Classroom activities for child learners of Chinese as a foreign language in Korea : the current state from a survey

Abstract

Recently in Korea, the number of child learners of Chinese as a foreign language is growing, as more kindergartens and elementary schools include Chinese language courses in their regular or extra curricula. Due to the cognitive, emotional and psychological characteristics of children, classroom activities for child learners should be more motivating, diverse, clear, and active than those for adult learners. This study aimed to examine what classroom activities are currently used and needed to better teach child learners of Chinese as a foreign language in Korea. A survey was conducted to answer three research questions. First, how do teachers perceive the significance of classroom activities and use them to teach Chinese to children? Second, do classroom activities include all eight areas of Multiple Intelligences? Third, what kind of classroom activities do teachers think are effective and needed for child learners of Chinese? The results of the survey not only provide implications for motivating and effective classroom activities for children, but also illustrate the current situation of teaching Chinese to kindergarteners and elementary school students in Korea.