支援香港兩文三語兒童發展的線上評估:擴增實境介入
Developing Teleassessment for Trilingual Children in Hong Kong:
Augmented Reality Enhanced Intervention

項目編號 Reference Number: KPF22REP06

資助 Funding Source: Knowledge Transfer Project Fund (KPF)

Parents Daily 已報導本研究項目成果,歡迎按此閲讀。

背景 Background

家中語言環境對兒童的語言發展攸關重要。嬰幼兒能輕鬆在豐富的語言環境中吸收語言知識。然而,隨著兒童年齡增長,這種快速學習能力會逐漸減退,使其失去早期學習語言的優勢。因此,通過盡早介入,改善家中語言環境,可以更好地幫助語言發展遲緩的兒童迎頭趕上。另外,新冠疫情帶來了新的評估方式,但香港尚未普及透過視像會議為兒童進行遠程線上評估的方式。本項目旨在提高教育工作者和家長對遠程評估和早期語言介入的理解。透過他們的積極參與,使兒童的學習成效有所提高。

A rich language environment at home is crucial for children’s language development. Infants and young children effortlessly absorb language within a stimulating linguistic environment. However, as they grow older, this ability to learn rapidly diminishes, resulting in the loss of their early advantage in language acquisition. Therefore, through early intervention, enriching the language environment at home would help children with language delay catch up. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated changes in assessment methods. However, teleassessments via video conferencing for young children have not yet been widely adopted in Hong Kong. This project aims to improve educators’ and parents’ understanding of teleassessment and early language intervention. With their active involvement, children are able to achieve better learning outcomes.

擴增實境AR介入
Augmented Reality Enhanced Intervention

擴增實境(AR)在促進兒童語言學習方面具有多項優勢,如:透過互動體驗吸引兒童的注意力、運用視覺和聲音刺激以增強詞彙習得的效果。AR技術能夠將虛擬內容融入現實世界。研究表明,通過AR視覺化關鍵詞能使兒童在回想、腦力勞動和任務完成度有所提升。這說明配有AR介入的學習資源具有促進兒童學習詞彙的潛能。​

Utilizing Augmented Reality (AR) offers several advantages in facilitating children’s language learning. AR captures children’s attention through interactive experiences, employing visual and audio stimuli to enhance vocabulary acquisition. AR technology integrates virtual content into the real world. Research demonstrates that AR, with keyword visualizations, improves recall, mental effort, and task completion. These findings underscore the potential of AR enhanced materials in delivering engaging and effective vocabulary learning experiences.​

對話式閱讀及語言發展
Dialogic Reading and Language Development

大量的研究表明親子對話式閱讀是促進幼兒早期閱讀能力發展最具影響力的家庭活動之一。在對話式閱讀中,家長通過各種互動技巧和提問,積極引導兒童參與閱讀,不僅為他們提供豐富的語言輸入,也為培養他們的語言理解、表達能力和音韻意識等提供了機會。​

Extensive research indicates that dialogic reading, characterized by interactive parent-child conversations, is one of the most influential family activities for promoting early literacy development in young children. During dialogic reading, parents actively guide children’s participation in reading through various structured interactive techniques and questioning, providing rich language input and opportunities for fostering children’s receptive and expressive language, phonological awareness and so on.

目標 Objectives

我們期望這個研究項目能通過知識轉移,減輕基層兒童學習語言的困難,促進他們廣東話、普通話和英語的發展。具體目標如下:​

We hope that this research project will contribute to knowledge transfer and reduce the difficulties in language learning faced by grassroots children. Our specific objectives are as follows:

研究對象 Participants

四所幼稚園及其學生(4-6歲)積極完成了本研究的不同任務。這四所幼稚園分別是保良局吳多泰幼稚園、香港基督教服務處雋樂幼稚園、港青基信幼稚園(啟晴)及港青基信幼兒學校(農圃道)。我們感激所有學校及家庭的支持和積極參與。

The four participating kindergartens and their students (aged four to six years) actively engaged in various stages of this research. The participating schools are Po Leung Kuk Ng Tor Tai Kindergarten, Hong Kong Christian Service Pario Kindergarten (Shatin), YMCA of Hong Kong Christian Kindergarten (Kai Ching), and YMCA of Hong Kong Christian Nursery School (Farm Road). We express our sincere gratitude for the enthusiastic participation and support from all the schools and families involved.

流程 Procedure

遠程線上評估 Teleassessment

前測和後測皆透過一對一遠程評估進行。兒童利用視像會議在學校或家中參與評估。評估內容包括:標準化詞彙理解測試、故事詞彙表達能力測試和標準化認知能力測試。

Both the pretest and post-tests were conducted through teleassessment. All assessments were administered in a one-on-one format, with students participating via video conferencing from either school or home. The evaluation encompassed: standardized receptive vocabulary tests, tests measuring the students’ expressive vocabulary from the stories used within the intervention program, and standardized cognitive ability tests.

介入課程 Intervention Program

為期8週的介入課程針對家長和孩子。課程的家長培訓部分幫助家長認識對話式閱讀及掌握相應的技巧。課程其他部分通過提供豐富的學習資源,包括擴增實境(AR)三語閱讀書目和影片及英語和普通話線上指導課。孩子在閱讀中,能夠通過不同渠道和不同媒介接觸到高質量的語言輸入。

The 8-week intervention program was designed for both parents and children. The parental training sessions focused on helping parents understand and master the skills of dialogic reading. As for the other sessions, the program offered a wide range of learning resources, including Augmented Reality (AR) enhanced trilingual reading materials, trilingual reading videos, and online instructional sessions in English and Mandarin. By doing so, children had the opportunity to receive high-quality language input through different channels and modalities.

我們的家長在英文親子共讀中運用對話式閱讀技巧
The Parent Applying Dialogic Reading Skills
in Parent-child Shared Reading in English

擴增實境材料設計示例
Our Design of AR Enhanced Materials: An Example

我們為電子書「田裏的彩虹」添加擴增實境(AR)功能,其中包含彈出元素和動物角色。AR設計的一個特別之處是透過互動元素吸引兒童的注意力,並使用擬聲詞、相關名詞、動詞和形容詞,以三種語言,即廣東話、英文和普通話,為動物角色配音。AR體驗還允許兒童模擬「握住」這些動物角色,以便從不同的角度觀察牠們,並建立聲音和意義之間的聯繫。

We created AR materials for an e-book, The Rainbow Field with AR pop-up items and animal characters. A special feature of the AR design is interactive elements that engage children’s attention, featuring animal characters with lively voiceovers in three spoken languages, namely Cantonese, English, and Mandarin using onomatopoeia with relevant nouns, verbs and adjectives. The AR experience also allows children to virtually “hold” these animal characters so that they can view them from various angles and establish associations between sounds and meanings.

線上共讀時光
Online Shared-reading 
Time

在介入課程期間,我們的研究團隊定期提供線上共讀互動課程。每週有兩堂英文課和一堂普通話課,每堂30分鐘。在課堂上,老師通過對話式閱讀技巧吸引並鼓勵兒童積極參與線上共讀。這些線上課程旨在提升兒童的語言能力,同時繼續向家長滲透對話式閱讀技巧。​

During the intervention program, our research team offered regular online interactive shared-reading sessions. Each week, there were two English lessons and one Mandarin lesson, with each session lasting for 30 minutes. In these classes, the teacher utilized dialogic reading skills to engage and encourage active participation from children. The primary goals of these online sessions were to enhance children’s language skills while also furthering parents’ understanding of dialogic reading.​

分組 Grouping

參加介入課程的家庭分為兩組。第一組家庭 [+家長培訓, +AR] 在共讀前學習如何使用對話式閱讀技巧,並在介入課程期間使用帶有擴增實境(AR)的資料和孩子一起閱讀。第二組家庭 [-家長培訓, -AR] 則在第二次後測後接受家長培訓和使用AR閱讀資料。

The families involved in the intervention program were divided into two groups. Group 1 [+Parental training, +AR] received parental training in dialogic reading techniques before participating in shared reading sessions, incorporating the Augmented Reality (AR) enhanced materials. Group 2 [-Parent training, -AR] received parental training and used AR reading materials after the delayed post-test.

AR技術和家長培訓有效提升三語兒童中英文詞彙理解表達能力​
Effective Enhancement of Trilingual Children’s English and Mandarin
Receptive and Expressive Vocabulary
through AR Technology and Parental Training​

在英文和普通話的詞彙理解和表達方面,兩組兒童在兩次後測中均有提升,而第一組的提升幅度比第二組明顯。這凸顯了家長培訓和AR有助4至6歲三語兒童的詞彙學習。

In terms of receptive and expressive vocabulary in English and Mandarin, both groups exhibited an increase in the immediate post-test and the delayed post-test. With the implementation of parental training and AR enhanced materials, Group 1 outperformed Group 2 in both tests, which highlights the effectiveness of our design in facilitating vocabulary learning for trilingual children aged 4 to 6 years old.

家長的聲音 Parents’ Voice

在介入課程結束後,所有家長都完成了關於課程的調查問卷和訪問。結果顯示,大部分的家長都認為介入課程能夠提高兒童對英語、普通話的興趣。與之相伴,家長感覺兒童的語言能力也得到了提升。

All parents completed an exit questionnaire and an interview after the intervention program. The majority of parents believed that the program was able to increase their children’s interest in both English and Mandarin. Furthermore, parents felt that their children’s language abilities had improved.

教師的聲音 Teachers’ voice

我們亦在介入課程後到參與的學校訪問參加者的教師。整體來說,受訪教師認為此課程能夠幫助兒童重拾對語言學習和其他方面的自信。他們亦發現家長能夠透過參與此課程更了解自己的孩子,並更願意尊重和接受孩子的興趣和喜好。他們都認為,通過親子共讀和隨之而來的親子獨處交流時間,能夠使親子關係變得更為緊湊。

We have also interviewed participants’ kindergarten teachers after the intervention program. Overall, the teachers who have accepted the interview found that the program was successful at making children feel more confident at learning languages and in other areas. They have also observed that parents were able to learn more about their children through this program, and became more willing to respect and accept their children’s interests. They believed that, through parent-child shared reading and interactions, the relationship between parents and their children can become more close-knitted.

其他資源 Other Resources

為甚麼父母要和孩子進行對話式閱讀?
親子對話式閱讀能為孩子提供更多、更優質的語言輸入,有助促進兒童的語言發展,提高閱讀理解能力,培養批判性思維、想像力和創造力,並能夠增進親子關係。

Why should parents engage in dialogic reading with their children?
Engaging in dialogic reading with children provides them with language input of great quantity and quality, which is beneficial for children as it fosters their language development, reading comprehension skills, critical thinking, imagination and creativity, and parent-child interaction.

為幫助家長與孩子在家使用對話式閱讀技巧共讀,我們準備了一份幼稚園級別、適合家長與孩子共讀的英文和中文書單。點擊連結以獲取書目清單:Book Depository

To enhance parent-child shared-reading at home, we prepared a book list comprising English and Chinese books at the kindergarten level. Access the book list by clicking the link provided: Book Depository

鳴謝 Acknowledgements

KPF項目「支援香港兩文三語兒童發展的線上評估:擴增實境介入」(項目編號:KPF22REP06)得到了知識轉移項目基金(KPF)的支持。我們向四所幼稚園的校長和教師表示衷心的感謝。他們對我們的KPF項目給予了堅定的支持。同時,我們亦衷心感謝參與評估和介入課程的兒童和家長,以及他們所給予的寶貴意見。

The KPF project “Developing teleassessment for trilingual children in Hong Kong: Augmented Reality enhanced intervention” (Project Code: KPF22REP06) received support from the Knowledge Transfer Project Fund (KPF). We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the principals and teachers of the four kindergartens for their unwavering support towards our KPF project. We are especially thankful to the children and parents who actively participated in the assessments and intervention program, providing us with valuable feedback.