A Study of Using Picture Storybooks to Increase Chinese Vocabulary of Primary School Students

It is an unsolved issue of how to increase the vocabulary of primary school students in Chinese reading in Singapore. According to the results from previous studies, one of the criteria of achieving independent reading is that students are able to read texts with at least 95% accuracy. The potential reasons for the current situation may be little exposure to Chinese reading after class, low reading interest and insufficient vocabulary. Therefore, in order to improve reading ability and read more, students first have to increase their Chinese vocabulary. Picture storybook is a combination of pictures and texts. The colorful pictures can not only attract students’ attention, cultivate their reading interest, but also help them understand the words. In addition, the stories in the books provide students with vivid contexts. Teachers can use them to guide students to enhance vocabulary learning. This research was conducted with a class of Primary One (P1) students in Singapore. With the aim of increasing students’ Chinese vocabulary, the researchers used picture storybooks as the learning materials for intervention. The study lasted for one year. This article first investigated current reading situation of P1 students and then explained the research methodology and design. It employed both qualitative and quantitative methods to assess students’ performance on pre-and postvocabulary tests, to conduct focus group discussion, to do classroom observation and to collect teacher’s reflection after classes. The purpose of the study is to investigate the effectiveness of using picture storybooks to increase students’ Chinese vocabulary and to motivate their reading interest.