Reciting Tang Poems to Promote Happiness

Tang poems are not only for language learning but also induce people's positive emotions. Traditionally, some Chinese parents teach the very young kids to recite Tang poems even before the kids know how to read and write. Reciting Tang poems resembles singing a song without understanding the verses, and some kids can do so better than adults. Tang poems sound musical and should be easier to remember and recite than other texts. Learning and reciting poems at home could be happy and fun family activities in Chinese families. Whether using fun activities on small groups of kids in a community setting to promote Tang poem reciting and happiness could have the same effects of Tang poem reciting in Chinese kids is unknown for non-Chinese.

This is a pilot pre-post interventional trial with no controls, with 10 South Asian children in primary schools (Grades 1-2, age 6-9) being recruited in Phase I and 40-50 children in Phase II. In most primary schools, grades 1-2 students have not started learning Tang poems. Students and their parents will be actively approached by Hong Kong Christian Service (HKCS). An information sheet will be provided to the parents of eligible children, and their contact information will be asked. Parents give written consent if they agree for their children to participate. Parents will be invited to join the intervention sessions to show support for students' participation but they will only sit at the back of the room without active interaction and learning requirements.

The intervention comprises three 1.5-hour sessions of Tang poem reciting and one session for participant performances. Experienced instructors from Bestreben Drama Association Limited will lead each session, and adherence to the protocol will be assessed by independent reviewers. Participants will recite two poems per session, with adjustments based on performance. Body language, sound, images, and videos will be used, along with engaging games, to enhance motivation and memory. Participants will receive stamp/sticker collection books and be rewarded for their achievements. Parents are invited to attend the sessions to show support, their role will be passive, sitting at the back of the room without active interaction or learning requirements. A final session will include a 15-minute assessment of poem recitation skills, followed by a performance session where participants can recite any Tang poem. Family members are encouraged to participate, and awards will be granted to motivate and appreciate participants and their families.

In Phase I, assessments will include pre-session assessments (T0, T2, T4, and T6) and post-intervention assessments after each session (T1, T3, T5, and T7). A follow-up assessment (T8) will be conducted 12 weeks after the baseline to evaluate the sustainability of outcomes approximately one month after program completion. For the children in Phase II, assessments will only include T0, T5, T6, T7 and T8. Parents will complete questionnaires for themselves (Part II) and assisting their children (Part I). Parental presence and support will be acknowledged through supermarket coupon incentives.

The feasibility outcomes will be reported descriptively and narratively, including the recruitment rate, duration, and retention rate. Descriptive statistics, mean (standard deviation) for continuous outcomes, will be reported for the secondary outcomes. The investigators will use content analysis method to analyze the qualitative data from the in-depth interviews. It is expected that those fun activities for reciting Tang poems may help promoting happiness and enjoyment in primary school ethnic minority students in Hong Kong.

Inclusion criteria

• Ethnic minority children in primary schools (Grades 1-2, age 6-12)
• Able to communicate using either simple Cantonese or English
• With parental consent, and consent of the child as confirmed by the parent and our research team at the session

Exclusion criteria

• Physically or mentally unable to communicate
• Unwilling to participate regardless of parental consent
• Being involved in other similar activities or research
• Already proficient in Tang poems, being able to recite more than one poem