Non-native Chinese language learners’ attitudes towards online vision-based motion games

Learning to write Chinese characters is often thought to be a very challenging and laborious task. However, new learning tools are being designed that might reduce learners’ tedium. This study explores one such tool, an online program in which learners can learn Chinese characters through vision-based motion games. The learner’s gestures are detected by a computer webcam, which sends the message back to the online program, and the corresponding strokes appear on the computer screen. In this way, the learner practises the correct Chinese stroke order by gesturing. For this study, nine non-native Chinese-language learners used this program to practise writing characters, and their learning strategies and attitudes towards the online program were observed. Data were collected from two self-reported surveys and interviews. The results of the study are reported here, and implications for instructional design and future development of the gestural recognition program are discussed.