A BLENDED LEARNING DESIGN FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING CHINESE AS A SECOND LANGUAGE

Pang Set Weei1 and Siew Pei Hwa2 Department of Internet Engineering and Computer Science1 and Department of Multimedia Design & Animation2 Faculty of Engineering and Science1 and Faculty of Creative Industries2 Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman Malaysia Email: xuewei_86@hotmail.com; siewph@utar.edu.my

A B S TR A C T Due to the unique characteristics of Chinese language, learning Chinese as a new or second language can be difficult to master. Many instructors realise that the traditional teaching method of chalk and talk in the teaching Chinese as second language classroom is no longer effective to boost learners attainment. Some instructors note that it is not easy to teach Chinese, especially the pronunciation and writing system. Thus, for effective learning to take place, an instructor should use effective teaching methods, and create an environment conducive to learning. As learning any foreign languages as a second language is a complex brain activity that involves listening, speaking, reading and writing, therefore the development of innovative teaching tools is much needed to help the learners understand and speak a second language effortlessly and effectively. This paper attempts to highlight the creation of an instructional design (ID) model for teaching Chinese as second language in a blended learning environment. The ID model for the blended language learning environment is designed based on the ADDIE ID model, which consists of five phases: Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation. The proposed ID model provides a step-bystep process that helps to design and create a blended learning environment for effective Chinese learning through the use of an interactive multimedia electronic book. Keywords: blended learning, instructional design model, ADDIE model, second language, Chinese language I N TR O D U C T I O N In the age of globalisation, learning foreign languages can help broaden peoples horizons; it also helps to understand

different cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Chinese is generally considered to be one of the foreign languages in the world that is difficult to learn. Some instructors assert that teaching Chinese as a second language (TCSL) in the traditional classroom via the chalk-and-talk method and printed textbook is insufficient to meet the needs of the learners, especially in the acquisition of Chinese writing, pronunciation, reading, listening, and conversation skills. Unlike the European languages that are written in alphabets, Chinese writing system is completely different from such languages. There is no simple alphabet to form Chinese words, which causes the vast number of Chinese characters, making it one of the hardest languages to learn. All Chinese characters are composed of strokes. Following proper stroke orders is a very important step in mastering Chinese writing. Thereby, the learners, especially those from the alphabetical languages background may have difficulty in learning the complicated writing system that contains a large number of Chinese characters. Furthermore, learners also need to learn the Chinese grammar and sentence structure in order to construct Chinese sentences in an appropriate form. Besides Chinese writing, learning Chinese pronunciation is also a serious challenge for non-Chinese native speakers. What makes the Chinese pronunciation difficult for nonnative speakers to learn is that it is a tonal language. Modern Chinese operates with four different tone pitches represented by a tone mark (, , , and ) placing on top of the syllable. The same syllable with different tones form different words and have different meanings; a change in pitch while saying a word could change the meaning of the word completely. This means that the way a speaker says a word can give it four different meanings! As the pronunciation is based on the tonality, the fact that when a non-native speaker attempts to tackle a language so

different from English or any western tongue, it causes most trouble for nearly all new speakers and makes Chinese a difficult language to master. They are likely to severely mispronounce some words if they attempt to pronounce a word according to their own language spellings. It is absolutely crucial to learn the correct pronunciation since it can help in mastering the reading, listening, and conversation skills. This paper arose from an ongoing research project examining the instructional design for blended learning environment in the second language instruction at tertiary level. Due to its complex nature in the writing and unique pronunciation systems, TCSL is often thought to be a very challenging and laborious task. There is, therefore, a need for creating an effective Chinese teaching method which may enrich the learning environment. SECOND LANGUAGE INSTRUCTION IN T H E B L E N D E D L E AR N I N G E N V I R O N M E N T T H R O U G H T H E U S E O F M U L TI M E D I A Second language refers to the acquisition of a language other than the native language (Garca Mayo & Garca Lecumberri, 2003). Generally, the learner begins to learn a second language from scratch. Beardsmore (1982, as cited in Bhela, 1999) claimed that many of the difficulties a second language learner has with the phonology, vocabulary and grammar of second language are due to the habits interference from first language. The formal elements of first language are used within the context of second language, resulting in errors in second language, as the structures of the first language and second language are different. Generally, the face-to-face traditional learning approach has been used as the main way of transmitting the content of instruction in the language classrooms. Students are taught to learn the pronunciation, writing, reading, grammar, vocabulary, and conversation of the target language through the chalk-and-talk method and printed textbook. Besides, instructor also needs to keep repeating what the learners cannot understand before they could master the language, which is a rather tired task for the instructor. According to Li (2007) and Ng (2008), it is an impossible mission for Chinese instruction with restricted traditional teaching methods. Without a doubt, the advent and widespread use of computer technologies such as the Internet and multimedia computing provides convenience for language learning and expand possibilities for using them to support language instruction. Research has shown that Internet and multimedia technologies have played an important role in the second language instruction (Yang, 2010). Language instruction can be enhanced in the computer-mediated environment with the advent of elearning. Typically, e-learning provide interactive and

flexible learning environment which allow students to learn through interactive e-contents with flexible learning time and places. With e-learning, students are able to learn the target language especially pronunciation and writing more efficiently and effectively without having the instructor to repeat a lesson CONTINUOUSLY . Students can even learn on their own pace after class as e-learning encourage self-paced learning. However, language is used in daily communication; self-pace e-learning is not an effective way to develop communication skills. Learners need reallife situations to learn and practice communication skills in target language. Communicative language learning requires a learner to speak with and listen to other learners. Through cooperative learning and peer-teaching situations in classroom settings, learners can talk together freely as well as question and argue with each other about ideas. The instructor acts as a facilitator in this process to guide the learners in communicative language learning activities. Realising that there are advantages and disadvantages to the traditional face-t-face learning and e-learning methods, the limitations of the both can be overcome through a blended learning approach. Blended learning is the combination of traditional classroom and e-learning approach, or can be referred as the combination of various different approaches (Amarin, 2007). Anuwar Ali (2004) defined the term blended learning as an approach used to describe the creation of a learning environment that combines several different delivery methods such as faceto-face interactions, self-paced and individualised learning and online interactions. The term blended learning has arisen as many people found that fully online instruction is not completely effective and the solution of blended learning is able to provide more satisfactory results (Macdonald, 2008). With the mix of the advantages for both traditional and e-learning methods, it is believed that the blended learning approach has potential to benefit the language learners. Blended learning provides the most efficient and effective instruction experience by combining a variety of delivery modalities. In Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR), the Department of Language and Linguistics offers an elective subject called Introduction to Chinese Language I. The elective subject teaches the basis of Chinese pronunciation, writing, reading, listening and conversation to non-Chinese educated background students. Currently, the Chinese language instruction adopts the traditional classroom approach which uses a printed textbook called Learn Chinese with Ease as the main teaching tool. In addition to the traditional classroom activities, printed textbook, printed resources, and paper-based assessment, the instruction of the Introduction to Chinese Language I is also supplemented with a resource website called WBLE (Web-Based Learning Environment). WBLE is a learning management system to facilitate teaching-learning process at UTAR. It serves as a platform for students to obtain additional materials uploaded by lecturers. Besides, WBLE also acts as a communication tool for off-campus 2

discussion. Students can discuss Chinese language related topics with the instructor through the Forum function embedded in the WBLE. Recognising the limitations of traditional instruction and elearning approaches, many instructors opt for a blended approach: a traditional classroom with face-to-face interaction supplemented by online resources, to optimise the second language learning experience. In this research, in addition to the printed textbook, WBLE, printed resources, and paper-based assessments as stated above, an interactive multimedia electronic book called ECLearn (EBook for Chinese Learning) will be developed as an additional teaching aid tool in the blended learning environment for TCSL. De La Cruz Villegas and Izquierdo Sandoval (2008) postulated that multimedia technology is potential in enhancing the second language instruction by integrating interactive multimedia elements into second language learning activities to promote active learning. ECLearn is the transformation of the existing printed textbook into an interactive multimedia electronic book which containing a variety of educational activities, and multimedia learning objects. ECLearn provides innovative solutions multimedia assisted Chinese instruction to extend students learning beyond what traditional classroom offers for improvement of their abilities. Through ECLearn, it is believed that it can create a rich and active learning environment for the learners to learn Chinese as a second language more effectively.
Analysis

Design

Development

Revise Revise Revise Implementation

Revise Evaluation

Figure 1: ADDIE ID model Source: Modified from Koohang, A., & Harman, K. (2007). Learning objects and instructional design. Santa Rosa, CA: Informing Science Press, p. 361.

ADDIE ID model is particularly well suited to the development of instructional systems within the context of formal research-and-development programmes (Ellington & Aris, 2000). In addition, it can lead to better results for learners by applying an orderly process to creating instruction based on specific, measurable goals and objectives. The ADDIE ID model comprises of five phases as follows (Parekh, 2006):

A German philosopher, Alexander von Humboldt (as cited in Dovedan, Seljan & Vukovi, 2002) claimed that A language cannot be taught. One can only create conditions for learning to take place. Dovedan, Seljan & Vukovi asserts that by using multimedia, one certainly creates such conditions. To create a blended learning environment for TCSL in the most efficient manner possible, there is a need to careful design an instructional design model deemed suitable for the blended language learning environment.

I N S TR U C T I O N A L D E S I G N M O D E L Instructional design (ID) is a systematic approach to analysing the instructional goals and for designing learning activities to ensure a successful learning encounter (Frisby & Day, 2010). Chen (2008) defined ID models as the visualised representations of an instructional design process, showing the main elements or phases of the process and their relationships. Although there are many different kinds of ID models, this paper focuses on the review of literature on ADDIE ID model. ADDIE ID model as shown in Figure 1 is a generic model which provides a framework for instructional designers to make their instructional design process as efficient as possible to produce effective instructional products (Zimnas, Kleftouris & Valkanos, 2009). 3

Analysis phase: During this phase, requirement analysis will be performed, the projects objectives and goals will be identified, and the target users will be specified. Design phase: In this phase, the story, the script and the storyboard will be prepared. The collection of source material has finished up to an appreciable level. Development phase: During this phase, the project will be divided into parts and a development team will be assigned for each part. A group leader will be assigned to manage each team. Each team may consist of content writers, programmers, visual designers and so on. Implementation phase: In this phase, the modules developed by each development team will be integrated into a single production. If there is any integration problems occur, the problems will be resolved. Evaluation phase: During this phase, the target users will evaluate the material and provides feedbacks to the developers. The developers further improve the material based on the feedbacks and take the improved material back to the target user for evaluation again.

PROPOSED INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN M O D E L F O R B LE N D E D L A N G U A G E LE A R N I N G E N V I R O N M E N T The proposed instructional design model for blended language learning environment in this study is created based on the ADDIE ID model. The model provides a stepby-step process for instructional designer to design and create an effective blended learning environment for TCSL. The blended language learning environment (BLLE) instructional design model as shown in Figure 2 consists of five phases as described in the subsequent sections. A N A L Y S I S P H AS E During the analysis phase, it is the process to define what is going to be learned by the learners. Before the commencement of the research, preliminary investigation is needed to identify the target users and gather user requirements from them. This is refers to requirement analysis which is a structured, or organized, methodology for identifying an appropriate set of resources to satisfy a system need (Grady, 2006). The data collection methods used for collecting the data in the research is interview and questionnaire. Data collected through survey using questionnaire and interview will be analysed to find out the characteristics of learners, the problems faced during the teaching-learning process of Chinese language in the existing traditional classroom instruction, and the requirements for the development of multimedia electronic book. Then, literature review and planning on how to create a suitable and effective blended language learning environment for Chinese learning will be performed to solve the problems faced by instructors and learners. The analyst uses documentation review in gathering information for blended language learning, multimedia electronic book development and so forth. A lot of documents which are related to the research are being review in order to have a better understanding in the research. In addition to documentation review, Internet search is also important for searching conference or journal papers published by other researchers which are related to the research. Related research on blended language learning and existing Chinese learning related applications are able to provide information and idea on how to create an effective blended language learning environment for Chinese learning and the multimedia electronic book development. The teaching contents for the elective subject Introduction to Chinese Language I are then to be determined which is based on the existing printed textbook called Learn Chinese with Ease. The existing printed textbook will be transformed into an interactive multimedia electronic book; students will learn Chinese language in a blended language

learning environment through the multimedia electronic book. So, suitable and useful features to be embedded in the electronic book will be analysed too. This is to make sure the interactive multimedia electronic book developed is able to complement the teaching-learning of Chinese language in the traditional classroom instruction for effective Chinese learning. To further determine the effectiveness of the teaching contents, the expected outcomes of learning the elective subject will be analysed. In the context of the research, students must be able to learn how to pronounce and write Chinese characters correctly, make use of correct grammar and vocabulary of Chinese language, and communicate with people in real life using simple Chinese language after taking the subject. The expected outcomes analysed are able to help the analyst to further determine the instructional approach, instructional tools, and teaching contents based on the learner characteristics to be adopted for effective Chinese learning. Once the user requirements have been collected and analysed, the instructional designer will begin to design a solution to the problems identified. D E S I G N P H AS E In the design phase, it is to specify how Chinese language learning will occur in a blended language learning environment. The instructional designer is first to identify the teaching and learning objectives before designing the instruction. The teaching and learning objectives are associated with cognitive, psychomotor, and affective domains. Objectives in cognitive domain are concerns about learning skills related to the mental processes, objectives in psychomotor domain are concerns about learning skills related to physical actions, and objectives in affective domain are concerned about learning skills related to the emotional processes (Moore, 2005). By considering the cognitive, psychomotor, and affective domains to form the objectives for instructional design, it helps to create an effective instruction for Chinese language learning. It is then followed by an evaluation through experimental design research in order to find out if the objectives are met at the end of the research. Once the objectives have been identified, suitable instructional strategy and delivery system will be selected in order to achieve the objectives. Blended learning approach through an interactive multimedia electronic book which provides participatory learning, self-paced learning, and cooperative learning is chosen as the instructional strategy to be adopted in blended language learning environment to achieve the objectives. Participatory learning allows learners to actively participate in class for learning such as discussion, provide feedbacks, questioning and answering. Interactive multimedia electronic book encourage self-paced learning which allows learners to learn Chinese language at their

own pace, and cooperative learning allows learners to develop their social communication skills and enhance their learning experience among their peers. The next step will be the selection of delivery system for the instruction. Suitable teaching methods and media that can provide students in learning Chinese language efficiently will be selected based on the user requirements. In the research, teaching will be conducted through the blend of traditional classroom instruction and computer mediated instruction. Therefore, print technology and computer-based technology will be selected to deliver the instruction. In addition to the existing instructional tools such as printed textbook, print resources, resource website (WBLE), and email, an interactive multimedia electronic book called ECLearn will be developed to complement the existing traditional classroom instruction of the subject. Before the development of ECLearn prototype, a conceptual model and learning modules design model of ECLearn development will be designed and created. According to Gruber (as cited in Li & Gu, 2009), a conceptual model is an explicit specification of a conceptualization which defines the terminology of a domain in terms of the concepts that constitute the domain and the relationships between them.

begins to develop ECLearn. The main authoring tool used to develop ECLearn is Adobe Flash. Chinese text, colourful graphics and images, sound, animation, and video are being integrated into ECLearn to develop the 15 lessons, poems, and assessment activities. Adobe Photoshop is used to edit graphics and images, then import into Adobe Flash. The text-to-speech software NextSpeak Mandarin TTS will be used to convert the Chinese texts into speeches. The Chinese speeches are then to be edited using a sound diting software, GoldWave before integrating into ECLearn to provide the Chinese pronunciations for students. During the development, formative evaluation is conducted to ensure that ECLearn is developed based on users requirements and is free from bugs and errors. Unit testing on ECLearn will be performed to test the navigational buttons and icon individually. If errors being detected, the navigational button or icon will be revised and improved. Once unit testing completed, integration testing will be performed by combining and testing all the testable parts in ECLearn as groups in multiple ways. This is to make sure the ECLearn developed is able to function properly for efficient Chinese learning. I M P LE M E N T A T I O N P H A S E

D E V E L O P M E N T P H AS E During this phase, it is the process to author and produce the materials needed for the TCSL at tertiary level. The focus of the development phase in the research is to develop ECLearn as an additional instructional tool in the blended language learning environment. A storyboard will be created for the development of ECLearn. Kearns (2010) defined a storyboard as a visual plan for an e-learning programme, which clearly lays out the instructional, design, and interactive elements screen-by-screen. With reference to the design specification obtained from design phase and the storyboards created, the software developer

In the implementation phase, it is the process of installing the instruction in the real world. Blended language learning environment which consists of instructional tools such as printed textbook, print resources, ECLearn, resource website (WBLE), and so forth will be implemented for Chinese learning in the Introduction to Chinese language I classroom. Resources preparation is needed for the implementation of the blended learning environment for Chinese learning. Meantime, training on the use of ECLearn will be conducted among target users from the experimental group. The target users in the experimental group are students who have taken Introduction to

1. Evaluation of the efficacy of Chinese learning in BLLE

1. Needs analysis
Teaching and learning problems in traditional classroom approach Learner characteristics Requirements for multimedia electronic textbook development

2. Task analysis
Chinese learning contents based on existing printed textbook

2. Evaluation of ECLearn
Usability testing

3. Instructional analysis
Pronunciation of Chinese characters Composition of Chinese characters Grammar and vocabulary Chinese language communication

Analysi s Blended learning Evaluation ECLearn: Interactive Multimedia E-Book Implementation Development

Design

2. Resources preparation
Computer laboratory ECLearn User manual of ECLearn Print resources 1. Training WBLE Target students User manual ECLearn

2. Instructional strategy
Blended approach multimedia textbook learning through electronic

1. Objectives and assessments

Cognitive Psychom otor Affective

1. Draft materials of ECLearn development

of Storyboard

3. Delivery system selection 4. Design specification of ECLearn

Print technology Computer-based technology

2. Media production
ECLearn prototype

3. Formative evaluation of ECLearn

Unit testing Integration testing

Conceptual model Learning modules design model

Chinese Language I. In addition to laboratory-based training, user manual of ECLearn will be prepared for target users to assist them in learning ECLearn effortlessly. E V A L U A T I O N P H AS E During the evaluation phase, it is the process to determine the impact of the instruction for Chinese language learning. At this stage, summative evaluation will be performed to evaluate the efficacy of the blended language learning environment through multimedia electronic textbook in Chinese learning compared to the existing traditional classroom instruction. The evaluation is performed using a pre-test- post-test control group design to measure the students achievement in the acquisition of Chinese knowledge between the blended learning instruction and traditional classroom instruction. Besides, it is also involved a usability testing among the intervention group of students to evaluate the ease-of-use of the functionalities provided in ECLearn for Chinese learning. Refinement of ECLearn based on users feedback will be performed to increase the usefulness of ECLearn in the blended language learning environment. C O N C LU S I O N S Overall, a suitable instructional design model is believed to be able to guide an instructional designer in creating an effective second language instruction in a blended learning environment. The blended language learning environment created will be evaluated at the end of the research to ensure that it can benefit second language learners in Chinese learning compared to the existing traditional classroom instruction.

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