Influence of computer-assisted stroke order learning on Chinese character writing in second language learners

Whether stroke order learning facilitates Chinese character writing for Chinese as a Second Language (CSL) learners is a subject of debate both in teaching practice and empirical research. This study employs a self-developed computer-assisted stroke order learning system to explore the effect of stroke order learning on CSL learners' Chinese character writing by comparing their performance across different stroke order conditions (correct stroke order, random stroke order, and no stroke order) and with characters of different numbers of strokes. The results show that under the correct stroke order condition, CSL learners have higher accuracy in writing characters, especially for characters with fewer strokes. Additionally, there is a trend indicating that correct stroke order may contribute to shortening writing time. The study demonstrates that learning correct stroke order helps CSL learners to write Chinese characters more accurately and possibly more quickly as well; the impact of stroke order on 'writing correctly' is greater than on 'writing quickly.' Based on empirical findings, this paper advocates for the significance and enhancement of stroke order instruction in teaching Chinese character writing.