英文摘要 |
This paper reports on an empirical study on the use of active learning techniques, the learning of Mandarin Chinese in a regional university in Australia. The active learning techniques are techniques derived from an active language learning approach known as the 'Somatically-enhanced Approach' to language learning. These included humming, clapping to rhythms of the language, using movement and gestures to enhance the perception of rhythmic patterns in a language. This empirical study was evaluated using a mixture of quantitative and qualitative approaches. Results showed that through acoustic analysis, students' developed a wider voice range when speaking Mandarin than when they speak English. With a wider voice range, students taught using this approach were perceived to have better pronunciation after 30 hours of instruction by nine native speakers of Mandarin judges. Furthermore, interview data from these students suggest that active learning techniques used in this approach enabled them to develop better memory strategies for learning as well. |