A Look into Character Amnesia - The Effects of Romanization on Character Knowledge in Chinese language

Sep 29, 2026

This final year project investigates character amnesia and how romanization affects Chinese character knowledge. It frames the prevalence of character amnesia and the limited research on the topic, then examines learning outcomes under different practice conditions. The study outlines participant recruitment, materials and stimuli, and a structured procedure, followed by results assessing accuracy differences before and after practice and across test types. Discussion addresses main and interaction effects, plus limitations and future research directions.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages39

Reading Time1 h 38 min

AccessFree to download

Acknowledgments

Abstract

Introduction

Chinese language and its romanization – Hanyu Pinyin

Prevalence of character amnesia and the lack of research

Effect of pinyin on learning the Chinese language

Technology and character learning

Current study

Methodology

Participants

Materials and Stimuli

Procedure

Results

Checking for significance of difference in accuracy before & after practice conditions

Accuracy based on practice conditions (comparing before & after the practice phase)

Accuracy based on test types (comparing before & after practice conditions)

Effects of practice conditions in the post-practice testing tests

Discussion

Examining main effects of tests

Examining main effect of practice conditions

Examining the interaction effects of practice with the tests

Limitations and future research

Conclusion

NANYANG TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES A Look into Character Amnesia: The Effects of Romanization on Character Knowledge in Chinese language Student Name: HO SIN YAN | Supervisor: | DR . ALICE CHAN | | --- | --- | A Final Year Project submitted to the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics & Multilingual Studies Declaration of Authorship I declare that this assignment is my own original work, unless otherwise referenced, as defined by the NTU policy on plagiarism. I have read the NTU Honour Code and Pledge. No part of this Final Year Project has been or is being concurrently submitted for anyother qualification at any other university. I certify that the data collected for this project is authentic. I fully understand that falsification of data will result in the failure of the project and/or failure of the course. Name: Ho Sin Yan Signature: Date: 15/03/16 Additional information 1. My FYP is an extension of my URECA project. ~~Yes~~ / No If yes, give details and state how is this project different from your URECA project: 2. My FYP is a part of or an extension of my supervisor’s project. ~~Yes~~ / No if yes, answer question 5. 3. My FYP is partially supported by my supervisor’s grant. Yes / ~~No~~ 4. Provide details of funding expenditure,(e.g. payment of participants: $10/hour; funded by supervisor’s grant…) Payment of participants: $10/hour; funded by supervisor’s grant 5. You are reminded that an FYP is an independent project on an area ofyour own interests. Any kind of outsourcing (including, but not limited to, transcription, statistical analysis, etc.) would have a huge negative impact on your grade. If your project is a part of or an extension of your supervisor’s project, please state clearly i) what are your own intellectual contributions, and ii) what components of your supervisor’s project have been borrowed for your FYP ([e.g. software](e.g. software) tools, audio/visual materials, etc.) . If you have any doubts, please check with your supervisor and/or the FYP coordinator before submission. *Note that failure to declare may be treated as a case of plagiarism and it will impact negatively on the assessment of your FYP. i Acknowledgments This thesis would not have been possible without the help, support and guidance from several people… To Alice Chan: For all your invaluable advice and suggestions on my project. Thank you foryour guidance in firming up my project in the initial stages and providing me with the assurance that my project is doable. Your dedication in providing insights even when you’re heavily pregnant is admirable. I thank you from the bottom of my heart! To Yvonne Lai: I am thoroughly grateful for your generous guidance and support. The last few months of work could never have been done without your intellectual advises and encouragement. Words can never be enough to thank you for your kindness! I am also extremely thankful to the lab’s Project officer, Galston Wong for his help rendered in providing much-needed assistance with booking the labs and also, imparting his knowledge of the E-prime software and SPSS, which was crucial in collecting the required data. Thank you to all 11 participants for their patience and commitment to attend all three sessions. Data collection would not have been so smooth without their help. This is in dedication to the many friends who provided me with love and encouragement… To Xinyi: For being the one person that I can find solace with, even when you’re a million miles away. To Joleen: For your unwavering support for me. Thank you also, for helping me gather my participants. To Erin (씨): Misery loves its company. Thank you for the four years of friendship and being there for the craziest part of my university life. School (and FYP) would not have

FAQs

What is the central topic of the project?

The project examines character amnesia and evaluates how romanization influences Chinese character knowledge.

How does the study evaluate learning effects?

It compares accuracy before and after practice across different practice conditions and also contrasts results across test types.

What kinds of aspects are discussed in the discussion section?

The discussion covers main effects of tests, main effects of practice conditions, interaction effects between practice and tests, and then addresses limitations and future research.

Sep 29, 2026

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