THE CHALLENGES OF CHINESE TEACHING AT THE PRIMARY LEVEL:
BENJAMIN TAN YI-MING
BENJAMIN TAN YI-MING
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Abstract
This thesis aims to explore the challenges in teaching Chinese at the primary school level in Singapore. Participants with relevant expertise in the field of primary level Chinese teaching, such as beginner and senior teachers, tuition teachers, and language researchers were interviewed for their views. Their responses were analyzed using Lemkeās framework of thematic intertextuality, which involves exploring the relationship between two pieces of texts (in this case, interview transcripts) to shed light on a broader context. For a more comprehensive understanding of the issues of Chinese teaching, a comparative analysis between each group of participants was carried out.
While most of the challenges that have been previously identified, such as student engagement and interest levels, still remain a major concern for many teachers, the results reveal new challenges such as the diversity of classrooms (changing demography of students), and the impact of the rapid increase of private tuition classes. Furthermore, each group of participants have reflected different concerns and priorities with regards to the teaching of Chinese. While beginner teachers seem more receptive to newer teaching methods, senior teachers appear to be more comfortable with tried and tested traditional teaching methods. Language researchers who study curriculum and pedagogy take a more macro approach to language teaching, focusing on the challenges at the policy level. Tuition teachers, on the other hand, may not have been formally trained in NIE and operate in different contexts from schools, tend to offer unique insights to the challenges of teaching Chinese. While all participants suggested potential solutions to these challenges, their proposed solutions also come with drawbacks.
This thesis aims to contribute to existing research on language education by building on past research on the challenges of teaching Chinese in Singapore. As the local linguistic landscape is constantly changing, this thesis argues that the challenges of teaching Chinese at the primary levels are also evolving. Identifying these challenges may help improve the Chinese learning experience for Singaporean students.
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2021-04-12
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Thesis