A STUDY OF CHINESE SPEAKING SKILL OF STUDENTS STUDYING CHINESE AS A GENERAL EDUCATION COURSE AT HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS IN CENTRAL THAILAND
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Abstract
The three purposes of this research were as follows: (1) to compare the Chinese speaking skills of students studying Chinese as a general education course at the higher education level as classified by factors related to instructional management; (2) to analyze the Chinese speaking errors of students learning Chinese as a general education course; and (3) to propose instructional guidelines for developing Chinese speaking skills of the students. The samples were 243 higher education students taking Chinese as a general education course from higher education institutions in the Central Region, obtained by stratified random sampling. The instruments used for collecting data consisted of a questionnaire, an individual speaking test, and the criteria for assessing the Chinese speaking skills of the students through the individual test. There were 2 students selected from each university to participate in the speaking test. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics including the frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation; and inferential statistics including the t-test and one-way ANOVA. Qualitative data were analyzed with the use of error analysis.
The results of the study were as follows:
1. For the comparison results of Chinese speaking skills, it was found that (1.1) students who had no previous knowledge in Chinese language had mean score of speaking problems higher than that of students with a previous knowledge; (1.2) students who had studied Chinese for less than 1 year had mean score of speaking problems higher than those of the other groups;
and (1.3) the students who studied Chinese for 1-2 years mean score of speaking problems higher than that of the students who had studied Chinese for 3-4 years, and the students who studied Chinese 1-2 hours per week had mean score of speaking problems significantly higher than that of students who studied Chinese for 3-4 hours per week at the .05 level of statistical significance.
2. Most students’ errors in speaking Chinese were that they could not think of the words. There were several types of important errors as revealed from the speaking tests including the omission of words, the use of additional words, the use of wrong words, and the disordering of words.
3. The guidelines for appropriate instruction of students studying Chinese as a general education course should include the taking into consideration of the students’ previous knowledge of the language before providing them with additional instruction in terms of student-centered instruction. There were 6 recommended teaching guidelines as follows: (3.1) the instructor shares authority in the course with students and builds good relationships with them; (3.2) the instructor plays the role as the mentor to correct and encourage students when making errors in Chinese speaking; (3.3) the students participate in taking responsibility for their own learning; (3.4) the contents learned in the course are connected to real life situations; (3.5) evaluation of course learning outcomes is aimed to develop the self-development of students; and (3.6) creating a positive self-awareness among students in learning Chinese.
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