Using E-learning Activities to Support Classical Chinese Learning in the Out-of-class Context

While the positive effects of technology enhanced language learning on learning English or Chinese as a second language have been widely supported, e-learning has seldom been adopted in the traditional classical Chinese (CC) reading instruction which has long been dominated by the teacher- centered instruction. The study collaborated with Chinese language teachers to design and implement three types of e- learning activities, namely online teaching videos, Internet resources, and digital games, to support students’ learning of CC reading in the out-of-class context. A total of 551 students from five secondary schools in Hong Kong participated in the study on a voluntary basis. The findings of pre- and post-test comparisons indicated that students used CC reading strategies more frequently, improved their self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation in CC reading, and participated in more self-learning activities after the collaborative project. Both positive and negative comments on the e-learning materials and activities were received from the participating students. Implications of the findings are discussed to provide insights into the applicability of using e-learning as a new learning approach in a traditional school subject.