Perceptions of interactive whiteboard pedagogy in the teaching of Chinese language

Abstract

There have been many positive claims made concerning the benefits of learning through a pedagogy which makes use of an interactive whiteboard (IWB), leading to a rapid acquisition and implementation of the IWB in schools. There is more limited research, however, of the effectiveness of the IWB in language learning and, in particular, in the learning of Chinese. This case study research used both qualitative and quantitative data to collect teacher and student perceptions of the learning of Chinese through an IWB pedagogy in one secondary school in Sydney, Australia, involving students in three levels of senior secondary school. Our findings confirm previous studies which state that students endorse the use of new technology in education. In particular, our study shows that the students believed that the IWB was effective in enhancing various aspects of their Chinese language learning. The positive attitude of the teacher towards the use of new technology in teaching is also found to play an important role in the implementation and success of the use of the IWB and in turn leads to the effective teaching and learning of Chinese. This study contributes to attention within research to the application of new technology in language learning.