The effectiveness of "reading to learn" methodology to improve Chinese writing skills for non-Chinese speaking secondary school students in Hong Kong = "Yi du cu xue" jiao xue fa dui ti gao Xianggang fei Hua yu zhong xue sheng Zhong wen xie zuo neng li de cheng xiao

Abstract

Chinese Language teachers and Non-Chinese Speaking (NCS) secondary school students in Hong Kong are facing difficulties arising from the lack of effective pedagogies in Teaching Chinese as a Second Language. This study seeks to transpose “Reading to Learn” (R2L) methodology –a literacy methodology developed from Systemic Functional Linguistics for teaching English as a second language –in Chinese writing classes for secondary NCS students in Hong Kong, and to evaluate the effectiveness of R2L methodology in improving their writing skills. Two classes of Secondary 1 NCS students, two classes of Secondary 3 NCS students, and four Chinese Language teachers from two secondary schools had participated in this study. The participating students were divided into an experimental group being taught genre writing with R2L methodology, and a control group being taught with non-R2L, general teaching strategies. Classroom observation was conducted on both groups so as to compare and evaluate the effectiveness of applying R2L methodology and non-R2L, general strategies for teaching writing in Chinese writing class.

In the experimental group, descriptive and narrative genres were taught to Secondary 1 NCS students, whereas explanatory and expository genres were taught to Secondary 3 NCS students. A detailed lesson study was conducted using Curriculum Macro-genre Theory to analyze class structure, and Scaffolding Interaction Model of R2L methodology to analyze classroom discourse. Pre-tests and post-tests were administered to both experimental and control groups. The test response scripts were categorized into high, medium and low performance level, and were analyzed through the paradigm of Systemic Functional Linguistics, focusing on schematic structure, theme-rheme structure, cohesion system, transitivity and modality.

The findings of this study show that students in the experimental group generally show greater improvement than students in the control group in overall writing performance. The improvement is especially apparent in the test responses submitted by students of medium and low performance levels.

The performance of NCS students in the experimental group also shows that, with R2L methodology, the learning difference in Chinese Language among NCS students are narrowed. The lesson study of all participating classes reveals that the class structure of experimental group demonstrates more teacher-student and student-student interaction and cooperation, as well as more in-class collaborative activities. Analysis of their classroom discourse illustrates that the teachers focused more on the Question-and-Answer interactive session and provided guidance to the students as a preparation before asking them questions. The class structure of control group was made up of mostly teacher-directed sessions and students’ independent activities, and less collaborative activities between teachers and students and among students. Analysis of their classroom discourse shows that the teachers focused more on directing students and text-explaining sessions without preparing students sufficiently before asking them questions.

This study found that R2L methodology suitably caters for NCS students regarding their learning backgrounds, specific learning needs and second language learning tendencies. Teacher trainers in universities are suggested to consider integrating R2L methodology into professional training courses for teaching Chinese to NCS students, as well as to promote R2L methodology to local Chinese Language teachers.

目前，香港的前線老師和非華語中學生面對欠缺有效中文第二語言教學法的困難，研究者嘗試引用從系統功能語言學發展出來的英語第二語言讀寫教學法——「以讀促學」教學法，應用在非華語中學生的寫作課堂上，評估這種教學法對提高學生寫作能力的成效。本論文以兩間本地學校的兩班非華語中一級學生和兩班非華語中三級學生、四位中文老師作為研究對象，透過設置「實驗組」和「控制組」，觀察不同老師運用「以讀促學」教學法和「一般常用的寫作教學策略」進行文類寫作教學的情況，評估這兩種教學方法的實施成效。

本論文包括了對非華語中一級學生的描寫文、記敘文和非華語中三級學生的說明文、論說文的寫作教學研究，運用「宏觀教學進程」理論和「以讀促學」教學法的「鷹架互動模式」進行課堂研究，以及運用系統功能語言學的圖式結構、主位述位結構、銜接系統、及物系統和情態系統理論來分析學生的前、後測寫作文本。

本研究發現，「實驗組」老師運用「以讀促學」教學法去施教，比「控制組」老師運用「一般常用的寫作教學策略」去施教，更能有效地提高班上非華語學生的整體寫作能力，特別是中、低程度學生的後測寫作表現比前測有顯著的進步，有助縮窄同一班上不同中文程度學生的學習差距。