This study aims to investigate the effect of the continuation task （CT） on the acquisition of the Chinese spatial phrase structure （SPS） by learners of various L1 backgrounds learning Chinese as a second language ...This study aims to investigate the effect of the continuation task （CT） on the acquisition of the Chinese spatial phrase structure （SPS） by learners of various L1 backgrounds learning Chinese as a second language （CSL）. Two groups of participants were formed： a continuation group and a reading comprehension group. The former was required to continue in Chinese a text with its ending removed, while the latter needed to complete the Q＆A questions after reading the same text. The effect of the tasks was measured by examining the CSL learners＇ correct use of the Chinese SPS in three aspects -- the circum-construction, the use of prepositions and the use of the locative. The study found that the continuation group made significant improvement from the pretest to the posttests while the reading comprehension group did not. Moreover, the continuation group outperformed the reading comprehension group significantly in the posttests, though there was no significant difference between them in the pretest. The results showed that CT can facilitate CSL learners＇ acquisition of the Chinese SPS, with a better effect than the reading comprehension task.展开更多
基金supported by a grant from the China National Social Science Foundation (14CYY018)~~
文摘This study aims to investigate the effect of the continuation task （CT） on the acquisition of the Chinese spatial phrase structure （SPS） by learners of various L1 backgrounds learning Chinese as a second language （CSL）. Two groups of participants were formed： a continuation group and a reading comprehension group. The former was required to continue in Chinese a text with its ending removed, while the latter needed to complete the Q＆A questions after reading the same text. The effect of the tasks was measured by examining the CSL learners＇ correct use of the Chinese SPS in three aspects -- the circum-construction, the use of prepositions and the use of the locative. The study found that the continuation group made significant improvement from the pretest to the posttests while the reading comprehension group did not. Moreover, the continuation group outperformed the reading comprehension group significantly in the posttests, though there was no significant difference between them in the pretest. The results showed that CT can facilitate CSL learners＇ acquisition of the Chinese SPS, with a better effect than the reading comprehension task.
