• Korean Journal of Child Studies
• /
• v.30 no.2
• /
• pp.15-28
• /
• 2009

This study focused on the comprehension of texts written either in Korean script (Hangul) or Chinese script (Hanja). For this purpose, we measured the reading time and the correct response in text comprehension tasks with 104 Korean-Chinese children who were either 10 or 19 years old. There was a main effect of script : The reading time of Hanja texts was shorter than that of Hangul or Hangul Hanja mixed texts. But the older subjects who spent the same reading time in both Hangul and Hanja texts showed the longer reading time in Hangul Hanja mixed texts revealing the interaction between age and script. The correct response rate on the comprehension task was the highest in Hangul text. The results were discussed in relation to the independent dual language processing systems in Korean-Chinese.