The effectiveness of deductive and guided inductive instructions on semantic radical learning : a case study of an international school in Hong Kong

Abstract

Chinese orthographic knowledge plays a crucial role in acquiring the ability to read characters and enhances word recognition by incorporating both phonological and semantic information. While the phonetic radicals aid in sound-cueing, it is the semantic radicals that demonstrate higher efficacy in promoting awareness of Chinese characters and facilitating character learning. Consequently, research endeavors have been focused on unraveling effective strategies to cultivate learners’ orthographic knowledge pertaining to semantic radicals. Prior research has indicated that explicit instruction of semantic radical knowledge yields better long-term retention outcomes when compared to implicit instruction (Dunlap et al., 2011; Lai et al., 2018; Chang et al., 2014; Xu et al., 2014). Nonetheless, there exists a dearth of studies that directly compare the impacts of inductive and deductive approaches to explicit instruction on the acquisition of Chinese orthographic knowledge in secondary school students learning Chinese as a second language. Furthermore, there is a lack of knowledge regarding potential variations in effectiveness based on the functional saliency of different semantic radicals. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the impacts of guided inductive instruction (GII) and deductive instruction (DI) on the advancement of semantic radical knowledge and character learning. Additionally, the study explored potential interactions between explicit instructional approaches and the properties of semantic radicals. Adopting a quasi-experimental research design, this study consisted of a pretest on semantical radical knowledge and character recognition, intervention, immediate post-test on semantical radical knowledge and character recognition, a post-intervention interview, and delayed post-test on semantical radical knowledge and character recognition. The participants were 37 secondary students who were placed in the non-background intermediate-level Chinese classes at an international school in Hong Kong. Participants (n=17) in Deductive Instruction (DI) group were presented with the explicit instruction on the meanings of semantic radicals and associated Chinese characters; while participants (n=20) in Guided Inductive Instruction (GII) group studied groups of characters with shared semantic radicals first, inducing the meanings through the guiding questions before getting access to the explicit rules. To examine the effectiveness of deductive instruction and guided inductive instruction on the learning of radical knowledge and Chinese characters and answer two research questions, linear mixed-effects modelling was used to evaluate the test results of these two groups. The study demonstrates the positive effect of semantic radical interventions on the acquisition and application of radical knowledge in Chinese character learning. Both GII and DI resulted in improved knowledge of semantic radicals. This study further revealed that the GII group showed significantly greater performance in the reading task immediately after each training sessions and greater performance in the immediate post-test upon the completion of the intervention, although this difference in immediate post-test did not show up to be statistically significant. The study found no significant difference in effectiveness between GII and DI over time. Additionally, the analysis did not reveal any statistically significant correlation between the functional complexity of semantic radicals and the instructional methods under investigation. This study expands knowledge on teaching Chinese characters, highlighting the positive impact of GII and DI on learning semantic radicals among secondary school CFL learners. The findings suggest the importance of providing explicit instruction on semantic radicals and of considering students’ needs and characteristics when designing instruction. The non-significant differences between GII and DI in the secondary school context further suggest that the relative effectiveness of GII and DI depends on students’ language proficiency and cognitive abilities. Practically, a differential perspective on GII and DI is suggested, emphasizing the need to move beyond traditional pedagogies and integrate GII into lessons, and it also highlights the need for teachers to consider individual differences and tailor their instructional approaches accordingly. This study contributes to the advancement of radical semantic development in the processing of Chinese characters. It is hoped that the study aimed at cultivating students’ awareness of radicals within the secondary school context.