THE EFFECTIVENESS OF STORY-BASED INSTRUCTION FOR TEACHING CHINESE CHARACTERS TO PAKISTANI BEGINNER LEARNERS

Although research on Chinese character pedagogy is growing, empirical studies addressing the unique needs of Pakistani learners-who face distinct challenges due to the phonetic nature of Urdu and lack of experience with logographic writing-remain scarce. This study fills this gap by examining whether the story teaching method improves long-term retention and reduces affective barriers among Pakistani learners. A quasi-experiment was conducted with 30 beginner Chinese learners at the Confucius Institute of the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan. Participants were randomly assigned to an experimental group (n=15) receiving story-based instruction and a control group (n=15) receiving traditional stroke-based instruction. Using questionnaires and semi-structured interviews with learners and local teachers, the study quantified and analyzed learning outcomes. Results showed no significant difference between groups on the immediate post-test (p=0.927), but the experimental group scored significantly higher on the delayed test one month later (p=0.019, Cohens d=0.91), indicating the story methods superiority for long-term retention. The mechanism appears twofold: cognitively, stories generate multi modal encoding (visual-auditory-contextual) that strengthens memory traces beyond mechanical rehearsal; effectively, narrative contexts reduce anxiety and increase willingness to engage with logographic forms,consistent with the Affective Filter Hypothesis.