An overview on Chinese character recognition at preschool level in Singapore: Observations and reflections

The exposure to language use has a strong impact on children’s language learning and development in the long run. In order to define language dominance of Singapore preschoolers, and especially in the area of Chinese word recognition which is the focus of this paper, I would be looking at a number of multiple factors, such as the child’s language use in specific contexts, frequency of contact with Mandarin-speaking adults, the exposure to Chinese language the child has and the literacy support given to the child, etc., as points of references in investigating Singapore Chinese preschoolers’ competence in Chinese character recognition. While the survey and test results show that there is room for improvement in preschoolers’ Character Recognition, the findings also lead me to examine some of the current situations and practices in preschools and at home, and this paper will offer critical reflections to improve the teaching and learning of Chinese characters in Singapore.

从长远角度来讲，语言使用的环境对儿童语言学习和发展有着强烈的影响。了解新加坡学龄前儿童的语言使用，特别在识字领域，是本文重点讨论的内容。我将探讨一系列因素，如在特定语境中儿童语言的使用，与讲华语的成年人接触的频率，儿童对所掌握的中文的接触，以及能为孩子提供的识字能力的支持等。这些将作为调查新加坡华族学前儿童汉字识别能力的参考因素。调查和测试结果表明，学前儿童的认字能力仍有改进的余地，但研究结果也使我对学前儿童和家庭的现状和做法进行了考察，本文将提出批评性建议，以提高新加坡汉字教学水平的思考。