Chinese Reading Research Articles

Readers may not integrate words strictly in the order in which they appear in Chinese reading

Readers may not integrate words strictly in the order in which they appear in Chinese reading

EXPRESS: The Effect of Lexical Semantic Activation on Reasoning About Evolution: A Cross-linguistic Study.

We hypothesized that people of different language backgrounds (English vs. Mandarin Chinese) might think about evolutionary relationships among living things differently. In particular, some reasoning heuristics may come from how living things are named. Our research examined if sub-word and sub-lexical elements in written Chinese influence people's inferences. Some taxon names in Chinese are conjunctive concepts that include another taxon: e.g., panda is called bear cat in Chinese, and the skunk character has a semantic radical (semantic component of a character) that means mouse. These conjunctions might influence Chinese readers to infer that conjunctive concepts share biological characteristics with their constituents (e.g., that skunks share biological properties with mice). Readers in a language (English) without lexical activation from constituents of conjunctive concepts would not be expected to show such effects. This research provided insights into how differences in prior knowledge due to different language backgrounds affect thinking and reasoning.

Two sides of the same coin? Cross-linguistic sentiment comparison and thematic discovery of reader’s reception of Wolf Totem

Abstract Despite growing attention to the global dissemination of cross-cultural literature, rigorous research on cross-linguistic sentiment analysis remains limited, especially for works like Wolf Totem, which hold both worldwide reach and cultural depth. This study conducted a cross-language sentiment and thematic analysis of online book reviews by Chinese and English readers, utilizing advanced linguistic techniques such as BERT, MAXQDA, and ProtAnt. The analysis reveals that Chinese readers are more critical of the themes “Ethnicity and Culture”, “Society and Politics”, and “Wolf and Wolf Nature”, while English readers respond more positively to “Historical Context and Background”, “Plot and Theme”, and “Emotional Response and Reading Experience”. This study not only highlights these emotional variations but also provides robust methodological insights for cross-linguistic sentiment analysis, showcasing the integration of quantitative and qualitative approaches and enhancing understanding of how cultural identity shapes reader engagement.

Comprehensive Chinese Course Based on Task-based Language Teaching Approach with Cooperative Learning Technique to Enhance Chinese Reading Ability of International Students in Xi’an University

Background and aim: This study explored the integration of the task-based language teaching approach and cooperative learning to enhance the Chinese reading ability of international students. The aims of this study were: 1) to compare international students’ Chinese reading test scores before and after learning through the comprehensive Chinese course, and 2) to study the international students’ satisfaction with learning through the comprehensive Chinese course. Materials and methods: The study involved 94 international students at Xi’an University, with a sample of 26 second-year foreign students from one class of Xi’an University in China in the autumn term of 2023 through cluster random sampling. The research instruments were lesson plans, a test paper for foreign students’ Chinese reading ability, and a student’s learning satisfaction questionnaire. Experimental design is the one-group pretest-posttest design. Data were collected and analyzed by means, standard deviation, and t-test for the dependent sample. The data were analyzed by using mean, standard deviation, t-test for dependent samples, and t-test for one sample. Results: After learning through the comprehensive Chinese course based on a task-based language teaching approach with cooperative learning technique, foreign students’ Chinese reading ability was higher than before at a 0.05 level of statistical significance (t=2.50, p<0.05). The average score of the post-test (M=11.58, SD=5.56) was higher than that of the pre-test (M=9.35, SD=4.91). Additionally, students’ learning satisfaction was at a high level (M=4.19, SD=0.75). Conclusion: The developed comprehensive Chinese courses based on a task-based language teaching approach with cooperative learning techniques have a significant effect on improving the Chinese reading ability of international students. Furthermore, students were satisfied with their learning of this course.

A Meta-Analysis of the Moderators in the Relationship Between Morphological Awareness and Chinese Reading Accuracy

ABSTRACT Purpose This study aimed to deepen the understanding of the relationship between morphological awareness and Chinese reading accuracy by exploring the factors that influence this connection through a meta-analysis. Method We conducted a meta-analysis using data from 84 articles, comprising 104 effect sizes and a sample of 14,348 children (mean ages = 3.76 to 13.79 years). The study examined potential moderators such as script type (traditional and simplified script), age, and the type of reading accuracy measure (word and character reading), as well as the interaction between these moderators on the abovementioned relationship. Results The analysis revealed that script type was a significant moderator in the relationship. The correlation between morphological awareness and word/character reading was stronger in traditional script than in simplified script. Age also had a significant moderating effect in the relationship, with the correlation increasing significantly with age. However, neither the type of reading accuracy measure nor the interaction between measure type and script type significantly moderated the relationship between MA and Chinese reading accuracy. Conclusion The moderation by script type suggests that the differences in morpheme orthography between the two scripts can affect the relationship between morphological awareness and reading accuracy. The moderator of age indicates that the influence of morphological awareness on reading accuracy may grow stronger as children get older. The lack of a moderating effect by the type of reading accuracy measure suggests that the correlation between morphological awareness and word/character reading is consistent across these measures.

Exploring the Barrier between Language and Culture from the Perspective of Postmodernist Aesthetics - Taking the Translation of One Hundred Years of Solitude by Huang Jinyan and the Translation by Fan Ye as an Example

Focusing on the translations of Marquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude by Huang Jinyan and Fan Ye, this paper explores how language shapes and reflects cultural differences, thus influencing cross-cultural communication from a postmodernist aesthetic perspective. The opening chapter briefly describes the relevance of postmodern aesthetics to translation studies, with a special focus on the strategies of naturalization and alienation in magical realist translations and their role in conveying cultural connotations. Subsequently, a comparative analysis of the two translations reveals the differences in the translators’ strategies in dealing with the complex symbols and cultural elements of the original work: Fan’s translation tends to alienate, retaining the exotic and magical qualities and preserving the uniqueness of Latin American culture, but it may increase the barriers to comprehension for Chinese readers; Huang’s translation is inclined towards naturalization, which is closer to local reading habits and enhances the readability of the text, but it may diminish the cultural shock and depth of the original text. The core of the article emphasizes that translation is a dual process of cultural selection and re-creation. It requires the translator to strike a balance between preserving the original style and transmitting the cultural essence within the framework of postmodern aesthetics. The article further discusses the crucial role of this balance in enhancing cross-cultural communication and expanding horizons. It also proposes guidelines for future translation practice and research, advocating for a harmonious and symbiotic translation strategy that respects the original work while adapting to the target culture, particularly in the translation of cross-cultural literature.

Exploring the flexibility of word position encoding in Chinese reading: the role of transposition effects

ABSTRACT Previous research in the alphabetic writing system has demonstrated that transposition distance (adjacent vs. non-adjacent) modulates word position encoding during sentence reading. To examine the generality of this pattern within a more holistic model of sentence processing, we investigated this effect in the logographic Chinese writing system. We manipulated the number of words intervening between the transposed words, creating four conditions: none, one, two, and three intervening words. Participants performed a rapid grammaticality judgment task. Results showed longer response latencies and higher error rates when words were transposed adjacent to each other compared to non-adjacent transpositions. Furthermore, more errors and longer response times were observed when one word intervened between the transposed words compared to two or three intervening words. However, no significant differences emerged between the two- and three-word interval conditions. These findings suggest that word position encoding exhibits graded, flexible tolerance to transposition distance, constrained by proximity.

Individual refresh ability modulates irrelevant speech effect in reading: Evidence from eye movements

This study randomly recruited 245 college students aged between 18 and 21 years old who had never studied Spanish and selected 60 subjects (30 with high refresh ability and 30 with low refresh ability) based on their scores on a refresh ability test. The mixed experimental design of 2 (refresh ability: high, low) ×3 (background sound: meaningful, meaningless, silent) was adopted. The Eyelink1000 eye tracker was used to record the eye movement data of the subjects when reading the sentences of scientific papers. At the same time, meaningful (news broadcasting) or meaningless (Spanish) background sounds are played. Based on this, the moderating effect of individual refresh ability with the impact of irrelevant speech was investigated. According to the results, the interaction between refresh ability and the meaningful background sound condition was significant, and it had an impact on the totalreading time, gaze count, regression count, total fixation time, and regression-path duration. However, the interaction with the meaningless background sound condition was not significant. The results showed that: (1) refresh ability significantly regulates the irrelevant speech effect in reading, compared with individuals with high refresh ability. The meaningful background sounds have a greater negative impact on the reading of individuals with low refresh ability; (2) the regulating effect of refresh ability occurs in the late stage of vocabulary processing and semantic integration. The results supported the attentional capture theory and found that the irrelevant speech effect in Chinese reading is modulated by individual refresh ability, which mainly acts on semantic components in late reading processing.

Contrasting Deficits in the Function of the Phonological Loop Between Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Reading Disability.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and reading disability (RD) often co-occur. Impairments in the phonological loop of working memory are central to RD, but it is unclear whether this is linked to ADHD, especially in Chinese reading. Two experiments were conducted with Chinese children aged 7 to 12 (Experiment 1, n = 65; Experiment 2, n = 60). Immediate and delayed recognition paradigms were used to assess phonological encoding and rehearsal. Both the RD-only and comorbid (ADHD + RD) groups performed worse than the control and ADHD-only groups in response time and accuracy. Notably, the comorbid group performed similarly to the RD-only group, indicating that phonological loop deficits in comorbid children are likely due to RD, not ADHD. This highlights phonological loop function as the key to distinguishing between ADHD and RD.

Word length and frequency effects in natural Chinese reading: Evidence for character representations in lexical identification.

Word length and frequency are two of the "big three" factors that affect eye movements in natural reading. Although these factors have been extensively investigated, all previous studies manipulating word length have been confounded with changes in visual complexity (longer words have more letters and are more visually complex). We controlled stroke complexity across one-character (short) and two-character (long) high- and low-frequency Chinese words (to avoid complexity confounds) and recorded readers' eye movements during sentence reading. Both word length and frequency yielded strong main effects for fixation time measures. For saccadic targeting and skipping probability, word length effects, but not word frequency effects, occurred. Critically, the interaction was not significant regardless of stroke complexity, indicating that word length and frequency independently influence lexical identification and saccade target selection during Chinese reading. The results provide evidence for character-level representations during Chinese word recognition in natural reading.

Enhancing Vocabulary Acquisition and Reading Comprehension in Intermediate Chinese: A Corpus-Driven Approach for International Students

This study investigates the effectiveness of corpus-driven thematic vocabulary teaching methods for intermediate Chinese reading, focusing on enhancing learning outcomes for international students. Utilizing the BCC corpus and Wordless software, a quasi-experimental design with 60 participants was employed. The study combined qualitative analysis of corpus data with quantitative assessment of learning outcomes. Results indicate significant improvements in vocabulary acquisition (p < .001, d = 1.34) and reading comprehension (p < .001, d = 1.13). Qualitative data revealed enhanced learner autonomy and engagement. This research contributes to the field of e-learning by showcasing how corpus technology can be effectively integrated into language instruction, particularly in cross-cultural contexts.

Invariant (or Not) Reading Strategies Between Languages and Genders

This study explores the similarities and differences in reading strategies applied by students to Chinese versus English reading. 842 students responded to a reading strategy inventory in terms of their habits when reading in Chinese versus in English. The result validates the general structure of a reading strategy inventory originally designed for English. The general scale seemed reasonable for Chinese reading as well as English reading. However, gender differences were found on some items. In addition, there was no statistically significant correlation between strategy use and test scores, which is inconsistent with previous research. Besides, we found a strong correlation between English and classical Chinese reading scores, but not between English and modern Chinese reading. Language as L1 or L2, curriculum and restricted test formats may partly explain the low correlations while social and educational environment can contribute to the high correlation observed. This study also serves as a rare example of a complete cycle of invariance test for ordinal data with a repeated design in Mplus. Implications for research and pedagogy were discussed.

Schema theory’s immediate impact on college students’ Chinese reading comprehension

Schema theory’s immediate impact on college students’ Chinese reading comprehension

Innovative research of comprehensive practice classroom teaching of Chinese reading

The innovative research of comprehensive practical classroom teaching of Chinese reading shows that teachers should pay attention to cultivating students 'interest in reading in the teaching process, improve their information screening and integration ability, and introduce diversified teaching strategies to stimulate students' learning initiative and creative thinking. Through the continuous innovation of teaching methods, we can enrich the reading practice activities, and provide students with a broader space for exploration and thinking. Classroom teaching is an important link in the field of education, and it has a key influence on students' learning effect and development. With the rapid change of society and the reform of education system, the traditional classroom teaching model faces many challenges. Therefore, it is of great theoretical and practical significance to study the innovation of comprehensive practical classroom teaching of Chinese reading and improve the teaching effect. First of all, the innovation of the comprehensive practical classroom teaching can promote the improvement of the quality of Chinese education. Through the exploration and application of the comprehensive practice innovation strategy of different Chinese reading, it can better meet students' learning needs, stimulate their interest and initiative in learning Chinese, and improve the effect and quality of Chinese learning. Secondly, the innovation of comprehensive practical classroom teaching of Chinese reading can promote the professional development of Chinese teachers. Teachers are the main implementers and organizers of classroom teaching, and their teaching ability and level are directly related to the quality and effect of classroom teaching. Studying the practical innovation of classroom teaching can help teachers to continuously improve their teaching ideas, teaching methods and teaching skills, and improve their professional quality and teaching level. In addition, the innovation of studying the comprehensive practical classroom teaching of Chinese reading can also promote the in-depth progress of educational reform. Education reform needs to learn from and introduce new educational ideas, teaching methods and teaching means, and all of these need to be verified and implemented through practical innovation. By studying the innovation of comprehensive practical classroom teaching of Chinese reading, it can provide practical experience and theoretical support for the promotion of educational reform.

Readers with trait anxiety have poor reading efficiency: evidence from the perceptual span in Chinese reading

Readers with trait anxiety have poor reading efficiency: evidence from the perceptual span in Chinese reading

Foveal crowding in children with developmental dyslexia.

Excessive crowding in the visual periphery has been demonstrated in children with developmental dyslexia (DD). However, less is known about crowding in the fovea, even though foveal crowding is at least equally important, as reading is mostly accomplished through foveal vision. Here we used a special set of digitstimuli (Pelli fonts) to measure foveal crowding in DD and DD + ADHD children, and compared it to that in TD (typically developing) and ADHD children. We also used the Chinese reading acuity charts (C-READ) to assess the maximum reading speed and reading acuity, along with tests to evaluate cognitive attributes including phonological awareness, rapid automatized naming, morphological awareness, and orthographic knowledge. The results indicate significantly stronger foveal crowding in the DD and DD + ADHD groups, as well as in the ADHD group, than in the TD group. Furthermore, the DD and DD + ADHD groups exhibited poorer maximum reading speed and reading acuity compared to the ADHD and TD groups.Within the two DD groups, theslower maximum reading speed and higher reading acuitycan be predicted bystronger foveal crowding. In addition, the DD and DD + ADHD groups performed the worst in four cognitive skills, with the DD group showing negative correlations between foveal crowding and performances across all these skills. Our findings thus move beyond previously well-documented peripheral crowding in dyslexia, and the easy administration of the Pelli-font-based crowding test may be useful for early diagnosis of developmental dyslexia in young children.

Multimodal reading in reading-only versus reading-while-listening modes: evidence from Chinese language learners

Abstract Language educators and researchers have shown keen interest in enhancing second language (L2) learners’ reading skills, and recently, more emphasis has been placed on multimodal learning. Multimodal learning theories posit that the confluence of auditory and visual stimuli facilitates learners to establish robust referential connections, and thus integrating audio cues has emerged as a strategy to enhance reading performance. While prior research has affirmed the advantages of incorporating audio cues for fostering reading fluency and comprehension in general, the findings are inconsistent. These investigations have predominantly focused on learners of English as a second language. Considering the differences between English and Chinese, especially their relationship between written scripts and oral language, investigating the reading experiences of Chinese language learners can contribute to a fuller understanding of the effect of audio inclusion on L2 learners. This study compared reading comprehension and reading experiences in reading-only and reading-while-listening modes for intermediate-low and intermediate-high-level Chinese language learners. After learners read in two different modes, a T-test was conducted on their comprehension performance followed by a qualitative analysis of their perspectives on their reading experiences. The findings showed a significant influence of audio integration on enhancing reading comprehension among intermediate-low-level Chinese language learners engaged in multimodal Chinese reading, and these learners displayed a preference for audio inclusion. On the other hand, a lack of significance in the effects of supplementary audio cues on reading comprehension was identified for intermediate-high-level learners, who manifested a mixed attitude towards audio integration with reading. This study complements the existing understanding of multimodal reading based on alphabetic language, particularly in English. Moreover, the findings carry pertinent implications for Chinese language reading pedagogy.

Mismatch responses of basic auditory temporal processing: early predictive biomarkers of Chinese Reading

ABSTRACT The study aimed to explore whether neurophysiological measures of auditory processing in preschoolers can predict Chinese reading after going to school. Mismatch responses (MMRs) to auditory frequency, duration, and temporal pattern deviants were examined in 24 Chinese preschoolers (6.59 ± 0.25 years old). Reading abilities were tracked in Grades 2 (8.09 ± 0.29 years old) and 4 (9.65 ± 0.28 years old). We found that temporal pattern MMRs in preschoolers continuously contributed to Chinese reading fluency in Grades 2 and 4. However, MMRs to frequency or duration deviants did not predict their reading abilities in Grades 2 or 4. These findings suggest that MMRs of basic auditory temporal processing in preliterate children can serve as predictive biomarkers for future Chinese reading acquisition, thus holding promise for identifying Chinese children at risk of dyslexia before formal school education and further guiding early intervention to support their reading development.

Is Chinese Dyslexia Similar Across Chinese Societies? Evidence from Hong Kong, Beijing, and Taipei

AbstractWhile previous research has documented the unique aspects of Chinese dyslexia as compared to dyslexia in alphabetic scripts, it remains unclear whether the difference in Chinese literacy experiences influences the manifestation of Chinese dyslexia. The present article first reviews the characteristics of Chinese languages and scripts, including important cognitive‐linguistic correlates (rapid automatized naming, phonological, orthographic, and morphological awareness) of Chinese reading development and impairment. The diversity in Chinese literacy experiences of scripts, languages, and instructional practices, and consequently their impact on Chinese literacy acquisition across different Chinese societies are also reviewed. Using an equivalent Chinese assessment battery administered to 91 children with dyslexia from Hong Kong, Beijing, and Taipei, we examined the subtypes of Chinese dyslexia across these three societies concurrently. With the four cognitive‐linguistic skills included as the clustering variable, the hierarchical cluster analysis revealed four cognitive subtypes of dyslexia: 38% mild orthographic deficit subtype (OD), 33% phonological deficit subtype (PD), 18% morphological deficit subtype (MD), and 11% global deficit subtype (GD)—each with their own set of cognitive‐linguistic deficit profiles. Interestingly, all four subtypes of dyslexia manifested poorer orthographic skills as compared to the control group. Bayesian Analysis of Contingency Table further showed that the distribution of dyslexia subtypes remains similar across the three Chinese societies, suggesting invariance of the Chinese dyslexia construct. Findings highlight the importance of assessment in orthographic processing, rapid automatized naming, phonological awareness, and morphological awareness in order to understand Chinese dyslexia, both in a within and cross‐cultural Chinese perspective.

Functional interactions underlying visuospatial orthographic processes in Chinese reading.

As a logographic writing system, Chinese reading involves the processing of visuospatial orthographic (ORT) properties. However, this aspect has received relatively less attention in neuroimaging research, which has tended to emphasize phonological (PHO) and semantic (SEM) aspects in processing Chinese characters. Here, we compared the functional correlates supporting all these three processes in a functional MRI single-character reading study, in which 35 native Chinese adults were asked to make ORT, PHO, and SEM judgments in separate task-specific activation blocks. Our findings revealed increased involvement of the right hemisphere in processing Chinese visuospatial orthography, particularly evident in the right ventral occipito-temporal cortex (vOTC). Additionally, time course analysis revealed that the left superior parietal gyrus (SPG) was initially involved in SEM processing but contributed to the visuospatial processing of words in a later time window. Finally, ORT processing demonstrated stronger recruitment of left vOTC-SPG-middle frontal gyrus (MFG) functional connectivity compared to SEM processing. This functional coupling correlated with reduced regional engagement of the left vOTC and MFG, highlighting that visuospatial ORT processes in reading Chinese rely on functional interactions among key regions rather than local regional processes. In conclusion, these findings underscore visuospatial ORT processes as a distinctive feature of reading logographic characters.