• 비교문화연구
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• 제31권
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• pp.415-438
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• 2013

This paper explores how to teach Chinese, using multi-media resources such as Chinese dramas and focusing on one of Jin Yong's dramas, The Return of the Condor Heroes. The purpose of this study is to develop teaching methodologies for university students learning Chinese through drama to integrate language skills: enhancing communicative competence and understanding Chinese cultures. First, the overview of previous studies provides several cases of foreign language education using drama. Teaching Chinese through drama can be an integrative education because students can develop their communicative competence as well as understand the cultures of the target language. In other words, the contexts of drama may offer rich sources of the history of China, Han Chinese ethnocentrism, and knowledge of Chinese literature as well as geography. Second, this study applies the principles of Tomlinson (2010) for materials development in language teaching into the case of Chinese drama. It concentrates on Jin Yong's The Return of the Condor Heroes that the author has used in the Chinese language courses for three years. It examines the characteristics of the drama for developing effective ways of teaching and learning Chinese language and culture. Furthermore, it discusses the impact of using drama on changes in students' pervasive perceptions about unnecessity of Chinese classical literature. Third, this paper presents some sample lessons which may help teachers to develop understanding of how to organize lessons through drama. Finally, it illustrates university students' opinions about using drama to learn Chinese.