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"English language Study and teaching Japanese students."
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Complexity in Classroom Foreign Language Learning Motivation
This book explores how complex systems theory can contribute to the understanding of classroom language learner motivation through an extended examination of the dynamic conditions operating in a foreign language classroom in Japan. Its reflexive, narrative approach shines light on the evolving nature of research and role of the researcher.
eBook
Evaluating Facebook as aids for learning Japanese: learners' perspectives
PurposeThis study analyses the advantages and weaknesses of using Facebook to aid the learning of Japanese as a foreign language.Design/methodology/approachA questionnaire survey was conducted to collect data from 100 Hong Kong Japanese language learners (who are generally fluent in Chinese and English), ranging from total amateur to advanced learners (Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) qualified at different levels).FindingsThe authors' results suggest that the advantages of using Facebook to help learn Japanese include: (1) serving as a free-of-charge, casual, and convenient learning platform; (2) enriching learners' knowledge beyond the language learning and (3) encouraging interactive and collaborative learning with other users for practicing the language. However, the low credibility and unstructured educational materials posted on Facebook and being easily distracted by other Facebook feeds are the major weaknesses of learning a language through Facebook. Furthermore, the authors' result shows that Facebook is especially effective for Japanese learning when learners fall into either one of the following groups: young, female, or intermediate (N2/3) learners.Originality/valueScant studies focus on the aid of learning Japanese via Facebook, especially Hong Kong learners' perceptions, or generally in the East. Therefore, this study aims to fill this research gap. The authors' findings will facilitate the students, teachers, and language institutions from Hong Kong and other countries to improve the students' effectiveness in learning and teaching Japanese.
Journal Article
Japanese university students’ longing for an idealized France and encounters with global English in Europe
Japanese college students’ akogare (meaning “longing”) for an idealized West has conventionally been researched and discussed under the assumption that the West is synonymous with Anglophone countries and that an encounter with the West is categorically an international experience. The present study provides new insights by exploring Japanese college students’ longing for an idealized France through a content analysis of blogs and reflective entries written by students during or after participating in a French study abroad program. The analysis reveals that Japanese students from prestigious universities display a high level of satisfaction irrespective of how well they are able to use French. This finding, which is intertwined with the nature of fun-oriented study abroad programs, is also related to the widespread use of English in Europe. The linguistic discovery reminds students of the overriding global status of English vis-à-vis French as a regional language. The study provides future research directions and pedagogical implication in light of (1) increasingly fierce competition for the securement of language course takers, which drives the institutional reproduction of language ideologies and the implementation of fun study abroad programs, and (2) the long-term effectiveness of such ideology-driven survival strategies amid the changing popularity of foreign languages in Japan and elsewhere.
Journal Article
Students’ Learning Autonomy: A Case Study of Undergraduate Course of Japanese Language Program
This research aimed to determine the impact of the effectiveness in the application of an independent method of teaching students on their progress in achieving a certain level of Japanese. The study used key methods that implied the experimental involvement of 60 3rd- and 4th-year American and Chinese students with the N3 and N2 levels of Japanese to pass a simplified version of the international JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test) after applying the autonomy learning methodology. The analysis and processing of the experimental exam results were performed using the Microsoft Excel program and derivation of the average statistical percentage of the number of points scored at each stage of the N3 and N2 exams. The results of the study and the test scores led to the conclusion that the most difficult tasks for American students are those in writing and reading. On the other hand, Chinese students have difficulties in listening and speaking Japanese over linguistic phonetic differences and complex grammar compared to Chinese. Referring to the N2 group of American and Chinese students, their scores are somewhat equal due to the total complexity of this level, which requires utmost care for all four skills of foreign language learning. The present findings can serve as auxiliary material for the educational sphere in terms of an individual approach in autonomy learning to more effectively study Japanese and obtain positive results when passing the JLPT test.
Journal Article
Zooming across cultures: Can a telecollaborative video exchange between language learning partners further the development of intercultural competences?
In the context of learning a second language, the passing on of cultural information as a means to further the development of intercultural competences is primarily viewed as being unidirectional—the “native‐speaking culture” passing on information to the language learning student. However, in EFL (English as a foreign language) environments, the most relatable cultural norms available to the learners tend to be those associated with their homeland—the place they presently reside. As such, teaching language learning students using a unidirectional cultural frame ignores the wealth of cultural knowledge that such language learners possess. Offering cultural exchanges between groups of different language learners is one way to facilitate cultural learning in a bidirectional manner. In this study, 11 university students, six Japanese and five Taiwanese, took part in a cultural exchange project using the videoconferencing application Zoom. Findings from the data suggest that such telecollaborative video activities are mutually beneficial for exchanging local cultural information. We conclude that such exchanges develop intercultural competences via increased verbosity, the application of polite language, and of the utmost importance, by building interpersonal relationships. For language teachers who ascribe to a belief in the value of intercultural exchanges, applications like Zoom open up avenues for student interactions that are real, meaningful, and culturally rich. The Challenge During challenging times, restrictions on movement close some opportunities but may open up other avenues of research with the help of telecollaborative tools. Could such tools be a global key for language learning students to further the development of their intercultural competences? In this small project, we used Zoom as a tool to connect Taiwanese and Japanese students in the hopes of fostering a mutually beneficial intercultural exchange. The study examines the students' telecollaborative discourses for clues as to how intercultural competences might develop when students are given the opportunity to share their own local cultural knowledge with one another.
Journal Article
The Effect of Computer Game-Based Learning on FL Vocabulary Transferability
In theory, computer game-based learning can support several vocabulary learning affordances that have been identified in the foreign language learning research. In the observable evidence, learning with computer games has been shown to improve performance on vocabulary recall tests. However, while simple recall can be a sign of learning, observation of skill application in communication is a better indicator of skill mastery. Further, observing this use in separate communicative contexts could constitute evidence of transferability of skills. Hence, this paper presents the results of two investigations of learning outcomes in EFL classes at a Japanese university using computer game-based lessons. The first study was a quasi-experiment comparing use of targeted words in a writing task between a group of students who participated in a computer game-based lesson, and a group of students who did not. The second study was a cross sectional analysis comparing use of targeted vocabulary in a writing task with amount of participation in computer game-based lessons. The results suggest that computer game-based approaches to foreign language education in real-world classrooms can improve transferability of learned vocabulary.
Journal Article
Empowering Reading with Home Language Texts
Research from dual and bilingual education programs shows that the use of a student's home language for reading instruction is one of the most beneficial practices for multilingual learners. Given the plethora of home languages encountered in public schools, how can teachers who do not speak the languages of their students utilize a student's home language as an asset during reading instruction? This article describes a case study of a second grade Japanese student. During instruction, the student read texts in both Japanese and English.
Journal Article
Developing a CEFR-based diagnostic test to assess Japanese university students’ productive knowledge of lexical bundles
This study aimed to develop a diagnostic test for measuring Japanese university students’ productive knowledge of lexical bundles based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). Lexical bundles, such as
to conclude
and
as a result
, play crucial roles in academic writing, yet their acquisition and use notably vary across second-language (L2) English learners’ proficiency levels. Understanding these variations is essential for tailoring instruction in English for academic purposes. This study employed widely accepted CEFR criteria to create a test of lexical bundles divided into three levels (A2, B1, and B2 in proficiency order) and evaluated their difficulty, semantic transparency, and functional characteristics. The 30-item test was administered to 209 university students who self-reported their proficiency levels. Results showed that semantically transparent bundles (e.g.,
the fact that
) were accessible to the lowest-level examinees (A2), while semantically opaque and less frequent discourse bundles (e.g.,
in turn
) were more challenging and effective at distinguishing examinees across adjacent levels, namely, B1 from A2, and B2 from B1, respectively. These findings indicate that the test accurately identifies differences in proficiency and highlights the importance of semantic transparency and input frequency in learning lexical bundles. This study offers insights into diagnostic assessment and teaching practice for academic writing.
Journal Article
APTITUDE, EXPERIENCE, AND SECOND LANGUAGE PRONUNCIATION PROFICIENCY DEVELOPMENT IN CLASSROOM SETTINGS
The current study longitudinally examined the influence of aptitude on second language (L2) pronunciation development when 40 first-year Japanese university students engaged in practice activities inside and outside English-as-a-Foreign-Language classrooms over one academic year. Spontaneous speech samples were elicited at the beginning, middle, and end points of the project, analyzed for global, segmental, syllabic, prosodic, and temporal aspects of L2 pronunciation, and linked to their aptitude and experience profiles. Results indicated that the participants generally enhanced the global comprehensibility of their speech (through reducing vowel insertion errors in complex syllables) as a function of increased classroom experience during their first semester, and explicit learning aptitude (associative memory, phonemic coding) appeared to help certain learners further enhance their pronunciation proficiency through the development of fluency and prosody. In the second semester, incidental learning ability (sound sequence recognition) was shown to be a significant predictor of the extent to which certain learners continued to improve and ultimately attain advanced-level L2 comprehensibility, largely thanks to improved segmental accuracy.
Journal Article