Save Your Strokes: Chinese Handwriting Practice Makes for Ineffective Use of Instructional Time in Second Language Classrooms

This is the data package for "Save Your Strokes: Chinese Handwriting Practice Makes for Ineffective Use of Instructional Time in Second Language Classrooms", which is published at AERA Open.<br><br>The abstract for the paper is found below:<br>Handwriting practice is the most time-consuming activity for learners of Chinese as a foreign language (CFL). CFL instructors commonly allocate at least one-third of their course time to handwriting practice even though it prevents students from engaging in meaningful communication, especially in the earliest stages of learning. As the amount of time students spend in a college course is relatively fixed, the present study sought to understand the best use of students’ time if their primary goals are word acquisition and communication. This work replicates a pilot study examining CFL word recognition in an online learning environment (ASSISTments) and the effects of supplemental handwriting practice. We examined word acquisition and recognition while manipulating condition (No-Handwriting (NH) practice and With-Handwriting (WH) practice), and Posttest test point (1 (immediate), 2 (one day delay), and 3 (one week delay)). Two-way repeated-measures ANOVAs revealed significant main effects for both condition and test point in online and on paper measures of word recognition and handwriting, respectively. Potential implications for CFL instruction and directions for future work are discussed. <br>