comprehensive and instrumental types, which have a complex relationship with learning engagement. Learning engagement is a multidimensional concept that includes behavioral, emotional, and cognitive participation. As a research object, exploring the types of learning motivation, learning engagement, and the relationship between Chinese language inheritors in Thailand is of great significance for promoting the preservation and development of Chinese language inheritors.

2、 Research Design

A research design was introduced on the learning motivation and engagement of Thai Chinese language inheritors. The research subjects are 118 Thai born Chinese language inheritors from three Chinese language learning institutions in Supang Province, Thailand. The sample is diverse, including different genders, ages, educational backgrounds, and occupations. The research methods include quantitative research and qualitative research. Quantitative research uses a questionnaire survey method, which covers personal basic information, Chinese learning motivation types, and learning engagement levels. The five point scoring method is adopted; Qualitative research conducted in-depth interviews with 8 learners using semi-structured interview methods. In terms of data collection and analysis, a total of 137 questionnaires were distributed, with an effective response rate of 91.47%. The questionnaires have high reliability and exploratory factor analysis, factor analysis, correlation analysis, and regression analysis were used for data analysis.

3、 Research results

Through factor analysis, the learning motivation types of Thai Chinese inheritors were classified, and seven main motivation types were identified: cultural exchange type, future planning type, cultural identity type, learning context type, achievement type, personal hobby type, and language interest type. Among them, learning context and cultural exchange are the most important types of motivation. Learners perform well in terms of sustained learning motivation, but have lower investment in daily life learning, extracurricular activities and communication, and active learning outside of class.

4、 Conclusion and Teaching Suggestions

The conclusion of the study on the learning motivation types and learning engagement of Thai Chinese language inheritors indicates that their instrumental and integrative motivations are in a fused state, with the main motivation types being situational learning and cultural exchange. This fusion of motivations reflects that the inheritors of the language not only pursue practicality and utility in learning Chinese, but also include cultural, emotional, and linguistic aesthetic values. The overall level of learning engagement among Thai Chinese language inheritors is moderate, which may be related to teaching resources, lifestyle habits, and family environment. The situational motivation for learning is positively correlated with learning engagement, while achievement based, language interest based, and personal interest based motivations have a positive predictive effect on extracurricular self-directed learning. There is a contradictory relationship between cultural exchange motivation and cultural identity motivation in predicting learning engagement. Teaching suggestions include understanding learners' motivation, creating a positive interactive environment, helping learners clarify the meaning of learning, in order to enhance learning motivation and engagement.