學齡前幼兒書寫漢字特徵之分析

An Analysis of Young Children’s Writing of Chinese Characters

幼兒在正式接受讀寫教育之前，會因為環境中的文字而產生對於文字的好奇心，進而產生自發性的書寫。本研究欲了解在此背景下的學齡前幼兒書寫漢字的表現為何與早期書寫之漢字的特徵，以漢字表意文字特性與構字原則進行分析。研究對象為北臺灣中、大班幼兒各79名，透過研究者所設計之書寫活動測驗蒐集幼兒書寫漢字的表現，分析之漢字可分為正確漢字、過渡字與錯誤漢字。研究結果發現，正確漢字的書寫特徵是字型結構為獨體字且具左右對稱的字形、合體字則是部件重複的字形；錯誤漢字則是多以中班幼兒能進行嘗試書寫自創文字；過渡字的類別則包括字體顛倒、筆畫數錯誤、外形錯誤、位置錯誤。總結學齡前幼兒在早期書寫多運用筆畫特徵線索進行字形的比較，對部件的概念並不完整。

This study aims to understand the performance of preschool children in writing Chinese characters before they receive formal literacy education, as well as the characteristics of their Chinese character-writing samples, by analyzing them based on the construction principles of Chinese orthography. The participants included 79 kindergarteners (mean age = 74.9 months) and 79 preschoolers (mean age = 63.7 months) from four kindergartens in northern Taiwan. The children’s Chinese character writing performance was collected through designated writing, guided writing and free writing tasks and the writing products were coded into correct characters, transitional characters and incorrect characters. The results showed that the characteristics of correct writing samples are simple/one-component characters with left and right symmetry, or compound characters with repeated stroke patterns. Most of the incorrect characters are from those of preschoolers who attempted to write their own characters with invented-spelling. The major characteristics of transitional character writings include errors in the configuration of strokes, missing or adding a stroke, and mirror writing. In conclusion, young children’s early Chinese character writing tends to rely on the visual clues of stroke to construct characters, and their knowledge of Chinese orthography is still limited.