Abstract as per original application
(English/Chinese): |
The proposed intervention study will examine and compare, in a digital storybook reading context, the effects of two core cognitive skills of morphological awareness (MA) and orthographic awareness (OA) and their effects of different training orders on Chinese word reading among Hong Kong Chinese kindergarteners. MA, referring to the understanding of the meaning structure, has been consistently found to be critical in Chinese word reading starting from kindergarten. OA, referring to the understanding of the structures, positions, and functions in print, has been found to be predictive of Chinese word reading mostly in the primary school grades. The sequential development of these two underlining metalinguistic skills contradicts the claims of Lexical Quality Hypothesis (Perfetti& Hart, 2002), stating that form and meaning should be both developed in high quality for skilled reading, regardless of developmental periods. This problem motivated the current study: for optimal reading development, should MA and OA be developed sequentially in their own sensitive periods or developed in parallel? The proposed intervention programme will be designed and implemented online, given the increasing impact of digital learning in everyday life and its apparent advantages of being cost-effective and not limited by time, location, or pandemic constraints. The answer to the question may seriously challenge the Lexical Quality Hypothesis, an influential theory in the field, or strongly support and elaborate it. According to the Lexical Quality Hypothesis, confusion in form or meaning leads to low quality representations. Thus, MA training in K3 is less likely to bring substantially higher lexical quality representations. Instead, OA training in K3, together with their original MA foundations, will more likely lead to a significantly enhanced lexical quality of word presentations, thus, better reading outcomes. Theoretically, the study will contribute to a more complete understanding of early reading development. Practically, the online reading programme could be used for all young Hong Kong children, supporting their preparation with solid fundamental literacy skills for school readiness.
本干預研究以網上繪本閲讀為媒介，探討並比較語素意識和正字法意識這兩種核心元語言認知能力以及他們不同的訓練順序對香港兒童中文字詞閱讀的影響。語素意識指的是對最小意義單元的覺察以及對意義結構的操作。語素意識對於中文字詞閱讀的重要性在幼稚園階段已經非常明顯。 正字法意識指的是對字形結構、位置和功能的理解。研究發現，正字法意識對於中文字詞閱讀的預測作用主要在小學階段開始體現。實證文獻説明，這兩種元語言意識對中文閲讀的作用有著很明顯的先後順序。然而，根據詞彙質量假說（Lexical Quality Hypothesis. Perfetti ＆ Hart, 2002）, 形式和意義都需要得到高質量的發展才能達至熟練閱讀。這激發了當前的研究問題：為達到最佳的閱讀發展，語素意識和正字法意識應該在各自的敏感期依次訓練還是同一時間一併訓練？ 鑑於網上學習在日常生活中的影響越來越大，及其具有成本效益且不受時間、地點或流行病限制的明顯優勢，本研究將通過網上實施干預課程。根據詞彙質量假說，形式或意義的不清晰會導致低質量的表徵。那麼對幼稚園三年級兒童的語素訓練將不太可能帶來更高的詞彙質量表徵。 相反，對幼稚園三年級兒童的正字法訓練，再配合他們原有的語素意識，更可能提高詞彙表徵的質量，從而達至更好的閱讀效果。 在理論層面上，這項研究將有助於更全面地了解早期閱讀發展。 在實踐層面上，本研究開發的網上閱讀計劃可開放給所有香港幼兒，幫助他們提高閲讀能力， 為升讀小學做好準備。
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