DESIGNING READING TASKS WITH CHINESE IDIOMS: A PRACTICAL STUDY ON ENHANCING READING COMPREHENSION AMONG VIETNAMESE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

Tran Khai Xuan1,
1 Ho Chi Minh City University of Education, Vietnam

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Abstract

In Chinese language education at Vietnamese high schools, improving students’ reading comprehension is a key objective in developing overall communicative competence. Idioms, as fixed expressions with cultural depth in the Chinese language, frequently appear in various reading materials but remain a major obstacle for Vietnamese learners. This paper approaches the issue from the perspective of reading skill development, exploring how to effectively integrate idioms into reading tasks within high school Chinese instruction. By analyzing the reading requirements outlined in the Vietnamese National Curriculum for Chinese as a Second Foreign Language (2018 Edition) and combining them with practical teaching examples, this study proposes several task design principles and strategies—such as contextual guidance, image-text integration, question-driven reading, and output activities—to help students understand and use idioms in authentic contexts. The findings suggest that well-designed idiom-based reading tasks not only enhance language proficiency but also stimulate student interest and improve their ability to apply Chinese in real-life situations.

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References

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