A Study of Instructional Psychology on Grammar-Translation Method from Chinese I-Ching

Abstract: This paper provides a different perspective on Instructional Psychology from Chinese I-Ching, using the Grammar-Translation Method (GTM) as an example, seeking to answer 3 questions regarding GTM. This paper starts with the analysis of grammar translation method in terms of six variables involved in instructional settings: teacher, student, objective, assessment, material, and methodology. In each of the variable there are two contrastive components that can be specified as yin and yang in the framework of Chinese I-Ching. From the framework of I-Ching, GTM features its six yaos as "Heaven" gua, where all the six yaos are "yin," (teacher: teacher centered-yin, methodology: behavioral-yin, assessment: product-yin, objective: information-yin), material: rote memory-yin, and student: passive-yin). This model proposes feasible measures on the bases of the dynamics involved in the hexagram to help learners' reach optimal learning outcomes. As I-Ching was originally developed as a qualitative description, analysis, and prediction of daily events, quantitative surveys with reference to accuracy of predictions from I-Ching requires more empirical studies.