Learning Chinese Characters Research Articles

A survey on traditional Chinese characters learning needs of learners of Chinese as a second language

This paper aims to study through a questionnaire survey the needs of learners of Chinese as a second language for learning traditional Chinese characters. To achieve the aim, analysis was conducted from various perspectives such as the learners’ background, Chinese proficiency, Chinese instruction, exposure to traditional Chinese characters and attitudes towards traditional Chinese characters. Factors that influenced the participants’ learning needs and motivations were analyzed with the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. The results showed that the participants had a moderate level of traditional Chinese characters learning needs, and that reading and appreciating arts were two most significant motivations for learning traditional Chinese characters.

Chinese Character Learning Information Platform Based on Multimedia Information Technology

MIT (multimedia information technology) has brought profound changes to education, and MIT teaching has become an effective teaching method. Based on the teaching concept of MIT and curriculum integration, the connotation and goal of MIT Chinese and the Chinese character learning information platforms are clarified. In this paper, the design of a Chinese character learning information platform based on MIT is chosen as the study object. Starting with the investigation and analysis of the application of multimedia teaching resources by teachers in oral Chinese teaching, the problems in the construction of Chinese teaching resources are summarized. This paper combines the characteristics of domain ontology with those in the process of word segmentation to disambiguate ambiguous fields by calculating the strength of semantic association, so as to maximize the speed of ambiguity identification and resolution without losing AR (accuracy rate). After experiments, the system found a balance between RR (recall rate), AR, and the speed of Chinese character segmentation.

Serotonergic modulation of effective connectivity in an associative relearning network during task and rest

An essential core function of one's cognitive flexibility is the use of acquired knowledge and skills to adapt to ongoing environmental changes. Animal models have highlighted the influence serotonin has on neuroplasticity. These effects have been predominantly demonstrated during emotional relearning which is theorized as a possible model for depression. However, translation of these mechanisms is in its infancy. To this end, we assessed changes in effective connectivity at rest and during associative learning as a proxy of neuroplastic changes in healthy volunteers. 76 participants underwent 6 weeks of emotional or non-emotional (re)learning (face-matching or Chinese character–German noun matching). During relearning participants either self-administered 10 mg/day of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) escitalopram or placebo in a double-blind design. Associative learning tasks, resting-state and structural images were recorded before and after both learning phases (day 1, 21 and 42). Escitalopram intake modulated relearning changes in a network encompassing the right insula, anterior cingulate cortex and right angular gyrus. Here, the process of relearning during SSRI intake showed a greater decrease in effective connectivity from the right insula to both the anterior cingulate cortex and right angular gyrus, with increases in the opposite direction when compared to placebo. In contrast, intrinsic connections and those at resting-state were only marginally affected by escitalopram. Further investigation of gray matter volume changes in these functionally active regions revealed no significant SSRI-induced structural changes. These findings indicate that the right insula plays a central role in the process of relearning and SSRIs further potentiate this effect. In sum, we demonstrated that SSRIs amplify learning-induced effective connections rather than affecting the intrinsic task connectivity or that of resting-state.

Learning Chinese Characters: Academic vs Dynamic Approach

This study aims to study the comparative results of the application of the classical academic and modern dynamic types of studying Chinese writing in its pragmatic aspect. Chinese language and writing are among the most difficult to learn as a second language, requiring advanced teaching methods with wider use of elements of the digital environment and the student’s independent active use of web services for active language learning. This aspect is also important when using more and more mass distance learning. The study involved 90 students aged 23 years old to 35 years old, who were equally divided into experimental and control groups. The experimental group used active learning methods and the control group used the usual academic methods of teaching Chinese writing, in accordance with the university course. The training was allocated four hours per week for remote training (using the Google Meet platform). The results demonstrated that the dynamic approach is effective in teaching hieroglyphics and pragmatic aspects of the language (reading, typing on a computer, listening comprehension, recognising words and written hieroglyphs). The academic classroom method is more suitable for the formation of correct pronunciation, taking into account the tonal type of Chinese phonetics.

Analysis of Chinese Character Writing Errors by Secondary School Students in Yaoundé, Cameroon

In recent years, as Chinese has become a “hot” language in the world, the popularity of Chinese language learning in Cameroon is constantly increasing. Chinese character teaching is an important part of Chinese learning, and learning Chinese characters is one of the unavoidable difficulties for Cameroonian students. This paper mainly analyzes the writing errors of Chinese characters among secondary school students in Cameroon, focusing on three aspects: the errors in strokes, the errors in components and the errors in homophones and near-similar characters. The main reason for the error is that the students lack knowledge about the combination of strokes and parts of Chinese characters, the combination of parts and the distinction of homophones. In order to solve the practical problems of Chinese character teaching in secondary schools, this paper finally puts forward some pertinent opinions and suggestions, hoping to provide useful help to the teaching of Chinese characters in secondary schools in Cameroon.

Нужно ли учить дошкольников чтению: дискуссия об уроках грамоты в дошкольных учреждениях в Китае

Unlike in other countries, the issue of preschool literacy education in China is a complex and important one to both the government and parents. The issue is particularly serious because of constant changes in official policy for historical reasons, parental anxiety, and the excessive learning load of preschoolers. The article focuses on the initial stages of literacy acquisition by preschoolers in China. It offers a rationale for the beginning of this period, and focuses on the possibility of literacy education in preschool institutions in China. China has been engaged in a long-running debate on the necessity and possibility of literacy training for preschoolers. Analysing the position of parents and the recommendations of governmental educational organisations, the author argues that preschool transition classes for Chinese preschoolers learning to read and write are expedient. With the promulgation of the new policy, it appears, at first glance, that China has blocked the preschool transition classes, but in reality, the government is shifting responsibility for the transition from preschool to primary school, emphasizing that the transition must be completed in the first grade so that preschoolers better adapt to primary school. This article provides a perspective on the order in which Chinese characters and Pinyin are learned based on the evidence from literacy training. (Pinyin is the Chinese phonetic alphabet, a system of letters that conveys the sound form of words.) The author shows how learning Pinyin and Chinese characters interact and complement each other.

Development and Evaluation of a Chinese Character Educational Board Game for Non-Native Learners

There is no doubt that knowing Chinese gives graduates a competitive advantage. The ability to communicate fluently in Chinese has long been a requirement for Chinese employers, particularly those looking to do business in China's e-commerce market. Non-native learners must master four fundamental abilities in order to become literate in the Chinese language: listening, reading, writing, and speaking. Previous research has found that writing Chinese characters is frequently the most difficult task for both non-native and native learners. The issue arises during the process of learning Chinese characters and excessive use of gadgets, while online learning inspires both researchers to create a Chinese educational board game dubbed the LiSCReW Family Board Game (LiSCReW). LiSCReW is an acronym for Listen, Speak, Count, Read, and Write. The purpose of this study is (i) to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of the LiSCReW for learning Chinese characters; and (ii) to share non-native learners' perspectives and experiences while playing LiSCReW during a one-day exhibition at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Johor Campus. To facilitate playtesting and evaluation of the board game, a total of 22 students from UiTM Johor were conveniently selected. The findings indicate that the LiSCReW board game is an effective educational tool for learning Chinese characters. The results show that respondents are more confident in recognising Chinese characters (90.9%), pronouncing Chinese characters (68.2%), reading Chinese characters (54.6%), and applying the Chinese characters they learned while playing LiSCReW to their Chinese test (77.2%). The findings can be used to guide future research into the empirical testing of Flow Theory's applicability among a large number of respondents.

Evaluation of Different Teaching Strategies in Sight Words Instruction of Chinese Children with Autism: Text-picture Matching, Picture-embedded, and Word Tracing

This study investigated and compared whether text-picture matching, picture-embedded and word tracing intervention strategies can promote the learning of Chinese characters by Chinese ASD children. The core theory is the effect of picture stimulation and handwriting stimulation on literacy ability. The participants were all 24 children aged 6-12 years in a rehabilitation center in Shanxi Province, China. The children were randomly divided into a treatment group and a control group; the treatment group used these three methods to teach four Chinese characters in turn, and the control group used text-only. A total of three intervention experiments were conducted, and each experimental group used different intervention methods to teach new Chinese characters. The results show that these three intervention strategies all promote the literacy of Chinese children with ASD, but the picture-embedded teaching strategy is not recommended. Due to the short experimental period, future work can continue to study and compare the effectiveness of text-picture matching and word tracing.

The effect of dialogic reading paired with multisensory learning of Chinese characters and morphological awareness skills for L2 Chinese young learners at Hong Kong kindergartens

AbstractThis study examined how a dialogic reading (DR) program with a component of multisensory learning (MS) of Chinese characters improved early Chinese reading and writing skills in L2 Chinese‐speaking kindergarteners in Hong Kong. The DR + MS program was compared to the same DR program but focusing on morphological awareness (MA) training. A total of 118 3‐ to 4‐year‐old L2 Chinese‐speaking kindergartners were recruited for the study. These children were randomly assigned to one of three separate training groups: DR + MS, DR + MA, and DR alone as a control group: Before and after a 12‐week training session, all participating children were tested on a range of Chinese words reading and writing‐related skills. The DR + MS group demonstrated the strongest growth in Chinese word reading and writing skills. The DR + MA group showed a trend toward greater improvement in Chinese vocabulary knowledge. These results demonstrated enjoyable ways to develop Chinese early literacy skills.

How do Chinese as a second language (CSL) learners acquire orthographic knowledge: component, structure and position regularity

Learning Chinese characters could be challenging for many CSL learners due to the distinction in orthographic features between the Chinese written system and their first languages. While acquisition of orthographic knowledge could be important for learning Chinese characters, how they can gain knowledge about different aspects of Chinese orthography (i.e. component, structure and position regularity) remains less studied. The component is a basic perceptual constituent of Chinese characters, the character structure is the configuration layout formed by relative positions of components. Many components are supposed to follow the implicit position regularity rule when they are integrated to form characters. In this study, a total of 213 CSL students in Hong Kong were invited to complete three tasks measuring students’ component knowledge, structural knowledge, and position regularity knowledge. It has been found that overall CSL students’ performance in these tasks seemed to be affected by character structures. Furthermore, we found that component knowledge had an indirect effect on position regularity knowledge via the mediation of structural knowledge, which showed a possible link about how learners gradually understand complex orthographic rules based on the perceptual observation. Implications for the teaching and learning of the Chinese language were also discussed.

Comparing the Effects of Stroke-Appearing and Stroke-Disappearing on Learning the Order of Strokes in Chinese Characters

Different approaches to stimulating perceptions in learning can be easily designed with technology-enhanced learning systems. This study aimed to explore how different approaches can influence learners' perceptions that may negatively or positively affect their learning performance of writing Chinese characters using the correct Chinese order of strokes (COS). We therefore designed an e-learning system which was subdivided into two modes: stroke-appearing (i.e., using red to mark incorrect strokes) and stroke-disappearing (i.e., using blanks to mark incorrect strokes) to indicate strokes written in the incorrect order. We then investigated the modes that would facilitate a higher level of attention and better learning outcomes. A total of 10 third-grade elementary school students participated in the experiment, divided into two test groups. Their EEG data were collected, and time series analysis and t-tests were utilized to analyze the differences. The results indicated that: (1) there was a significant difference in the attention levels of the students practicing with the stroke-appearing and stroke-disappearing modes when learning COS, and (2) there was a significant difference in the learning outcomes of the students practicing with the stroke-appearing and stroke-disappearing modes when learning COS. These findings support the specific role of stroke order knowledge in learning Chinese characters and the need for the design of an effective method for teaching children to learn Chinese characters.

Learning Chinese Mandarin characters in an English-speaking country: The development of a child’s symbolic mind

This qualitative research explores the development of the symbolic mind in children through learning Chinese Mandarin characters. Navigated through the lens of relational developmental system metatheory and guided by Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory, findings present the analysis of the developmental processes in children’s recognition of symbols and use of known symbols to make and share meaning. This study also offers an explanation of the effect of changes in the sociocultural environment on children's symbolic development. Further, cultural differences toward symbolic representation are discussed with the recommendation of focusing on recognition followed by writing when learning Chinese Mandarin characters.

Analyzing graphic structure of phono-semantic characters: A Vietnamese method of teaching and learning Chinese characters

From the perspective of graphological structure, this article examines Vietnamese methods of teaching and learning Chinese characters by analyzing their phonetic and semantic elements. The selected sample for the survey is taken from characters collected from Thiều Chửu’s Dictionary of Chinese Script with Sino-Vietnamese Reading—the most useful dictionary in Vietnam in nearly 100 years. The resulting statistics reveal that, out of the 14,950 characters in this dictionary, there are 931 phonetic elements in which 455 are strong ones, producing 10–20 phono-semantic characters. This article argues that analyzing the relationship between the characters and their phonetic elements read in Sino-Vietnamese pronunciation is a good method for Vietnamese people to teach and learn Chinese characters. The method of learning Chinese characters has been applied in teaching Chinese characters for more than 1000 monks and nuns at the Vietnam Buddhist Academy in Hanoi. The experimental results show that students were able to improve their vocabulary very quickly, and could apply this to learning and teaching Chinese characters.

Analysis of Difficulties in Chinese Character Learning for Intermediate and Advanced Korean Learners

Chinese characters are beneficial for Chinese learning, but their complexity and high cost of the acquisition have been a factor restricting the development of learners’ Chinese proficiency. Chinese characters are composed of three-dimensional integration characterized as form, sound, and meaning, so their learning difficulties should be many. However, the academic research on the difficulties of Korean learners of Chinese characters mainly focuses on the study of the challenging points of the font, and it was based on the researchers’ point of view. Utilizing the method of error analysis to find learners’ difficulties in Chinese characters from top to bottom, fewer studies are conveying the specific difficulties of Chinese characters from the perspective of learners. Therefore, this article will use a hybrid research method to study the difficulties in the three dimensions of form, sound, and meaning in the learning of Chinese characters. For intermediate and advanced Korean learners, the viewpoint of combining top-down and bottom-up and try to fully explore the intermediate and advanced levels. Korean learners’ difficulties in learning Chinese characters and the reasons for the difficulties are to be known to help teach Chinese characters in the future.

Confusion and Chinese character learning

ABSTRACT This study explores the relationship between the experience of confusion and the outcomes of Chinese character learning by learners of Chinese as a heritage language (CHL). Based on the claim that impasses triggering confusion can lead to deeper learning of conceptually difficult material, the study employed three impasse-driven tasks. The tasks were designed to trigger a state of cognitive disequilibrium in the participants. After first encountering the tasks in Session 1, the 117 CHL learners were given 1 week to resolve their impasse-driven tasks in their own time for 30 min (limited by the computer system). Afterwards, we announced the correct answer for them to look at for 3 days, and then Session 2 was administered 1 week after the feedback. The results of this study showed considerable improvement in differentiating near-homographs and homophones presented in a sentence, and correcting wrong Chinese characters. The study’s results suggest that incorporating well-designed confusing content into Chinese learning may help CHL learners deepen their learning of Chinese characters.

A longitudinal study of Chinese as a second language kindergarteners’ orthographic awareness and its association with their lexical learning performance

This three-year longitudinal study investigated the orthographic knowledge development of Chinese characters in relation to lexical development among ethnic minority kindergarteners (N = 56) learning Chinese as a second language (CSL). The study examined the relative contribution of two types of orthographic knowledge (i.e. single character reading and radical awareness), and mental lexicon in Chinese character meaning recognition over the three years of preschool (K1-K3). Hierarchical regression analysis showed that single character reading at K1 and radical awareness at K2 were significant longitudinal predictors to later character meaning identification at K3, after controlling age and mental lexicon. Both single character reading and radical awareness were concurrently significant predictors to character meaning recognition at K3. The results indicated the longitudinal predicting effect of earlier component knowledge and radical awareness on subsequent character meaning identification. The finding supports the essential role of orthographic knowledge in Chinese character learning at early stage of ethnic minority leaners, and further establishes the mediated role of radical awareness between component knowledge and character meaning identification. Building on previous researches (e.g. Liu et al., 2007), this study illustrates that the component knowledge at early learning stage has a unique effect predicting the further development of character meaning identification and the learner framework for processing CSL.

Direct effects of visual skills and working memory on Chinese character reading in young children

AbstractThe present study aimed to examine how visual skills, verbal working memory, visuospatial working memory, and other general cognitive skills (inhibitory control, attention, and decision speed) were simultaneously correlated with the early acquisition of reading among kindergarten children. A total of 99 Chinese children were tested individually on the Chinese character recognition task, the block design task, the digit span task, the visuospatial sketchpad task, the continuous performance task (CPT), the flanker task, and the choice reaction time task. The results showed that visual skills and working memory accounted for 15% of the unique variance in character reading, whereas other general cognitive skills, including decision speed, inhibitory control and attention, did not significantly explain the variance in character reading when visual skills and working memory were considered. Specifically, verbal working memory, rather than visuospatial working memory, explained the unique variance in children's learning of character reading. These findings highlighted that visual skills and verbal working memory were among the most important precursors of reading in children at the beginning stage of learning Chinese characters.

A Study on the Composition of Sin-chŭng-yu-hap and the Value of Resources for Learning Chinese Characters by Comparison between Sin-chŭng-yu-hap and Yu-hap

A Study on the Composition of Sin-chŭng-yu-hap and the Value of Resources for Learning Chinese Characters by Comparison between Sin-chŭng-yu-hap and Yu-hap

国内儿童汉字学习APP的分析与改进

国内儿童汉字学习APP的分析与改进

Augmented reality enhanced cognitive engagement: designing classroom-based collaborative learning activities for young language learners

Augmented Reality (AR) has been applied to education in a variety of subjects, but in comparison to AR in STEM education, research on integrating pedagogical designs with AR in language learning is less mature. This study presents an AR-supported Chinese character learning game designed for young learners and investigates its effects on learners’ cognitive engagement in classroom learning. A total of 53 grade 2 students and two teachers from a Singapore government primary school participated in the study. The findings indicate an obvious improvement of students’ levels of cognitive engagement in the AR-supported activities. Furthermore, compared with acquiring expert-created content knowledge, students are more continuously engaged in the learning activities designed for enabling self-generated contexts. Suggestions for future system design and pedagogical strategies of leveraging AR to engage young learners in language learning are proposed from this study. The study also provides some insight into how to investigate cognitive outcomes of AR-enabled learning design through analysing learning process.