Abstract:

Digital flashcards is one of the most popular self-study computer assisted vocabulary learning tools for beginners of Chinese as a foreign language. However, studies on the effects of this widespread learning tool were scarce. Introducing a new concept—“referential stimuli” into the Dual Coding Theory (DCT hence forth) framework, the study acknowledged the existence of imagery text and textual image in addition to the conventional binary categorization of stimuli as either verbal or nonverbal and further hypothesized their functions. An adapted DCT was then put forward and the new and unexplained earlier findings were better understood from the perspective of the modified DCT. MANCOVA used in this study permitted a simultaneous and more thorough examination of effects of the pronunciation and stroke order animation in digital flashcards on memorization of the forms, pinyin, and definitions of the Chinese new words than the 2-way ANCOVA used in the previous study (Zhu & Hong, 2005). Findings of this study also had practical implications for development and applications of computer assisted language learning software. It concluded with a call for further investigations to examine the adapted DCT framework.

Author: Yu Zhu, Andy S.L. Fung, Hongyan Wang