Character recognition strategies of CSL readers: a perspective on the role of orthographic awareness

Abstract

PURPOSE: The study investigates the character recognition strategies of Chinese as a second language (CSL) readers (N=5) from a Hong Kong secondary school. METHOD: Both higher and lower proficiency level participants were given specific training on the think-aloud method before completing a 4-task, 27-question assessment test on orthographic presentation, character-meaning association and character-sound association, during which they were required to speak aloud their thought processes. An analysis of the data collected was conducted with reference to their cognitive activity and processing. RESULTS: The results show that orthographic awareness plays a determinant role in shaping the character recognition strategies of CSL readers. The higher level readers were able to discern components in a character and to identify flexible components, while making inferences and character-sound associations using clues from the character shapes along with their own orthographic knowledge and experiences. The lower level readers, with very limited orthographic knowledge while displaying avoidance behaviours, tended to make intuitive guesses which focused mainly on the stroke level of orthographic form with minimal combination of other character recognition strategies. Their inability to identify flexible components and high forgetting rate also contributed to the poor performance. CONCLUSIONS: An analysis of the results concludes that intensified training on Chinese components and form-sound-meaning associations, the use of mental lexicon, and contextualized learning are likely to enhance CSL readers’ ability to achieve successful recognition of Chinese characters, a prerequisite to accurate retrieval and organization of lexico-semantic information during the reading process.