Twitter Application to Chinese Language Learning: Lessons and Suggestions

Making a connection between the requirement of 140 characters and the need of intermediate-low learners of Chinese as a second language (CSL) to produce output in a less challenging environment, this action research engaged the college CSL students in tweeting practices. Based on the descriptive statistics of the students’ tweeting behavior and the students’ responses to the survey administered at the end of the semester, this article reflects and summarizes the lessons learned. The authors propose that structural designs in the form of projects or tasks should still be considered for social networking applications such as Twitter to be used as an educational tool. How to make better use of the social-networking aspect of Twitter and build a community of CSL learners and practitioners is also discussed