Although motivational variables have been extensively examined in the context of English as a second/foreign language (ESL/EFL), they have received little attention when learning Chinese as a second language (CSL), especially among elementary school students in lower grades. Considering the significant impact of psychological variables on language learning and the dilemma of Chinese reading for non-Chinese speaking (NCS) students from Hong Kong, this study examined the structural relationship between the ideal L2 self and intrinsic motivation, as well as their impacts on the learning engagement and reading performance of 475 Hong Kong first-grade NCS students. Two findings were noteworthy: (1) under the simultaneous consideration of the above-mentioned variables, intrinsic motivation affects learning engagement and Chinese reading performance more than the ideal self; (2) the indirect effects of intrinsic motivation on reading performance through learning engagement are more significant than its direct effect on reading performance. The implications of the findings are discussed. Copyright ©2024 De Gruyter.

Introduction: Readability formulas are crucial for identifying suitable texts for children’s reading development. Traditional formulas, however, are linear models designed for alphabetic languages and struggle with numerous predictors. Purpose: To develop advanced readability formulas for Chinese texts using machine-learning algorithms that can handle hundreds of predictors. It is also the first readability formula developed in Hong Kong. Method: The corpus comprised 723 texts from 72 Chinese language arts textbooks used in public primary schools. The study considered 274 linguistic features at the character, word, syntax, and discourse levels as predictor variables. The outcome variables were the publisher-assigned semester scale and the teacher-rated readability level. Fifteen combinations of linguistic features were trained using Support Vector Machine (SVM) and Random Forest (RF) algorithms. Model performance was evaluated by prediction accuracy and the mean absolute error between predicted and actual readability. For both publisher-assigned and teacher-rated readability, the all-level-feature-RF and character-level-feature-RF models performed the best. The top 10 predictive features of the two optimal models were analyzed. Results: Among the publisher-assigned and subjective readability measures, the all-RF and character-RF models performed the best. The feature importance analyses of these two optimal models highlight the significance of character learning sequences, character frequency, and word frequency in estimating text readability in the Chinese context of Hong Kong. In addition, the findings suggest that publishers might rely on diverse information sources to assign semesters, whereas teachers likely prefer to utilize indices that can be directly derived from the texts themselves to gauge readability levels. Conclusion: The findings highlight the importance of character-level features, particularly the timing of a character’s introduction in the textbook

Mastering the visually complex characters of the Chinese language poses significant challenges for students. The situation is even worse in Hong Kong, where students with different backgrounds, including students with/without dyslexia and non-Chinese speaking students (NCS), are placed in the same class. Interactive design has been proven effective in enhancing students' learning performance and engagement. However, developing a learning tool for students with diverse backgrounds is challenging. This study proposes a robot-assisted Chinese learning system (RACLS) for those with diverse backgrounds and investigates its impact on learning motivation by a comparison study. In particular, 39 students participate in a five-day robot-led training program, while another 39 students received traditional teacher-led training. The comparison results show that RACLS can enhance the emotional engagement of students with dyslexia and strengthen the behavioural engagement of students without dyslexia. Interestingly, the learning motivation of NCS students in the experimental and control groups is enhanced similarly. Copyright © 2025 IEEE.

現存識字教學研究主要旨在提出教學方法，而本文的旨趣則在於基礎觀念的論述。本文先概述變易學習理論，繼而討論何謂識字教學，並提出變易理論指導下的識字是怎樣的。本文接着，報告筆者一項研究計劃的成果，計劃以變易理論的識字作為資料分析的工具。計劃所欲探究的是，幼稚園幼兒在日常自然情境下，在認字活動中會呈現哪些類型的學習錯誤？計劃共招募到 142 位在職教師協助觀察幼兒的日常表現。最終收集到的學習錯誤共 758 個，呈現為四個類型：（一）混淆符號的功能；（二）混淆符號；（三）混淆字的其他符號；（四）混淆字符號以外的其他方面。筆者會剖析變易理論的識字，與先前文獻的結果有何異同，以及提出對教學實踐的啟示。 Copyright © 2024 香港教育大學.

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between language exposure and Chinese character handwriting (CCW) among 103 non-Chinese speaking (NCS) students in Hong Kong. Specifically, it examined the impact of academic self-concept, including students’ self-perceptions of their Chinese character competence and affect, on the complex learning process of CCW in a multilingual context like Hong Kong. NCS students were invited to complete a writing-to-dictation test, a questionnaire on CCW exposure outside of the classroom, and a self-description questionnaire of academic self-concept. Path analysis was employed to analyse the path models within the constructs. The results revealed that language exposure had both direct and indirect effects on CCW through academic self-concept. Notably, the effect of language exposure on CCW was strongly mediated by competence self-concept but not affect self-concept. This suggests that NCS students evaluate their competence in producing desired outcomes within exposure environments based on their own self-perceptions. Drawing on these empirical findings, the article discusses the educational implications for Chinese as a second language learning and teaching. It emphasizes the significance of tailored instructional methods that can enhance the competence and affective self-concepts of NCS students. By implementing such approaches, students will be better equipped to integrate into diverse multilingual societies. Copyright © 2024 The Author(s).

The study examines the teaching of Chinese characters in Hong Kong primary and secondary schools. Currently, the “learn character through reading text” approach is widely used, but it lacks an explanation of the connection between form, meaning, and sound. This study aims to provide a systematic understanding of word form and meaning through an etymological approach – Systematic Chinese Etymon Acquisition (SCEA). The system helps students understand Classical Chinese and recognize the different meanings of the same character in various texts. The study involved 114 Year 10 students from a local secondary school in Hong Kong. Learning materials aligned with the school's Chinese language curriculum were used for one month. Pre-and post-tests were conducted to assess the students' knowledge of Classical Chinese vocabulary, and questionnaires were administered to gather feedback on the SCEA approach. The data were analyzed using SPSS. The findings revealed that the participants' knowledge of etymology improved significantly. They demonstrated a stronger understanding of the meaning and extended meaning of Chinese characters, as well as an increased awareness of Chinese culture. Based on these results, pedagogical implications for teaching Chinese characters will be proposed. Copyright © 2024 selection and editorial matter, Sin Manw Sophia Lam, John Chi-Kin Lee and Chung Mou Si; individual chapters, the contributors.

This study investigated learning strategies for Chinese character handwriting (CCW) among students of Chinese as a second language (CSL) in Hong Kong international schools. It first developed an inventory for identifying CCW strategies. The data obtained from the international school students showed that the most frequently used learning strategies as those related to the meaning, structure and shape of Chinese characters; the least frequently used strategies were found to be games, calligraphy, and metacognitive strategies. Then, a factor analysis revealed that two dimensions exist for CCW strategies: knowledge-based and indirect, indicating that both linguistic features of Chinese characters and the cognitive process of handwriting influence students’ employment of CCW strategies. Accordingly, suggestions for teaching approaches and improvement were provided. Copyright © 2024 The Education University of Hong Kong. All Rights Reserved.

In Hong Kong, the issue of teaching Chinese as a second language (CSL) to school children is receiving considerable attention in recent years due to the trending proportion of CSL students in classrooms. While the Hong Kong Government encourages the integration of these students into mainstream schools in which the medium of instruction is predominately Chinese, the inadequate support provided puts these school aged children in a disadvantaged position. In light of this, there is a need of developing effectual interventional strategies to support the CSL learning of these students at preschool, primary and secondary levels. This chapter introduces a new support mode, the Dynamic Enrichment Learning Mode (DELM), which has been specifically developed for an intervention programme for promoting CSL students’ proficiency in Hong Kong kindergartens. Pre-test and post-test data were collected from 146 CSL kindergarteners aged 4 to 5 years who received DELM activities (DELM group) and compared to that of 110 CSL kindergarteners of the same age group who learned Chinese by merely learning in an immersion setting (immersion group). Findings show that the DELM is more effective in promoting CSL kindergarteners’ overall Chinese proficiency levels when compared to an immersion setting. Copyright © 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.