Objective
The objective of this project was to find out to what extent could dictation activities help pupils’ learning of English as their second language in a traditional local Chinese primary school.
Sampling
Pupils came from class 4A, 5A and 6A of a traditional Chinese primary subsidized school at the Eastern District on Hong Kong Island. There were 31 pupils in 4A, 33 pupils in 5A and 33 pupils in 6A. In total, 97 pupils participated in the study. Their age ranged from ten to fifteen. They sat in rows in normal classroom setting. These pupils mostly came from working class families. Their English classes were their only opportunities to be exposed to the English language.
The majority of them had studied English for a number of years since kindergarten. They were able to listen, speak and write simple English. But one-third of them have arrived in Hong Kong from Mainland China for less than five years.
They had only learned English for three to four years. Their limited experience in the language often hindered their second language learning. However, all learners were hard working.
The rise in figures implies that pupils have developed a positive attitude towards their dictation lessons. They
began to believe that learning could take place in relaxing and enjoyable dictation lessons. Their positive attitude led to
their willingness in having more dictation lessons that might eventually enhance their language learning. Details were
shown in the following diagrams.