Breaking Down Sentence Structure: Improving the Understanding of Mandarin Chinese Syntax
Diana Mora
Education 403: Reading in the Content Area, Manhattan College, Spring 2017
Abstract
While observing an 11 th grade Mandarin Chinese
class , I was able to recognize the lack knowledge
of how to sentence build. Students struggled to
sentence build own their own and students did not
often write in Chinese characters. I had the
opportunity to work with five students who all
were struggling with sentence structure. I decided
to devise a plan in order to help students
understand sentence structure while writing in
Chinese characters.
Look at the Problem
The problem that was to be researched was: How
can I improve students abilities and under-
standing to sentence build in Chinese?
Acquire Knowledge
From the three research studies I have read, all
three researchers agreed that learning a new
language with a different writing system can be a
challenge. Two researchers found that there could
be different aspects as to why it can be hard to
teach syntax. One researcher found that a method
teachers can use it to translate the sentence into
the literal translation.
Devise a Plan
After observing the class for a couple of times, I
was able to pinpoint the issue students had in
class. I was given the opportunity to work with five
students who were all struggling with sentence
structure and writing in Chinese characters. I gave
students a sample diagram of a basic Chinese
sentence structure.
Execute the Plan
Once I pinpointed the common mistake students
had, I was able to show them examples of
different words used in the sentence structure
while also encouraging students to write in
Chinese characters.
Emilys work: Brandons work:
Results
After implementing my plan, three students out of
five felt that they understood how to sentence
build own their own. Students were then asked if
they would use the diagram in their future classes.
Do you plan to use this diagram for your
future classes?
Yes No
Student 1
Student 2
Student 3
Student 4
Student 5
Conclusions
Although most students from the group found the
diagram to be helpful, the other two students
needed more time and practice in how to build
sentences on their own. I found that showing
students how the literal English translation of the
Chinese sentence helped most students
understand Chinese sentence structure.
Limitations & Looking Ahead
Unfortunately I did not have enough time to show
them other examples on how to use this diagram
for other sentences.
For future research, I would like to be able to show
students more examples on how they could use
this diagram. I would have liked to see if students
could build their own sentences without the
guidance of someone helping them