scholarly journals Innovations in Integrating Language Assistants: Inter-Collaborative Learning

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 88-96
Author(s):  
Fumie Kato
Keyword(s):  
Study Abroad ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
The United States ◽  
Japanese Language ◽  
Japanese Study ◽  
Language Classes ◽  
One Year ◽  
Study Abroad Program ◽  
Study Abroad Students

A language assistant (LA) program was introduced into a university-level Japanese program. The LAs in this program consisted of Japanese study abroad students, that is English as a second language students, coming to study from Japanese universities for either one semester or one academic year, as well as American learners returning from a one-year academic study abroad program in Japan. In the southeastern region of the United States, the Japanese language is not yet considered a major foreign language, thus few opportunities exist for American learners to connect with native speakers of Japanese. The LA program endeavors to ease this limitation. It has been extremely beneficial for our American learners to have opportunities to communicate regularly with Japanese study abroad students in the classrooms. Furthermore, it was found tremendously valuable for Japanese study abroad students and greatly helpful for the instructors as well. This paper describes the procedures and examines the effectiveness of introducing an LA program into Japanese language classes. To analyze the program, questionnaires were distributed to LAs (N=20); five department instructors wrote comments concerning the program; and five Japanese language learners submitted reflection papers. Analyses of the qualitative data indicate that the LA program has many advantages for everyone participating.

scholarly journals Innovations in Integrating Language Assistants: Inter-Collaborative Learning

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 54-62
Author(s):  
Fumie Kato
Keyword(s):  
Study Abroad ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
The United States ◽  
Japanese Language ◽  
Japanese Study ◽  
Language Classes ◽  
One Year ◽  
Study Abroad Program ◽  
Study Abroad Students

A language assistant (LA) program was introduced into a university-level Japanese program. The LAs in this program consisted of Japanese study abroad students, that is English as a second language students, coming to study from Japanese universities for either one semester or one academic year, as well as American learners returning from a one-year academic study abroad program in Japan. In the southeastern region of the United States, the Japanese language is not yet considered a major foreign language, thus few opportunities exist for American learners to connect with native speakers of Japanese. The LA program endeavors to ease this limitation. It has been extremely beneficial for our American learners to have opportunities to communicate regularly with Japanese study abroad students in the classrooms. Furthermore, it was found tremendously valuable for Japanese study abroad students and greatly helpful for the instructors as well. This paper describes the procedures and examines the effectiveness of introducing an LA program into Japanese language classes. To analyze the program, questionnaires were distributed to LAs (N=20); five department instructors wrote comments concerning the program; and five Japanese language learners submitted reflection papers. Analyses of the qualitative data indicate that the LA program has many advantages for everyone participating.

scholarly journals Repairing Tales from Japan: Changes Over Time in Personal Narratives

2011 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 19-28
Author(s):  
Timothy J. Riney
Keyword(s):  
Study Abroad ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Personal Narratives ◽  
Language And Culture ◽  
Narrative Structures ◽  
Native Speakers Of English ◽  
One Year ◽  
Changes Over Time ◽  
Study Abroad Program ◽  
Over Time

At two different times, Time 1 and Time 2, 13 participants in Japan (8 Japanese and 5 Americans) were asked to spontaneously respond in English to this prompt: “Tell me about one of the most exciting or dangerous moments in your life.” The Japanese responded during their first and fourth years of college, which involved an interval of 42 months. The Americans were native speakers of English and responded earlier and later in their one year study abroad program in Japanese language and culture. Three questions addressed by this paper were the following: (a) What types of topics and narrative structures characterize these 26 stories? (b) What types of speaker-initiated repairs appear, and are the repairs the same or different at Time 1 and Time 2? (c) How are the repairs related to different listener (American, Japanese, Filipino, and Taiwanese) assessments of the intelligibility of the narratives?

scholarly journals Motivation and Connection to Earth on Geology Field Trips in New Zealand: Comparing American Study Abroad Students with Local Undergraduates

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 72-99
Author(s):  
Alison Jolley ◽  
Erik Brogt ◽  
Ben M. Kennedy ◽  
Samuel J. Hampton ◽  
Lyndon Fraser
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Study Abroad ◽  
Student Outcomes ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
The United States ◽  
Field Trips ◽  
Field Education ◽  
Study Abroad Program ◽  
Field Area ◽  
Study Abroad Students

Field education is a critical and enriching component of the undergraduate geoscience curriculum, enhanced when combined with a study abroad program. The affective domain – defined in geoscience as emotion, motivation, and connection to Earth – is an integral part of the field experience. Using questionnaire data collected at the start of two geoscience field trips, this study compares motivation and connection to Earth of study abroad students from the United States with local New Zealand students. Results show that study abroad students have more expert-like motivations and ecological worldviews, and are more attached to and see more positive and diverse meanings in the field area. To take advantage of this and improve student outcomes, we recommend that this study abroad module be adapted to be more applied, environmentally-focused, and place-based. Findings highlight the importance of teaching and learning to specific study abroad students, rather than applying unchanged curricula from local institutions.

scholarly journals Assessing Spanish Proficiency of Online Language Learners after Year 1

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 28
Author(s):  
Rosalie S. Aldrich ◽  
Dianne Moneypenny
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Oral Proficiency ◽  
The United States ◽  
Spanish Language ◽  
Language Classes ◽  
Language Students ◽  
One Year

<p>Online (OL) second language (L2) courses are becoming more widely offered in the United States; however, little information exists about the effectiveness of OL L2 courses beyond one semester or course. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess Spanish students’ oral proficiency after completing one year of OL only L2 courses. At the end of year one, students (<em>n</em>=65) completed the Versant exam, which scored overall level of oral proficiency as well as four sub-categories: pronunciation, fluency, sentence formation, and vocabulary production. The results showed that 40% of OL Spanish students met the ACTFL benchmark of Intermediate-Low, while 49% scored Novice-High, one level below the benchmark. A portion (15%) of students not reaching Intermediate-Low scored within a few points of the benchmark. A majority of the students also met the benchmark for pronunciation and fluency, but not for sentence formation or vocabulary production. These results show that it is possible for students enrolled exclusively in online Spanish language classes to meet benchmarks. Thus, OL language students can and should be held to the same standards of oral proficiency as their peers in seated classrooms.</p>

scholarly journals Instruction on Metaphors During a Study-Abroad Program: Students' Perceptions and Understandings

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 625-642
Author(s):  
C. Cecilia Tocaimaza-Hatch
Keyword(s):  
Study Abroad ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
The United States ◽  
Language Instruction ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Heritage Speakers ◽  
Language And Culture ◽  
L2 Learners ◽  
Study Abroad Program ◽  
Metaphorical Structures

It has been observed that language learners struggle to gain access to the metaphorical structures that are part of the target language and culture. In this study, six Spanish L2 learners and nine Spanish heritage speakers from the United States completed a study abroad program in Spain in which language instruction was supplemented with a module on the subject of metaphors. This article seeks to describe this module and present learners’ perceptions of its implementation and of the learnings resulting from it, as reflected in learners’ weekly reflections and exit questionnaire. The analysis of these data indicated that most participants became aware of metaphors in every-day language. However, they were not fully able to produce metaphors themselves. Pedagogical implications of this experience include differentiated metaphor instruction for heritage speakers and L2 learners, and fostering not just metaphor awareness but competence.

The Involvement of Native Speakers in Teaching and Learning Japanese Language at UiTM

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 14
Author(s):  
Choong Pow Yean ◽  
Sarinah Bt Sharif ◽  
Normah Bt Ahmad
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
Japanese Culture ◽  
Japanese Language ◽  
Foreign Language Learners ◽  
Lexical Density

The Nihongo Partner Program or “Japanese Language Partner” is a program that sends native speakers to support the teaching and learning of Japanese overseas. The program is fully sponsored by The Japan Foundation. The aim of this program is to create an environment that motivates the students to learn Japanese. This study is based on a survey of the Nihongo Partner Program conducted on students and language lecturers at UiTM, Shah Alam. This study aims to investigate if there is a necessity for native speakers to be involved in the teaching and learning of Japanese among foreign language learners. Analysis of the results showed that both students and lecturers are in dire need of the Nihongo Partner Program to navigate the learning of the Japanese language through a variety of language learning activities. The involvement of native speaker increases students’ confidence and motivation to converse in Japanese. The program also provides opportunities for students to increase their Japanese language proficiency and lexical density. In addition, with the opportunity to interact with the native speakers, students and lecturers will have a better understanding of Japanese culture as they are able to observe and ask the native speakers. Involvement of native speakers is essential in teaching and learning of Japanese in UiTM.

The limits of extended naturalistic exposure on the perceptual mastery of English /r/ and /l/ by adult Japanese learners of English

1995 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 380-406 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naoyuki Takagi ◽  
Virginia Mann
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
The United States ◽  
Identification Accuracy ◽  
Spoken English ◽  
Japanese Learners Of English ◽  
Native Speakers Of English ◽  
Japanese Learners ◽  
One Year ◽  
Adult Exposure

AbstractTo evaluate the effect of extended adult exposure to authentic spoken English on the perceptual mastery of English /r/ and /l/, we tested 12 native speakers of English (A), 12 experienced Japanese (EJ) who had spent 12 or more years in the United States, and 12 less experienced Japanese (LJ) who had spent less than one year in the United States. The tests included the forced-choice identification of naturally produced /r/s and /1/s and the labeling of word-initial synthetic tokens that varied F2 and F3 to form an /r/-/l/-/w/ continuum. The F.Js’ mean performance in both tasks was closer to that of the As than the LJs, but nonetheless fell short. Extended exposure may improve /r/-/l/ identification accuracy; it does not ensure perfect perceptual mastery.

scholarly journals ANALISIS KONTRASTIF KOTOWARI HYOUGEN ANTARA PEMBELAJAR BAHASA JEPANG DAN PENUTUR ASLI

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Novia Hayati
Keyword(s):  
Language Learners ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Speech Act ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Japanese Language ◽  
Contrastive Analysis ◽  
Completion Test ◽  
Unpleasant Feeling ◽  
Japanese Learners

 Abstrak Analisis Kontrastif Kotowari Hyougen  antara Pembelajar Bahasa Jepang dan Penutur Asli. Di antara beberapa aktifitas berbahasa, tindakan menolak sering dianggap sebagai tindakan yang cukup sulit karena memberikan perasaan tidak menyenangkan terhadap lawan tutur. Tindak tutur menolak tidak terlepas dari latar belakang tindak tutur berbahasa oleh pengguna bahasa tersebut. Pembelajar yang berbahasa ibu bahasa Sunda memiliki kemiripan dengan penutur asli dalam membuat tindak tutur penolakan dikarenakan adanya kedekatan aturan undak usuk bahasa sunda dengan tainguu hyougen dalam bahasa Jepang. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui ungkapan penolakan yang digunakan oleh pembelajar bahasa Jepang kemudian melalui perbandingan dengan penutur asli diketahui persamaan dan perbedaanya serta permasalahan dalam ungkapan penolakan oleh pembelajar. Instrumen yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah Discourse Completion Test (DCT). Hasil analisis data menunjukan terdapat persamaan diantara pembelajar dan penutur asli dalam pengguna {wabi} terhadap dosen akrab (penggunanya lebih rendah). Sebagai permasalahan dalam ungkapan penolakan yakni pembelajar menggunakan {fuka} dalam bentuk futsuu no hiteikei, dan {koshou} dalam frekuensi yang cukup tinggi. Sebaliknya, penutur asli menggunakan fukanoukei, dikarenakan apabila menggunakan futsuu no hiteikei akan diterima sebagai arti penolakan yang kuat/keras.Kata kunci: Kotowari hyougen, DCT, Taiguu hyougen, penutur asli, konstraktif  Abstract Contrastive Analysis of Kotowari Hyougen between Learners of Japanese Language and Japanese Native Speakers. Among several speaking activities, action of refusal is often considered a difficult act as it gives an unpleasant feeling againts interlocutors. Refusal speech act cannot be separated from the background of the speech act by the user of the language. Learners whose mother tongue is Sundanese language has similarities with Japanese native speakers in making the speech act of refusal due to the proximity of the undak usuk in Sundanese with tainguu hyougen in Japanese. This study aims to determine the expressions of refusal used by Japanese learners then, through comparison with native speakers, to determine the similarities, differences and problems in the expression of rejection by the learners. The instrument used in this study is Discourse Completion Test (DCT). Form the analysis of the data it was found that there were similarities between learners and native speakers that {riyuu/iiwake}, {wabi}, {fuka} were used as the main semantic formula. There are similarities between learners whose mother tongue is Sundanese and native speakers in using language {wabi} to professors considered familiar (lower usage). The problem of expressions of refusal used by learners {fuka} in the form Futsuu fuka no hiteikei and {koshou} was in a fairly high frequency. In contrast, native speakers use fukanoukei, because using Futsuu no hiteikei will be considered as a strong/hard sense of refusal.Keywords: Kotowari hyougen, DCT, Tainguu hyougen

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