A Comparative Study Of Three Elementary Integrated Chinese Textbook

As the introductory textbooks of Chinese learning, the primary textbooks of Teaching Chinese as Foreign Language directly affect the effectiveness and quality of teachers’ teaching and students’ learning,and also they have a profound impact on the students’ learning interest.This paper took three elementary Chinese Integrated Textbooks which are very representative in our country as the objects of study. They are Road to Success, Developing Chinese(2nd Edition) and Boya Chinese(2nd Edition). Paper focuses on the comparative analysis in four aspects of the initial stage of this three textbooks, which are the selection of text, the control of words, the layout of grammar and the design of exercises, and base on this, paper presents some recommendations for improvement on textbooks written.Comparison of the text, this paper analysed from the themes and genres of the text. Judging from the themes, Road to Success has the largest amount of theme, and the content of Road to Success is closer to the social life of contemporary Chinese society. Judging from the genres,conversations are the most general genre in these three books, and the Narration is the main genre of the essay part.Comparison of the new words, this paper studied the volume, the grade and the form of the explanatory notes of the new words. In volumeterms, the new words amount of three textbooks can basically meet the requirements of the primary stage. Judging from the level of the new words, the new words of Boya Chinese(2nd) and Developing Chinese(2nd) is more suitable for the initial stage of the learner,and the difficulty of the new words in Road to Success is comparatively tougher.Judging from the form of the explanatory notes, the Chinese POS tagging in Road to Success and Different color identifies important new words in Developing Chinese(2nd) are worth leaning methods.Comparison of the grammar items,this paper analysed from the quantity, the arrangement and the explaination of the grammar points.Quantitatively, the total amount of grammar in these three textbooks is reasonable, but the average amount of grammar in each lesson in these books are all too large. The presentation of grammar items in Road to Success and Developing Chinese(2nd) have more segmentations.In terms of grammar explanations, the explanations in Boya Chinese(2nd) are too simple and too concise, the explanations in Road to Success are easier for the learners to understand.Comparison of the practice, this paper studied the number and type of exercise. Quantitatively, Road to Success has the largest amount of practices. In terms of question types, the question types of Road to Success are most comprehensive, and the hierarchical is also better.Although Boya Chinese(2nd) uses the task-based exercise, but the othermechanical exercises are too much, they might easily spend out the enthusiasm of the learners.In summary, the written in the text, new words, grammar items and exercises and other aspects in these three textbooks are of advantages and disadvantages. To write a successful and mature Chinese textbook for the second language learners, the reseachers and textbook writers still have a long way to go.