Author: Xiaoxue Liu
Liu, Xiaoxue, 2025 Explicit Strategy Instruction in Chinese Character Learning, Flinders University, College of Education, Psychology and Social Work
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As a non-alphabetic language, Chinese has a unique writing system, which makes it difficult to master by learners with an English-language background. Due to the significant difference between Chinese and English, few learning strategies effective for learning reading and writing in alphabetic languages such as English, are applicable to learning reading and writing in Chinese. Relatively little research has been conducted on effective strategies for supporting young students in learning to read and write Chinese characters.
This study used the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) as the theoretical basis to conceptualise the role of teachers in teaching Chinese as a foreign language (CFL). An Imagery Strategy was developed based on ZPD and learning theories for an ultimate goal of increasing students’ retention of Chinese characters. The Imagery Strategy consisted of teacher-led instructions, scaffolding and teaching materials. A total 67 Year 6 students (N=67) participated in the study. The effects of the strategy were tested by comparing the treatment condition of students using Imagery Strategy with a control condition in which students used their own preferred strategy for both production and recognition of the Chinese characters. Chinese characters’ recall tests were used to compare learning outcomes across three phases: pre-test, intervention, and post-test in a weekly interval in six weeks. Each phase included three time points to evaluate students’ learning outcomes: on the day of learning (Time 1), a week after learning (Time 2) and two weeks after learning (Time 3). A series of 2 (Condition: Treatment vs. Control) × 3 (Time: Time 1, Time 2, Time 3) mixed-model ANOVAs were conducted on the production and recognition of Chinese characters.
The results showed no difference between the groups at pre-test. In the intervention and post-test phases, students who received the strategy instruction performed better in both production and recognition than students using their own strategies for all tests. The pattern of retention of characters over time in recognition varied between two groups in post-test where students with a strategy instruction under teacher’s scaffolding demonstrated more advantages in retention of characters over time.
The findings of the current study confirmed the effect of Imagery Strategy in learning Chinese characters in both recognition and production, even among young learners. The study also highlighted the crucial role of teachers in explicit instruction, scaffolding and material design to support Chinese character learning.
Keywords: ZPD, Explicit strategy, Imagery Strategy, Chinese characters learning, experiment
Subject:
Thesis type: Masters
Completed: 2025
School: College of Education, Psychology and Social Work
Supervisor: Dr Julie K. Mattiske; Professor Gretchen Geng