Design and Development of an Experiential Learning Activity Package to Enhance Basic Chinese Speaking Skills in Grade 4 Students

Abstract

This study aimed to (1) examine the experiences and needs related to implementing an experiential learning activity package to enhance basic Chinese speaking skills in Grade 4 students; (2) design and develop the experiential learning activity package; and (3) assess its effectiveness. The research was conducted in three phases. Phase 1 involved an analysis and survey using teacher and student interviews, data analysis, and user persona creation. Phase 2 focused on the design and development process, incorporating data synthesis, brainstorming, co-design, and innovation quality assessment. Phase 3 entailed evaluation and reflection through simulated situational tests and activity package assessments. The study targeted nine Chinese language teachers and a sample of 214 Grade 4 students from two schools, selected through simple random sampling with schools as the sampling unit via computer-assisted randomization. The findings revealed that teachers sought to develop students' practical Chinese speaking skills rather than relying on rote memorization, while students preferred learning materials that incorporated activities, games, or simulations. The developed activity package comprised five activities, each accompanied by activity sheets and pre- and post-tests. The results demonstrated that students in the experimental group, who used the experiential learning activity package, achieved significantly higher average scores in Chinese speaking skills than those in the control group. Specifically, the experimental groups from School A and School B attained average scores of 35.92 and 34.33, respectively, while the control groups scored 24.94 and 25.35. These findings indicate that implementing experiential learning activities effectively enhances the basic Chinese speaking skills of Grade 4 students.