A Comparative Study of Traditional Teaching Method and Semantic Radical Visual Mnemonic in Mandarin Character Recogniton among Malaysian Preschoolers
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37134/saecj.vol14.1.10.2025Keywords:
Traditional Teaching Method, Semantic Radical, Visual Mnemonic, gender, preschoolAbstract
Preschoolers often struggle with recognizing Mandarin characters due to their complexity. This study compared the effectiveness of Traditional Teaching Method (TTM) and Semantic Radical and Visual Mnemonic (SRVM) approaches in improving Mandarin character recognition among Malaysian preschoolers, while also exploring age and gender effects. 58 children aged 5 and 6 were involved, with 31 in SRVM and 27 in TTM groups. Over two weeks, 25 characters were taught. Both methods showed positive results, with increased post-test scores in SRVM (t (30) = -6.75, p < .05) and TTM (t (27) = -7.79, p < .05) groups, indicating improved learning. However, there was no significant difference between SRVM and TTM groups (F(1,56) = 0.15, p = 0.70), possibly due to individual learning styles. Age-related differences were not significant (F(1,54) = 0.08, p = .78), suggesting both methods are effective for 5 and 6-year-olds. Gender differences were also insignificant (F(1,54) = 0.26, p = .61), indicating similar learning outcomes for males and females. The study suggests a holistic teaching approach focusing on personalized strategies to enhance Mandarin character learning for all preschoolers.
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