Learning Chinese Mandarin characters in an English-speaking country: The development of a child’s symbolic mind

Abstract

This qualitative research explores the development of the symbolic mind in children through learning Chinese Mandarin characters. Navigated through the lens of relational developmental system metatheory and guided by Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory, findings present the analysis of the developmental processes in children’s recognition of symbols and use of known symbols to make and share meaning. This study also offers an explanation of the effect of changes in the sociocultural environment on children's symbolic development. Further, cultural differences toward symbolic representation are discussed with the recommendation of focusing on recognition followed by writing when learning Chinese Mandarin characters.

The Elkonin-Davydov Curricular Approach: How Cognitive Development can be Driven by Cultural Tools

“…Many assume that young children are not (yet) capable of abstract comprehension. However, in examining the research from multiple fields, including language learning, cognitive sciences, and developmental sciences, many examples contradict this universal assumption (Coles, 2021;Dougherty & Sloven, 2004;Venenciano et al, 2015;Wang & Black Delfin, 2021). Based on the literature, it is obvious that although a great amount of research has been investigating young children's capability on higher mental functions such as abstract thinking and comprehension, from various theoretical stands, there is less research highlighting the Elkonin-Davydov curricular approach from the analysis of Vygotsky's sociocultural perspective.…”