A Study of Using Picture Storybooks to Increase Chinese Vocabulary ofPrimary School Students

摘要

It is an unsolved issue of how to increase the vocabulary of primary school students in Chinese reading in Singapore.According to the results from previous studies, one of the criteria of achieving independent reading is that studentsare able to read texts with at least 95% accuracy. The potential reasons for the current situation may be little exposureto Chinese reading after class, low reading interest and insufficient vocabulary. Therefore, in order to improve readingability and read more, students first have to increase their Chinese vocabulary. Picture storybook is a combination ofpictures and texts. The colorful pictures can not only attract students’ attention, cultivate their reading interest, but alsohelp them understand the words. In addition, the stories in the books provide students with vivid contexts. Teachers canuse them to guide students to enhance vocabulary learning. This research was conducted with a class of Primary One (P1)students in Singapore. With the aim of increasing students’ Chinese vocabulary, the researchers used picture storybooksas the learning materials for intervention. The study lasted for one year. This article first investigated current readingsituation of P1 students and then explained the research methodology and design. It employed both qualitative and quantitativemethods to assess students’ performance on pre-and post- vocabulary tests, to conduct focus group discussion, to doclassroom observation and to collect teacher’s reflection after classes. The purpose of the study is to investigate the effectivenessof using picture storybooks to increase students’ Chinese vocabulary and to motivate their reading interest.