The effectiveness of picture books in expanding the Chinese mental lexicon of non-Chinese speaking children : an action research in Hong Kong kindergartens

Abstract

Taking into account the theories of second language learning and findings about the word recognition process of non-Chinese speaking (NCS) children, this research attempts to establish the cognitive patterns of Chinese characters of NCS children in upper kindergartens in Hong Kong and come up with a curriculum framework of using Chinese picture books for children of diverse reading abilities. The aim of the study is to help NCS children effectively expand their Chinese mental lexicons and lay a solid foundation for their Chinese reading and writing training at the primary school level. It attempts to develop learning materials which supplement the existing kindergarten curriculums to cater for diverse learning abilities, and determine the best Chinese character learning strategies by NCS children of upper kindergarten classes, thus filling the gaps left by Hong Kong's Education Bureau in the areas of teaching Chinese as a second language for young children. The findings will help minimize the difficulties for NCS children in their transition to primary schools and facilitate their integration into the Chinese classes in mainstream schools. In the long term, the findings will lead to a more focused use of government resources in the development of high-quality teaching materials. 本研究以香港特区幼稚园高班非华语学童为研究对象，结合第二语言学习理论和非华语学童认字过程的研究成果，建立汉字认知模式，并制定幼儿中文阅读绘本材料初、中、高三个程度的课程框架，目的是有针对性地帮助非华语学童有效扩展中文心理词汇，为小学阶段的中文读写训练打下坚实基础。研究配合幼稚园单元教学及照顾能力差异，总结出针对幼稚园高班最有效的识字策略，减低幼小衔接的困难，协助他们融入主流中文课堂，冀望能补充过去香港特区教育局在幼儿中文二语教学上的空白。长远而言，有助特区政府集中资源，以作日后更优质的教材开发和研究。