The Application of Augmented Reality Technology in Chinese Language Learning A Case Study of the Third Year Foreign Languages Department Students Prince of Songkla University, Surat Thani Campus

Abstract

Challenges of learning management in the 21st century are the blended learning management as well as the learning by using technology in which learners are able to access unlimited resources. Chinese language is one of the subjects that most of the learners have negative attitudes towards learning. Due to the content difficulty or Chinese letter writing system, most of them lack of interest in learning. The objectives of this research were threefold: 1) to study the application of Augmented Reality Technology in Chinese language Learning 2) to create the teaching guidelines for a new model of Chinese language learning, and 3) to study the students’attitudes towards the new model of Chinese language learning.  The questionnaire was used to collect the data from the research samples; 103 third-year students majoring in Languages, Communication and Business in the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Management Sciences, Prince of Songkla University, Surat Thani Campus who enrolled in Chinese for Business Communication course. Additionally, the in-depth interviews were also employed with 30 non-purposive samples in order to gain more data.

        The research revealed that 98.1% of students who answered the questionnaire agreed that Augmented Reality Technology was fully useful and suitable for the Chinese language learning and help them in learning various dimensions of Chinese language. Most of them also agreed that this method should be employed in the new model of Chinese language learning classroom, especially for the Chinese specific courses such as Chinese phonetics (Pinyin), vocabulary, and conversation etc. Moreover, most of the students have more positive attitudes towards Chinese language learning.