Interactive Character Learning Model (ICLM)—Chinese Character Learning Using WhatsApp for Malay L3 Learners

Chinese character writing is a big challenge to Malay third language (L3) learners. Chinese characters are unique, and therefore, Malay L3 learners need to toil through the tedious process of writing before getting to know them. However, the introduction of smartphones/tablets and the Internet has facilitated the learning of Chinese characters for Malay L3 learners. In this research, we try to formulate an interaction model using smartphones/tablets and the Internet, which can facilitate the Chinese character learning and help Malay L3 learners master the Chinese character writing and sentence making skills besides recognizing the characters. We aim at enhancing the performance of Malay L3 learners in these aspects using this model, and hence, analyzing its outcome. Through analysis, we found that Malay L3 learners have shown greater interests in learning the Chinese language and given better response in Chinese character writing and also sentence making. Besides, we found that the ability in recognizing, writing characters, and writing sentences has also increased strikingly. Hence, we will further investigate its impacts on learning interest (including handwriting and Pinyin input), self-learning, Chinese phonetics, recognizing characters, and making sentences. We name this model Interactive Character Learning Model (ICLM). Besides, ICLM can reinforce the process of reading Chinese characters and understanding Chinese short essays as well.