Using three different scripts: Benefits and difficulties as seen in the

Dai Han program in China

Ai Bian – Xishuangbanna Prefecture Education Department

Heidi Cobbey – SIL International

Introduction

China's script situation

● Chinese characters (汉字）– Books; newspapers; products

● Chinese pinyin （汉语拼音 - hanyu pinyin)– Typing; texting

● Both together on street signs

Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture

● Dai one of China's 55 recognized minorities

● Several minorities within prefecture; Dai largest

● Dai written on street signs, shops, advertisements

Dai Han Bilingual Education Project

Set-up

● One school for each of five districts in Jinghong county in Xishuangbanna Prefecture

● Subjects in Preschool: Dai Language - (Story Track and Primer Track) (10); Mathematics (4); Music (2); Art (2); Physical Education (2)

● Oral Chinese added in second year preschool second semester (2)

Specific school information

ManMai ManDong ManBie Mannong-Feng

ManTing

Started project

2007 2007 2007 2007 2007

Left project 2010 2009

Total number of students in project classes

219 235 206 52 24

Special feature

Additional non-project preschool class

Farthest from Jinghong city/Most mother tongue teachers

Closest to Jinghong city/Least Mother tongue teachers

Inside tourist park

Introduction of languages and scripts

Oral Mother Tongue

Written Mother Tongue

Oral L2 Written L2 - A

Written L2 - B

1st year preschool 1st semester

Oral Dai Begin literacy in Dai

1st year preschool 2nd semester

Oral Dai Dai literacy

2nd year preschool1st semester

Oral Dai Dai Literacy

2nd year preschool2nd semester

Oral Dai Dai literacy Begin Oral Chinese (Subject)

Begin Chinese pinyin

Grade 1 1st semester

(Dai classes)

(Written Dai) Chinese as LoI

Continue pinyin

Begin characters

Grade 1 2nd semester

(Dai classes)

(Written Dai) Chinese as LoI

Use pinyin Use characters

Preschool Project Materials

Dai Chinese pinyin Chinese characters

Student story textbooks Teachers' comparison chart

Picture/pinyin/character flash cards

Student story writing books

Picture/pinyin/character flash cards

Student Mathbooks Students writing exercise books

Teachers' exercise books

Teachers' listening stories

Extracurricular story books

Primary School Materials

Methodology● Two-track method: Primer track (phonics) and story track (meaning-based)

● Traditional order for learning Dai letters in the primer track

● TPR for Oral Chinese● Comparison of sounds and letters between Dai and pinyin

Presentation of data

Testing

● Formal testing of Dai only done one year

● Subsequent years teachers used a subjective assessment tool

● Regular government primary school tests in Chinese language and Mathematics

Limitations

● Two schools discontinued project after two years

● Teachers:– Moved up with class– Hadn't taught the same class before so no

comparison

● Primary school testing not uniform

Marks

Interviews – 1st and 2nd grade students

Questions (selected):

• When you first started studying Dai, was it hard? Why?

• When you first started studying pinyin, what did you think? Was it hard? Why?

• What did you feel when you first started studying Chinese characters?

• As you'd already studied the Dai script and pinyin, do you think they helped you in learning the characters? Why?

• Do you have any difficulties studying the texts in your textbook now?

1st and 2nd grade students' responses

● 1 out of 40 felt writing Dai letters was difficult● 1 out of 40 felt learning pinyin was difficult● 50% found learning characters difficult● 32 felt knowing Dai and pinyin helped them

learn characters better● 15 felt difficulties in learning characters was due

to content/understanding

Interviews – Non-project teachers

Questions (selected):● Is there any difference between students who went through the project and those who didn't? Why?

● How do the students perform in Chinese class? Why?

Interviews – Project teachers

Questions (selected):● Has this project improved the students'

preparation for formal study? Please explain.● Has this project helped students' reading?

Please explain.● Has this project helped students' writing?

Please explain.● For 1st and 2nd grade teachers: Do you feel

there are any differences in the students who had been through the project and those who had not? Please explain.

Teachers' responses

● Project students weaker in Chinese speaking and understanding

● One non-project teacher: Project students are behind in learning characters; learning Dai has hindered their writing of characters

● After half a year project students seem to have caught up with non-project students in all areas of Chinese learning

● 3 categories: thinking skills/cognitive abilities; reading and writing skills; attitudes

Thinking skills/cognition

● “The project approach to learning has changed the way the students think. It has provided them another method to help them learn Chinese characters.”

● “This project helps Dai students quickly grasp study skills and techniques, thus improving their interest in studying.”

Reading and writing skills● “When the project students study Chinese, their

reading and writing ability is strong because they've already had 2 years in preschool to learn study techniques so when studying a new language, it's easier for them to accept.”

● “In comparison, the project students are much stronger. They've already learned the Dai alphabet and already grasped Hanyu pinyin. With continued practice, in pronunciation and in writing, they are further along then the students who've only studied one language.”

● “The students can use the methods they learned in studying Dai to also study Hanyu pinyin, and they learn much quicker and remember more firmly.”

Attitudes

● “Mother tongue teaching motivates the students so they are more active and enthusiastic, therefore, they should have better grades.”

● “The project students have much more confidence in studying; their interest in studying is much deeper; their thinking is active.”

Conclusions

Detrimental effects

● From the data it can be shown that learning three separate scripts appears to have no detrimental effects on school performance.

Benefits

Looking at the marks of the students, no specific measureable benefits.

From the anecdotal evidence:

Because the progression of the first two scripts is from one alphabetic script, Dai, to another alphabetic script, pinyin, the children learned to read and write pinyin quicker;

Having first learned two alphabetic scripts, the benefit carried over to learning the ideographic script, Chinese characters.

Future research

Gather and compare student marks and interviews as project students learn another alphabetic script, English.

Expected outcomes:

Learning two alphabet scripts will positively impact learning English.

Learning characters along with the two alphabetic scripts may provide broader skills to deal with the ideographic elements of English as well.