The Implementation of Chinese Nursery Rhymes to Improve Mandarin Pronunciation among Primary Students at a School in Pathum Thani Province

Abstract

This paper reports the significance of bilingual education for Thai Primary students in learning Chinese nursery rhymes to enhance their Mandarin pronunciation at the beginning level through accumulation of a series of musical rhyming words in activities. This paper aims to prove whether Chinese nursery rhymes could motivate Thai Primary students in their Mandarin pronunciation. The subjects were 37 Primary One students in two classes. The qualitative and quantitative research instruments included Chinese nursery rhyme training, pre-interviews, post-interviews, and observation notes. The motivational standard levels are divided by 5 levels according to their levels of performance in the classroom. The results of the study revealed that Chinese nursery rhymes can be a useful teaching tool that helps students memorize and master Mandarin pronunciation.