Article In:
Chinese as a Second Language (漢語教學研究—美國中文教師學會學報): Online-First Articles

Standards-based character recognition test

An initial investigation

| Williams College
The present study developed and implemented a character recognition test based on the Chinese Proficiency Grading Standards for International Chinese Language Education. Using a stratified systematic sampling approach, we selected 15 characters from each level, ranging from levels 1 to 6, and 45 characters from the advanced level. This test was administered to 32 L2 Chinese learners from two universities. The results, on one hand, present an estimation of learners’ character size and revealed variations at multiple levels, including school, course, and individual levels. On the other hand, they serve as a valuable link between the Standards and teaching/learning practice, enabling a necessary reflection on the efficacy of the Standards, particularly in terms of the character component.
Keywords: character recognition test, character size, the Standards
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Character recognition abilities in L2 Chinese learning
    • 2.1Character recognition tests
    • 2.2Character size of L2 learners in character recognition
  • 3.The present study
    • 3.1Participants
    • 3.2Instrument
    • 3.3Procedure and coding
    • 3.4Data analysis
  • 4.Results
  • 5.Discussion
    • 5.1The profile of the character size for our participants
    • 5.2Participants’ character sizes through the lens of the Standards
  • 6.Limitation and future direction
  • Note
  • Author queries
  • References
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