RESEARCH PAPER
This paper includes:
• Current Mandarin situation in Singapore
- Chinese Singaporean youths face a decline in Mandarin literacy
• Reasons why students dislike Mandarin
- Perceived difficulty in learning Mandarin.
- Lack of motivation/confidence
- Peer influence
- Home environment
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• Importance of promoting Mandarin
- Benefits of being bilingual
- Cultural reasons
- Economic reasons
• Comparison between Singapore’s and Canada’s bilingual education
- A comparison is done because Canada is known for their successful bilingual education policy. I feel that it is important to understand the reasons behind their success, so that Singapore can adopt some of its strategies to improve its current state
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• Suggestions to improve the current state of Mandarin proficiency
- Support from parents
- Immersion programs from pre-school
- Using media
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SHARING SESSION
Purpose:
After conducting research, I have found that Singapore is losing its bilingual edge, and young students face a decline in Mandarin proficiency because they dislike the language. Hence, to improve the current situation, I am conducting a sharing session, to improve children’s Mandarin proficiency. The sharing session consist of the current Mandarin session in Singapore, the importance of bilingual education, and practical tips that can be used help children be more interested in Mandarin.
