Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Japanese language – Study and teaching – English speakers'
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Hirakawa, Makiko. "Unaccusativity in second language Japanese and English." Thesis, McGill University, 2000. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=36771.
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This thesis investigates L2 acquisition of intransitive verb constructions in Japanese and English. Within the Generative framework, the Unaccusative Hypothesis has been proposed, which divides intransitive verbs into two syntactically distinct classes: unergatives and unaccusatives (Burzio 1986). The sole argument of unergative verbs is an Agent generated in subject position, whereas that of unaccusative verbs is a Theme or Patient base-generated in object position. While the unaccusative/unergative distinction at the level of Deep (D)-Structure holds universally, as derived by a universal principle called the Uniformity of Theta Assignment Hypothesis (UTAH, Baker 1988), languages differ as to where the underlying object of unaccusatives may be positioned at the level of Surface (S)-structure. In the case of English, it surfaces in the subject position where it receives Nominative Case. In the case of Japanese, on the other hand, it has been argued that the argument of unaccusative verbs remains in its base-generated object position and that Nominative Case is assigned within the Verb Phrase.Experimental studies are conducted to examine learners' knowledge of unaccusativity at the two levels, i.e. D-Structure and S-Structure. It is hypothesized that learners will show sensitivity to unaccusativity at D-Structure, but that they may not acquire the correct representation of unaccusativity in the L2 at S-Structure, at least in an earlier stage. The first two studies present the L2 acquisition of English by Japanese speakers. The next two studies are concerned with the L2 acquisition of Japanese by English speakers. Overall, results of the four studies confirm the hypotheses, and L2 learners appear to have problems where the L1 manifests a different representation from the L2. Nevertheless, it is observed that L2 learners behavior is not random even when difficulty arises, in that the L2 learners are often consistent with one class of verbs, but not with the other. Thus, it is suggested that the L2 acquisition of intransitive verb constructions is constrained by universal principles, such as the Unaccusative Hypothesis and the UTAH.
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Yamazaki-Hasegawa, Tae. "Second language acquisition of aspectual and temporal interpretation in English and Japanese." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2013. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.608148.
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Mulvey, Bern. "Japanese and English rhetorical strategies: A contrastive analysis." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 1992. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/1052.
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Yasutake, Yuko. "English and Japanese word associations and syntagmatic-paradigmatic shift of Japanese children learning English as a second language." Thesis, University of British Columbia, 1985. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/25540.
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Research in word association studies found that children give predominantly syntagmatic responses (responses from different form classes from stimuli). English children were found to undergo a shift to paradigmatic (responses from the same form classes as stimuli) before age ten (referred to as S-P shift) which is the adult norm. On the other hand, Japanese children do not have S-P shift, and Japanese adults' responses are dominantly syntagmatic (Moran 1968).
Leicester (1981) collected English word association responses from Japanese beginner and advanced learners of English as a second language and found S-P shift like increase of paradigmatic responses as English ability improves. This study purports to replicate Leicester's study among children. It is because the existence of the S-P shift in English of second-language learners whose first language does not have the shift would mean that second language learning parallels first language acquisition.
Two main hypothesis were tested:
1. That Japanese children learning English as a second language will give dominantly syntagmatic responses in Japanese regardless of their grade level.
2. That Japanese children learning English as a second language of higher grade level will give more paradigmatic responses than those of lower grade level.
Three subsidiary hypotheses were tested:
3. That Japanese children learning English as a second language will give different proportion of paradigmatic responses in Japanese and English.
4. That Japanese children learning English as a second language will give different pattern of responses in each language.
5. That Japanese children learning English as a second language will give fewer paradigmatic responses in English than monolingual English children of the same grade.
Thirty students each of grades one, three, and five from two Japanese supplementary schools in Vancouver and Seattle were used as subjects. The subjects attend regular English classes at public schools, and therefore, their English ability was assumed to parallel their grade level. 27-item word association test was administered in English and Japanese. The ratio of paradigmatic responses was analyzed according to grade level.
In agreement with literature, no grade difference was found among Japanese paradigmatic responses. In English, however, grade one subjects performed most paradigmatically, and thereby, no linear correspondence between English ability and English paradigmatic responses was found. Although English responses were close to the English norm, and Japanese responses to the Japanese norm, a significant number of Japanese responses were given in English association by grade five students. Significant difference in paradigmaticity was also found when two schools were compared as well as between two languages. Grade one students outperformed equivalent English monolingual children in English.
It was speculated that young children develop L2 vocabulary
systems independently and directly from the start resulting in higher rate of paradigmatic responses, whereas older children initially construct a one to one association between LI and L2, resulting in translation responses and low paradigmaticity in the case of English. School difference suggests that there are some other variables affecting word association.Education, Faculty of
Language and Literacy Education (LLED), Department of
Graduate
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Frew, Dorothy Jean. "An Improved English Article System for Japanese Speakers." PDXScholar, 1994. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/5020.
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One aspect of the English language which has been overlooked by English-as-a-Second-Language educators is the article system, a, the, and 0. For students from articleless first languages such as Japanese, learning this complex system is a formidable challenge. Performance studies show an error rate among advanced Japanese students of approximately thirty percent. There may be several reasons for this high rate: 1) the differences between Japanese and English, 2) the unusually high degree of complexity/difficulty of the article system itself compared to other English morpheme systems and 3) inadequate treatments of the subject as revealed in this thesis' survey of forty ESL textbooks. Recent pragmatic discoveries about article function reveal subtle, contextual influences which have not been well integrated into traditional treatments. Definiteness may be dependent on sentential, discourse, and situational contexts, on whether referents are unique and manifest to the hearer, and on the nature of certain implicatures induced by the articles. Computerized, interactive tutorials are the best way to capture how these variables interact to constrain article choice. A prototype for a tutorial is submitted with this thesis. In addition to exhaustive explanations of contexts and implicatures in the form of actor's "asides," it features Japanese translations throughout, and, to show how uniqueness may be culture bound, utterances that take place within Japanese culture. Although the tutorial presented here needs enlargement, it is believed that an animated, computerized tutorial emphasizing subtle pragmatic features is more illustrative of actual article usage than have been traditional hard copy explanations.
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Ozawa, Michiyo. "Japanese Students' Perception of Their Language Learning Strategies." PDXScholar, 1996. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/5160.
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Students' use of language learning strategies (LLSs) is affected by their educational backgrounds and academic requirements, and so are their attitudes toward language learning. This study investigates Japanese students' perception of their English LLSs in different language environments: Japan and the United States. A group of 43 Japanese students from Otemae College participated in a cultural study program at Portland State University. The group consisted of 28 students who studied for two terms (ST Group) and 15 students who studied for three terms (LT Group). In this study, a combination of a self-assessment questionnaire, dialogue journals, and a card-ranking activity was employed. The self-assessment questionnaire, SILL (Rebecca Oxford's Strategy Inventory for Language Learning), was administered at different times during the learning period for identification of students' English LLSs in Japan (Ll) and in the United States (L2). The SILL provided this study with quantitative data; whereas, dialogue journals and the card ranking activity supplied qualitative data that more insightfully indicated students' perception of language learning, learning experiences, and insight into the students themselves. Dialogue journals allowed students to record their positive and negative experiences in the L2 related to language learning, emotions, concerns, problems, and questions. The students' LLSs increased in frequency and variety of use when the language environment changed from the Ll to the L2. The LLSs of the LT Group continued to improve during an additional term in the L2. Conversely, the LLS use by the ST Group regressed after only four months back in the Ll (except Affective and Social Strategies). The results of the SILL indicated direct strategies were adjusted according to English learning experience in a different learning environment. Three administrations of the SILL, dialogue journals, and the card ranking activity gave students opportunities to review the process of their English learning. This process functioned in raising students' awareness of language learning from cognitive, psychological, social, and cultural perspectives. Such conceptual development of metalinguistic awareness of the language and culture helped the students recognize their language learning experiences in the L2 as the process of human development.
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Shimabukuro, Misuzu. "Fossilization in Japanese adult advanced English learners and linked instruction as intervention." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 2007. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/3201.
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The objective of this project is to investigate the items and factors that may be prematurely stabilized in advanced adult second-language learners' interlanguage, in order to propose effective instructional interventions.
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Christiansen, Yvonne. "Pragmatic ability and proficiency in Japanese learners of English." Thesis, McGill University, 2003. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=79753.
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This study investigated the relationship between pragmatic ability and proficiency in 16 Japanese learners of English. Two measures of pragmatic ability were developed: a multiple-choice questionnaire designed to probe pragmatic awareness of various speech acts and a set of oral role-plays designed to elicit two requests, two apologies and one refusal. These measures were also administered to eight native speakers in order to establish a scoring system for the pragmatic awareness test and target norms for the role-plays. A background questionnaire was given to all participants while a proficiency test, Combined English Language Skills Assessment in a Reading Context, or CELSA was administered only to the Japanese participants.The findings in this study demonstrated that there was not a strong relationship between proficiency and pragmatic ability, nor was there one between pragmatic awareness and production. The measures were moderately correlated but they also exhibited a great deal of variation from learner to learner.
Certain linguistic abilities were observed to be valuable regarding pragmatic ability, such as being able to make conventionally indirect requests. Learners were more direct in their speech acts than native speakers. They also used fewer and less varied strategies and lexical modification, with the exception of the politeness marker, please, which they over-used.
There was evidence both in terms of the pragmatic awareness measure and in the analysis of the production that over-directness decreased with increasing proficiency. The two assessment instruments produced different kinds of errors at different levels of proficiency, pointing to the possibility that they were tapping the abilities associated with pragmatic awareness and production at different stages of development.
This research has implications for both testing and teaching pragmatic ability.
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Fujita, Masahiro. "Developing listening comprehension competence in Japanese English as a Foreign Language Learners." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 2002. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/2150.
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The purpose of this project is to investigate a model for developing listening comprehension competence on the part of Japanese learners of english as a foreign language, with a view toward promoting practical and communicative english competence.
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Hirakawa, Makiko. "Linguistic theory and second language acquisition : the acquisition of English reflexives by native speakers of Japanese." Thesis, McGill University, 1989. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=55607.
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Shirahata, Tomohiko 1957. "The learning of English grammatical morphemes by Japanese high school students." Thesis, The University of Arizona, 1988. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/276802.
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This thesis is a study of the learning of English grammatical morphemes (copula, possessive, ING, plural, progressive auxiliary, irregular-past, regular-past, definite article, indefinite article, and the third-person-singular-present) by 31 Japanese high school students. The data were based on the results of the subjects' spoken language, which were tape-recorded and carefully investigated. The results indicated some similarities and differences between the present study and the previous L1 and L2 studies. The present study showed more similarities to the studies which dealt with Japanese subjects by both the Spearman rank order correlation coefficients and the Implicational Scaling Analysis based on Group Range. This indicates strong transfer from the Japanese language. But language transfer is not such a simple phenomena as the researchers in the Behaviorism era thought. Some methodological problems concerning the grammatical morpheme studies and possible determinants of the accuracy order of the morphemes were also discussed.
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Koscielecki, Marek M. "English as an international language: A sociolinguistic analysis of the Japanese experience." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 1994. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1475.
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This study was designed to investigate the nature of English as an International Language (ElL) in Japan from both a diachronic and a synchronic point of view, drawing some comparison with countries in South East Asia and Africa. Using comparative material from socio-historical and sociolinguistic literature from other countries it was possible to examine the use and cultivation of English in Japan and compare it with that in other countries where English fulfils different roles. The material on Japan was supplemented by research based on data obtained from questionnaires both at the high school level and within business corporations. From a diachronic point of view the study tried to determine a range of factors which have contributed to the cultivation of English in Japan and to understand how they have influenced policies related to language planning within Japan, In particular it sought to clarify the relationship of English to the process of modernisation against the background of the wider role of English as an international language. From a synchronic point of view the study sought indicators as to the success of teaching and learning English as a performance variety in Japan. It has considered how such success or failure is affected by language-in education planning both on the part of the Ministry of Education (Mombusho) and of other bodies. Furthermore the study sought to understand how the substantial Japanese participation rate in studying English at both education and business levels contributes to the spread of English worldwide. Finally, the study tried to formulate a broader definition of ElL, assuming the fact that ElL is not a variety but a status designation of various Englishes in the present world.
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Nagao, Jun. "Some difficulties in responding to negative polar interrogatives and negative declaratives in English and pedagogical implications for Japanese EFL learners." Virtual Press, 2005. http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/1317747.
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Traditional Japanese learners of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) are taught to respond to negative questions (e.g. Do you not like English?) with yes for positive answers (e.g. Yes, I do) and no for negative answers (e.g. No, I don't). However, this is subject to variation in native speaker usage. This study aimed to determine the conditions under which native English speakers actually respond to negative questions with yes vs. no, and to compare the usage with that of Japanese EFL learners. To this end, 22 native English speakers and 22 Japanese students were individually shown 21 TV and movie video clips containing negative questions of varied form and discourse function. After each clip, the subjects were asked to imagine whether the addressee in the video would respond with yes or no, and to fill in the blank accordingly on an answer sheet. Contrary to the traditional EFL rule, variation was found when negative questions conveyed a negative assumption, and when the pragmatic functions were 1) testing a new negative assumption or 2) seeking agreement on a negative assumption. The results also indicate that no to disagree with a negative assumption was much more common than yes to agree with a negative assumption. The Japanese group's answers followed the EFL rule significantly more often than the American group's on the same video task. This indicates that knowing the EEL rule influenced the Japanese group's performance and contributed to the gap between the two groups. Except for one instance of possible negative influence from the cross-cultural differences in politeness norms, the Japanese group showed variation from the EFL rule only where the American group did. Finally, high-advanced subjects and/or those residing in the U.S. over four years, sometimes departed from the traditional EFL rule in favor of more natural English usage. I conclude that this cannot be attributed to native language influence.Department of English
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Miyagi, Kazufumi. "Japanese EFL teachers' perceptions of nonnative varieties of English : are they ready to include other Englishes in their classrooms?" Thesis, McGill University, 2006. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=98560.
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This study investigates Japanese EFL teachers' perceptions of regional varieties of English, which are designated as either the Outer Circle or the Expanding Circle by Kachru (1985), and their potential place in EFL teaching in Japan. Participants were 36 teachers at junior high and elementary schools and 28 undergraduates in a TEFL certificate program. Data collection was completed with the use of two Likert-scale questionnaires: one involving a task in listening to various English varieties, and the other asking about beliefs about the English language in general and perceptions of nonnative/nonstandard Englishes as opposed to the two major varieties in ELT in Japan: American and British English. In addition, oral interviews were conducted with several participants and their assistant language teachers (ALTs).The findings suggested that in-service teachers showed more ambivalent attitudes toward nonnative varieties than student-teachers did; although the teachers acknowledged potential benefits of nonnative Englishes for the future use of EIL, they showed hesitation in regarding different Englishes as instructional models to be exposed to students. However, the study also showed participants' interest in introducing other Englishes as awareness-raising models. The possibility of inclusion of nonnative varieties was further discussed.
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Hersey, Stewart Matthew. "From Dewey to Bruner : overcoming structural deficiencies in Japan's English language conversation programs for high school students :." Thesis, McGill University, 1993. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=69561.
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This thesis examines several possible contributions and limitations of John Dewey's Progressive educational theory towards creating an effective program for improving the teaching of oral English courses in Japanese high schools.In particular, the study attempts a critical examination of Dewey's theory of Instrumentalism as a standpoint from which it continues to contribute to the retrogressive state of contemporary Japanese pedagogical orientation. In so doing, the thesis attempts to elicit, find speculative guidance in, and occasionally utilize in the clarification process, critical evaluations of Japan's university entrance examination system.
The aspects of Dewey's theory which are considered as conducive to the above goal are: his approach to the relationship between educator and student, teaching techniques, and his research in the realm of education as it applies to meeting the needs of society. It is put forth that although Dewey's ideology in these areas has actually contributed to pedagogical dilemma which may impede the compulsory teaching of English conversation in Japanese high schools, such a contribution must be considered en route to reaching an accurate solution.
It is contended that the cognitive-linguistic theory of Jerome Bruner is required as a viewpoint which serves to supplement, ameliorate and to assimilate Dewey's proposals in order to clearly elaborate a method by which Japanese adolescents may fluently express their hopes for participating in global ecology.
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Fujita, Kyoko. "Roles of native and non-native teachers in English education in Japan : teachers' and students' perceptions." Thesis, McGill University, 2005. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=98923.
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This study explores issues related to native and non-native English speaking teachers in the context of Japanese English education, specifically in public junior high school settings in relatively rural areas of Japan. The study mainly asks Japanese teachers of English, assistant language teachers employed in the Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme, and students about their perceptions of the roles of native and non-native teachers in their English classrooms. These stakeholders seem to have preconceived assumptions about the roles of native and non-native teachers. These include native teachers as opportunity providers and motivators and non-native teachers as facilitators. These fixed roles in the stakeholders' perceptions of the roles of native and non-native teachers may prevent them from expanding their possibilities and may reinforce the existing distinction between native and non-native speakers. Implications for policy makers and stakeholders include the need to adopt a perspective of English as an international language into the goals of Japanese English education to value collaborative teaching and reconceptualize the roles of Japanese English teachers and assistant language teachers in classrooms.
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Surma, Miyuki U. "Autonomy in foreign language learning: An exploratory analysis of Japanese learners." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2004. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/785.
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Learner autonomy has received increased attention: in the recent language teaching and learning literature. Although Holec (1981) proposed a somewhat categorical definition of learner autonomy, this concept can be viewed in various ways depending on factors such as context and culture. One may posit, for example, that learner autonomy is based on Western values and as such, is not as easily accessible in the Asian context. With such variables in mind, the purpose of this study is to gain a greater understanding of Japanese students' beliefs regarding foreign language learning in a particular context. This is undertaken by utilising multi-modal investigation procedures, consisting of three studies. Little's learner autonomy theory is utilised throughout this study to provide the theoretical framework. The current research is divided into three interrelated studies. Study One attempt to identify high achievers' beliefs about effective foreign language learning strategies, teacher/learner roles, classroom expectations, self-motivation strategies, and their concept of the self as a learner. In Study One, Little's definition of learner autonomy is considered as the basic concept and used to examine whether or not the collected data in this research supports his theory. Study Two attempts to discover Japanese students’ beliefs and expectations about foreign language learning in a particular context, namely, learning English in Japan. Study Three reports the students’ views on inside/outside classroom environment their journal writings. The researcher takes the position, based on Little's theory, that learner autonomy means both awareness of self-direction and the need for collaboration. In addition, she believes that autonomous learning is not just a matter of offering freedom of time and space, but that internal flexibility should be given some consideration in the development of learner autonomy. Based on Study One, learner autonomy is defined as learners' internal attitude for self-motivation, which leads to effective language learning. Positive self•beliefs and metacognitive awareness con be considered as keys in promoting learner autonomy. Study Two results confirmed high achievers' higher self•efficacy beliefs as compared with average students. The high achievers tended to have more confidence in their ability to learn a language successfully and showed a greater understanding for and use of metacognitive knowledge and strategies. In Study Three, low•middle English level students' beliefs were extracted from their journals and presented in detail. These showed that confidence•building and metacognitive awareness for self•reflection affected their motivation for autonomous learning. Results suggest that teachers should not impose restrictions on their students' potential based on their external judgement of the students' capabilities. Therefore, instead of training learners to satisfy teacher expectations, or simply giving students unbounded freedom to make decisions, learner development that promotes autonomy should be more concerned with the nature of both students’ and teachers’ learning as a path towards self growth.
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Kanekatsu, Nozomi. "Pragmatic performance of English immersion students in Japan : politeness in second language requests." Thesis, McGill University, 2007. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=97823.
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This study investigates L2 pragmatic performance of EFL learners in an English immersion program in Japan. More specifically, the study examines whether the leamers are able to express appropriate politeness when making a request in English. Participants were 28 Japanese-Ll English immersion students and 4 native speakers of English at high school level (Grades 10, 11 and 12). Data collection was completed using role-play tasks, entailing the use of polite requests to a person of higher status, to elicit speech samples from participant dyads. Classroom observations, interviews, and a written questionnaire, involving 10 teachers and 42 students, were also conducted in order to better understand the L2 oral production data.Cette étude s'intéresse à la performance pragmatique en langue seconde (L2) d'étudiants en anglais langue étrangère (ALE) dans un programme d'immersion anglaise au Japon. Plus spécifiquement, l'étude examine si les étudiants sont capables d'exprimer la politesse appropriée en faisant une demande en anglais. Les participants étaient 28 étudiants japonais de l'immersion anglais et quatre étudiants de langue maternelle anglaise de niveau lycée (niveaux 10, 11 et 12). La collecte de données a été accomplie en utilisant des jeux de rôle, qui nécessitaient l'utilisation de demandes polies à une personne d'un statut plus élevé, pour obtenir des échantillons de discours des dyades de participants. Des observations en salle de classe, des entrevues, et un questionnaire écrit, faisant participer dix professeurs et 42 étudiants, ont également été menés afin de mieux comprendre les données de production orales de L2.
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Nitta, Takayo. "Affective, cognitive and social factors affecting Japanese learners of English in Cape Town." Thesis, University of the Western Cape, 2006. http://etd.uwc.ac.za/index.php?module=etd&action=viewtitle&id=gen8Srv25Nme4_1842_1210749983.
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This research used diary studies and interviews with five Japanese learners of English to investigate the different affective, cognitive and social factors that affected their learning of English in Cape Town between 2004 and 2005. The findings of this study corroborate arguments put forward by Gardner that factors such as learning goals, learning strategy, attitude, motivation, anxiety, self-confidence and cultural beliefs about communication affect the acquisition of a second language and correlate with one another.
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Iwasaki, Noriko. "Analysis of English articles used by Japanese students." PDXScholar, 1991. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/4173.
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English articles are perhaps the most difficult grammatical items for Japanese students to master. However, because these are among the most frequently occurring grammatical items in English, Japanese students must concern themselves with them.
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Shibuya, Kazuro. "The development of L2 motivation of Japanese learners of English as a foreign language." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2010. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.609133.
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Yoshida, Reiko Languages & Linguistics Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences UNSW. "Overt and covert partcipation of learners in Japanese language classrooms." Publisher:University of New South Wales. Languages & Linguistics, 2008. http://handle.unsw.edu.au/1959.4/41212.
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This thesis investigates corrective-feedback episodes and learners?? private speech in Japanese language classrooms at a university to examine both overt and covert speech of the adult learners in relation to their target language learning. Corrective-feedback episodes between teachers and learners in language classrooms have been focused on as typical interactions in the classrooms and a factor that contributes to learning of target languages. Ohta (2001) found that learners noticed their teachers?? corrective feedback to the other learners and responded to the feedback in their private speech, and that they also repeated others or manipulated sounds or forms by using their private speech. As learners notice a gap between what they actually can produce and what they want to say, when they produce target languages, even without feedback (Swain, 1985; Swain and Lapkin, 1995), learners?? private speech should be examined as well as their corrective-feedback episodes in classrooms. The data were collected from six learners and two teachers at a Level 2 (upper beginning) Japanese course for two semesters (throughout a year). The data are composed of classroom observations, audio and video-recordings of the classrooms, and stimulated recall interviews with both the teachers and the learners following the classroom recordings. All corrective-feedback episodes and the learners?? private speech were transcribed and coded according to error type, corrective-feedback type, types of response to the feedback, and types of the learners?? private speech. The teachers tended to use recasts often because of the time limitation of the classroom teaching and their teaching policy. However, all the learners preferred to be given opportunities to self-correct their own errors before being provided with correct answers by recasts. Private speech had functions of cognitive/metacognitive, affective/social, and self-regulation, which overlapped with each other. The learners were aware of their use of private speech in the classrooms. The teachers sometimes noticed their learners?? use of private speech in the classes. The learners used both Japanese and English as cognitive tools as well as communicative tools. The learners used every opportunity for their learning, by overtly and covertly participating, in the class.
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Loy, Kumiko Honjo 1950. "Evaluation of Japanese Ki-Sho-Ten-Ketsu essay organization vis a vis the English Five Part Essay by native English speaking college composition students and implications for contrastive rhetoric." Thesis, The University of Arizona, 1988. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/276809.
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College composition students and graduate assistant teachers were tested for their perceptions of coherence, focus, organization, and overall quality of essays written in the Japanese Ki-Sho-Ten-Ketsu rhetorical pattern of organization as opposed to the English Five Part Essay style of organization where the experimental essays were otherwise identical. These perceptions were measured on a 4-point Lykert scale. The composition students were also tested for their total recall of the essays. The data were analyzed by ANOVA, and no significant effect for treatment was observed. The results of this study suggest that for the Japanese Ki-Sho-Ten-Ketsu/English Five Part Essay pair the negative effects of native language rhetorical pattern on readers of the second language may be less important than the theory of contrastive rhetoric would suggest. Consequently, alternative forms of possible cultural interference such as cultural background knowledge (content) and the role played by writing in a culture warrant greater scrutiny.
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Sasajima, Shigeru. "Language teacher cognition in the case of Japanese teachers of English at secondary school in Japan : an exploratory study." Thesis, University of Stirling, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/1893/12359.
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Japanese non-native English-speaking EFL (English as a foreign language) teachers in secondary education (JEFL teachers) work in a different educational context from language teachers in Europe. The purpose of this exploratory research is to identify the distinctive ways in which JEFL teachers think, know, believe and do. These concepts are subsumed under the general heading of JEFL teacher cognition, particularly as this applies to teaching and teacher education in Eigo Kyoiku (English education in Japan). The overall purpose of exploring JEFL teachers’ cognitions is reflected in four research guiding questions (RQs): 1) to identify the nature of JEFL teacher cognition; 2) to see any particular influences that might help shape JEFL teacher cognition; 3) to learn to what extent JEFL teachers’ cognitions are consistent with their actual practice of teaching; and 4) to discuss the ways in which the concept of language teacher cognition (LTC) may be understood and situated in the Japanese context. The research consisted of two studies: a) a quantitative Preliminary Study administered to 62 JEFL teachers and 81 modern foreign language (MFL) teachers in Scotland, in order to identify any areas regarding JEFL teacher cognition; and b) an in-depth Main Study based on a qualitative and ethnographic approach, featuring 10 JEFL teachers. This made use of qualitative data analysis and the applied KJ method, and also drew on complexity theory, through reflective and reflexive processes with particular reference to retrodictive qualitative modelling (RQM). The results of the Main Study are presented as 16 concept maps, each of which represents a featured aspect of JEFL teacher cognition (ATC). It represents the signature dynamics of each ATC and points to the variation and tension which JEFL teachers experienced in relation to each ATC. The research suggests that, although LTC have certain universal characteristics, it needs to be explored on the assumption that it is situated socially, culturally, locally and personally.
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Okubo, Misako. "An Analysis of Japanese Learners' Comprehension of Intonation in English." PDXScholar, 1996. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/5172.
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Typically, most native speakers of Japanese, who have been taught English in Japan, have had limited exposure to prosodic features of English. Consequently, their ability to understand the meaning of different intonation patterns is limited as well. Though it is generally accepted that intonation plays a crucial role in English communication, comprehensive pedagogical materials for teaching English intonation to native speakers of Japanese are not widely available or used in Japan. This is, in part, due to the complexity of English prosodic features and their abstractness. A better understanding of these barriers requires that the extent and the nature of native speakers of Japanese' understanding of English intonation be explored. The scope of this study is restricted to the examination of the following questions: (1) How well, compared with native speakers of English, can Japanese adult learners comprehend intonation patterns of English? (2) Are there any patterns in their misinterpretations of test sentences, according to three types of errors: paraphrase, categorization, or attitudinal judgments? (3) Can Japanese learners who comprehend one variation of intonation also interpret correctly the same sentence with the contrastive variation of intonation? Seventy-four native speakers of Japanese and thirty-one native speakers of English (control group) listened to twenty pairs of sentences presented with contrastive intonation. For each sentence they were asked to choose one of three different interpretations. Their responses were evaluated, at a 0.05 level of significance, using statistical tests of hypothesis (t and chi-square), and measures of correlation (r, phi and Cramers' s V). Major findings of this study are (1) the Japanese students had more difficulty with comprehending English intonation than the American students; (2) the Japanese students seemed to lack know ledge of grammar-intonation relationships; (3) they were able to understand attitudinal judgment intonation as well as native speakers.
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Ozaki, Shizuko. "Binding and gapping in second language acquisition : evidence from a longitudinal study of Japanese learners of English." Virtual Press, 2005. http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/1317748.
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The aim of this dissertation was to examine how Japanese learners of English in the United States developed their interpretation of antecedents of reflexive pronouns and their understanding of the direction of verb gapping in English over time. The two properties in question operate differently in English and Japanese, and neither property is normally taught. Therefore, the acquisition of these properties of English by Japanese learners sheds light on the role of Universal Grammar (UG) in second language acquisition (SLA).Fourteen Japanese learners answered three questionnaires, each containing a test assessing reflexives (the Binding Test) and a test assessing verb gapping (the Gapping Test) at three different times, approximately 12 weeks apart from each other. In addition, three groups of 20 native speakers of English provided their results on the same questionnaires.The overall performance of the learners on the Binding Test started out significantly inferior to that of native speakers, and it did not reach the level of native speakers in later sessions. In contrast, the overall performance of the learners on the Gapping Test started out as good as that of native speakers, and it maintained the same level relative to the native performance in later sessions. Furthermore, the overall performance of the learners in later sessions was not significantly better than that in earlier sessions. These findings seem to suggest that increased time spent in an English-speaking environment did not have any effects on the learners' acquisition of the two properties. However, when performance by subset was considered, significant improvement was observed.Examination of individual patterns of responses revealed that the learners showed the patterns consistent to English, Japanese, and even other languages and that some of the learners who previously showed a pattern other than the English pattern successfully demonstrated the English pattern in later sessions. These findings constitute evidence for the view that parameter-resetting is possible in SLA.The dissertation also includes discussion of the test instrument and explanation of the data in the light of recent theoretical predictions. The concluding chapter offers pedagogical implications as well as suggestions for future UG-based SLA research.Department of English
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Itakura, Hiroko. "Dominance in L1 and L2 conversation : a study of Japanese male and female learners of English /." Thesis, Hong Kong : University of Hong Kong, 1998. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record.jsp?B20540693.
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Atta, Takeshi. "Computer-based instruction in English as a foreign language for Japanese secondary students." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 1998. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/1447.
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Sowers, Andrew Michael. "Loanwords in Context: Lexical Borrowing from English to Japanese and its Effects on Second-Language Vocabulary Acquisition." PDXScholar, 2017. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/3970.
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Research has shown that cognates between Japanese and English have the potential to be a valuable learning tool (Daulton, 2008). Yet little is known on how Japanese learners of English produce cognates in context. Recently, studies have argued that cognates can cause a surprisingly high number of syntactic errors in sentence writing activities with Japanese learners (Rogers, Webb, & Nakata, 2014; Masson, 2013). In the present study, I investigated how Japanese learners of English understood and used true cognates (words that have equivalent meanings in both languages) and non-true cognates (words where the Japanese meaning differs in various ways from their English source words). Via quasi-replication, I analyzed participants' sentences to determine the interaction of true and non-true cognates on semantics and syntax. In an experimental study, twenty Japanese exchange students filled out a word knowledge scale of thirty target words (half true cognates and half non-true cognates) and wrote sentences for the words they indicated they knew. These sentences were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively for both semantic and syntactic errors. Sentences with true cognates were semantically accurate 86% of the time, while those with non-true cognates were accurate only 62.3% of the time, which was a statistically significant difference. When the sentences were analyzed for syntax, there was no statistically significant difference in the number of errors between true and non-true cognates, which contrasts with previous research. Qualitative analysis revealed that the most problematic syntactic issue across both cognate types was using collocations correctly. Among those collocational issues, there were clear differences in the types of errors between true and non-true cognates. True cognate target words were more likely to lead to problems with prepositional collocations, while non-true cognate target words were more likely to lead to problems with verb collocations. These results suggest that for intermediate Japanese learners of English, semantics of non-true cognates should be prioritized in learning, followed by syntax of true and non-true cognates, which should be taught according to the most problematic error types per cognate status.
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Perche, Michelle. "Students' needs and attitudes: EFL education in Japanese high schools." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2002. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/747.
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Much of the literature on EFL education in Japan describes a system that is fraught with problems. Over the last decade the Japanese Education Ministry (Monbusho) has introduced a number of reforms and introduced some new EFL courses into Japanese schools. The stated aim of the new courses has been to focus on the development of students' communicative abilities in English. However, the effectiveness of these reforms has been questioned particularly at the senior high school level. According to a number of commentators, difficulties occur because of a back wash effect of the university entrance examinations. Others criticise the teachers for continuing to use traditional teaching methods that may no longer satisfy the needs of present generation students.
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Amburgey, Brent Harrison. "Informal Learning Choices of Japanese ESL Students in the United States." PDXScholar, 2012. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/755.
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This study was designed to explore possible relationships between English language learners past formal language learning experiences and beliefs about language learning on the one hand, and their informal learning choices on the other. Six Japanese English as a second language (ESL) students participated in the study. Participants were interviewed and asked to complete an English study log for one week prior to their scheduled interview. The results of the study suggested that there were likely connections between experiences, beliefs, informal learning choices. For some participants, a singular experience or belief had an effect that seemed to outweigh other experiences and beliefs. However, there were also some differences in informal learning choices among participants that might be better explained by factors outside of the interest of this study, such as personality or goal of English study.
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Hirase, Yuka. "Fossilization and defossilization in second language acquisition." Virtual Press, 1996. http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/1014799.
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This study investigates the fossilization and defossilization in the developing interlanguage of ESL students. The subjects were a group of 13 Japanese SL learners who studied at a U. S. University in an exchange program during 1994-95. The students' use of copula, auxiliaries, morphemes and syntactic structures was examined to see the degree to which there were interlanguage changes during the period. A close examination of SL production in form-focused contexts indicates that fossilized errors are more likely to occur when a number of particular conditions are not satisfied, involving a relatively automatized system of conveying meaning, an easy control of topic and a high degree of understanding of the target linguistic structure.Department of English
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Conlan, Christopher J. "Politeness and paradigms of family: A perspective on the development of communicative competence in the Japanese ESL speaker." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 1996. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/960.
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This thesis examines the issue of linguistic politeness in English with specific reference to Japanese ESL speakers. It develops a theoretical framework that sees shared assumptions concerning the marking of social-power and social-distance differentials as crucial. Developing the notion that linguistic politeness is a function of a status-dependent and context-dependent variety of language usage, it argues that there are four fundamental types of utterances, and that speech acts conforming to any of the power and distance configurations by means of which these four utterance types are defined can be considered to be polite if-but only if -both speaker and hearer have similar conceptions of their role-relationship within a given speech event. It argues further that perceptions of role-relationships -for both native speakers of Australian English and for Japanese ESL speakers-result from culturally codified understandings of family, and that these understandings provide the primary conceptual template for social actors manufacture and maintenance of social reality in extra-familial face-to-face interaction. As these conceptual templates are not congruent across cultures in the ways in which familial power and distance variables are codified, however, neither are the role-relationships in terms of which extra-familial social encounters are framed; and this, in tum, can lead to Japanese ESL speakers using politeness strategies in contextually inappropriate ways. From this theoretical perspective, the research uses a custom-designed interactive multimedia software package to compare choices of utterances with verified power and distance configurations made by Japanese ESL speakers with choices made by native speakers of Australian English in a variety of everyday speech situations.
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Sato, Masatoshi. "Modified output of Japanese EFL learners : variable effects of interlocutor vs. feedback types." Thesis, McGill University, 2006. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=98580.
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This study investigated the interactional moves of Japanese English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners and, in particular, how differently they modify their oral output depending on their interlocutor---either a peer or a native speaker (NS). By employing retrospective stimulated recall methodology, this study also explored the participants' feelings and perceptions which arguably determined their interaction patterns during a communicative task.Participants were eight Japanese first-year university students and four NSs of English. Conversations of eight learner-NS dyads and four learner-learner dyads (six hours in total) were audiotaped, transcribed, and then statistically analyzed. Learners were interviewed two days after the task completion.
Results revealed that learners interacted in significantly different ways depending on whom they interacted with. Specifically, their interlocutor (peer or NS) proved to be a more influential variable than the type of feedback (i.e., elicitation or reformulation) they received. Qualitative analysis of the interview data provides comprehensive explanations for the findings.
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Kano, Noriko. "The Relationships of Text Structure and Signaling in the Foreign Language Reading of Female Junior College Students in Japan." Thesis, University of North Texas, 1994. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc279288/.
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The effects of top-level text structure and signaling on the reading recall of Japanese female junior college students studying English as a foreign language were investigated in this study. One hundred thirty-two subjects were selected from a private female junior college in Tokyo. The students were divided into three groups—high, average, and low reading comprehension levels—based on the results of the Test of Reading Comprehension. The instrument used to measure students' recall ability was developed from expository passages taken from a biology textbook. The passages were rearranged to show identifiable top-level structure, collection of description, causation, problem/solution, or comparison. Each passage was divided into two versions: a with-signaling version, in which top-level structure was explicitly stated by signaling words or phrases, and a without-signaling version, where signaling words or phrases were omitted. After the students were stratified on reading comprehension, they were assigned to eight different versions of text—two of each of the four top-level text structures, one with- and one without-signaling. In the recall test, students were instructed to read the text and to remember as much as they could.
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Butterfield, Carol Long. "Multiple stories: Developing literacy in an ESL/ESP aviation program." Diss., The University of Arizona, 1994. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/186785.
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A basic goal of an English for Specific Purposes (ESP) program is to enable the language learner to function within an academic discipline, science and technology occupation, or a vocational occupation by using English. This teacher researcher case study explores the English literacy development of three adult Japanese student pilots within a holistic English for Specific Purposes (ESP) program. The setting of this five month naturalistic case study was on a small airport in the Southwestern United States. Experiential literacy events were provided to encourage student pilots to develop English literacy while learning aviation concepts. A preliminary case study with one student was conducted to evaluate and modify data collection methods, and ESP curriculum and organization. Data collection included participant observation and field notes, dialogue journals between students and the teacher researcher, oral and written interviews, checklists, and audio-taping methods. Three themes emerged through the constant comparative method of data analysis: (1) self perception, (2) developing relationships, and (3) developing literacy strategies. These three themes reflect the process of how and through what particular issues students developed English literacy. Findings from the analysis of data suggest that English literacy develops differently, and has distinct meanings for each person. In contrast to traditional ESP and ESL programs that emphasizes the transmission of language, a holistic ESP program provides opportunities for adult student pilots to develop English literacy through a process of inventing and appropriating English for his/her own purposes and needs. Findings also indicate that learning the form and function of language is not enough. Other language processes and social interactions enhance learning and support language development. Current research within the English for Specific Purposes field focuses on the description of the language as product of a particular academic/scientific/occupational situation that a student needs to learn to be successful. This dissertation seeks to refocus the direction in ESP research and contribute to the understandings of the process of literacy development in a holistic ESP program.
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Yamamoto, Noriko. "Effects of setting on Japanese ESL students' interaction patterns." PDXScholar, 1991. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/4272.
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Japanese ESL students are often evaluated negatively by their teachers because of their quiet verbal behavior in the classroom; yet, this study suggests that such silence may be situation specific. The purpose of this study is to describe characteristics of eight Japanese ESL students' production and interaction by comparing with those of four non-Japanese students, across three settings: teacher-fronted, group work, and NS-NNS conversation.
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Koike, Yuko. "Communicative competence through music in EFL for Japanese middle school students." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 1999. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/2564.
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Kajiwara, Hajime. "Internationalizing the Japanese classroom with computer-mediated instruction." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 2004. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/2456.
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Raschke, Suzanne. "Patterns of rhetoric/patterns of culture : a look at the English writing of Japanese students." PDXScholar, 1991. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/4197.
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That a link exists between language and culture has long been accepted; however, not only the extent, but also the exact nature of that link remains unclear. In recent years, rhetoricians have raised questions about how culture affects the patterns of organization and other rhetorical features of writing. At present, the search for answers to these questions is made difficult by the cultural bias imposed by the language of any analysis of writing that may be undertaken and by a lack of criteria that can be used in performing such an analysis.
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Hoffner, Elizabeth Ann. "A study of the perceptual learning style preferences of Japanese students." PDXScholar, 1991. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/4269.
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This study was based on a study by Joy Reid (1987) on the perceptual learning style preferences of English as a Second Language (ESL) students. The purpose of this study was to identify the perceptual learning style preferences of three groups of students: Japanese students studying in the US, Japanese students studying in Japan, and American students studying in the US. The perceptual styles studied were visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and tactile, with the additional styles of group and individual learning also being studied. The learning style preferences were identified so as to determine the relationship between style and the variables of native language, length of stay in the US, and major field of study.
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Kono, Nariyo. "American Students' Expectations of Teachers in the Japanese Language Classroom." PDXScholar, 1995. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/5261.
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The Japanese as a foreign language classroom in the United States is full of information about the target culture and cross-cultural interaction between American students and Japanese instructors. This cross-cultural interaction promotes culture learning but sometimes produces potential conflicts due to American students and Japanese instructors having different expectations of each other. The purpose of this study was to investigate student expectations of their Japanese teachers and to explore similarities and differences among Japanese and American expectations. The research questions addressed were 1) What do American students expect of their Japanese teachers in the Japanese language classroom? Do their expectations have any distinctive features?, and 2) What do Japanese teachers expect of themselves in the Japanese language classroom? Do their expectations have any distinctive features? The data was gathered in the two Japanese programs at universities in the Northwest. This exploratory study used both the quantitative and descriptive research methods. There were three primary data analysis procedures: multidimensional scaling analysis, hierarchical cluster analysis, and rank-order analysis. These multidimensional and hierarchical clustering analyses explored the underlying structure of the concept of what makes a good Japanese language teacher. The rank-order analysis revealed which beliefs were most important for different groups' judgments of who is a good teacher. In addition, the results of these analyses were discussed with the subjects through interviews. The results suggested a major similarity and also some culture differences. Both Americans and Japanese seemed to share a very basic framework about what makes a good teacher, which contained three domains: Classroom management, Interaction and Personality. However, some of the results seemed to reflect a difference between the role-specific aspects of Japanese society and the individualistic elements of American society. In addition, the rank-order analysis seemed to reveal a difference between the two schools.
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Takizawa, Kumiko. "Stance-taking: JFL Learners and Benefactive Verbs." PDXScholar, 2018. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/4481.
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This study explores how JFL learners take a benefactive stance in Japanese. As Jaffe (2009) observes, stance-taking "plays a complex role with respect to the naturalization of social and linguistic ideologies and the social structures they legitimate." The way in which language is used to take a stance always concerns the social context in which a speaker finds her/himself. In Japanese, benefactive verbs (kureru, ageru, morau and their honorific and humble equivalents) are indispensable stance indicators for showing gratitude or indebtedness. Such expressions do not really exist in English and their grammar is complex. It is assumed that JFL learners will struggle with taking a benefactive stance using those expressions. In order to analyze JFL learners' stance-taking, data were collected from narrative interviews with ten JFL learners who are currently in 300- and 400-level university courses. In order to explore how learners attempt to show stance-reflecting benefaction, they were asked questions that aimed to elicit a speaker's feelings of gratitude. Some examples of such questions are, "Who do you appreciate the most in your life?" or "Who is the most generous person you know?"
The data show that (1) learners do use (or attempt to use) benefactive verbs to indicate stance, (2) they also fail to use benefactive verbs in contexts where they are called for, and (3) they misuse benefactive verbs, e.g., using ageru instead of kureru. Furthermore, it revealed that learners tend to show stance using evaluation such as adjectives, adverbs, or ritual expressions that show appreciation but they fail to utilize benefactive verbs. This failure to project a benefactive stance can lead to miscommunication and/or misunderstanding between learners and Japanese speakers. I offer possible ways to promote learners' awareness of the benefaction in Japanese culture.
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Guinn-Collins, Shannon. "Motivation in Late Learners of Japanese: Self-Determination Theory, Attitudes and Pronunciation." PDXScholar, 2011. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/191.
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The present study examined a hypothesized relationship between the following variables: intrinsic and extrinsic motivation as described by Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985), integrative and instrumental orientation (Gardner & Lambert, 1972), attitudes toward pronunciation, and accent in English-speaking late learners of Japanese. Data collection occurred in two steps: First, English-speaking participants completed three questionnaires designed to measure their motivation and attitudes toward pronunciation; they then provided speech samples in Japanese. Native speakers of Japanese then rated these speech samples holistically on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 indicating a strong foreign accent, and 5 indicating a native accent. Scores on the questionnaires were then correlated with the accent ratings. None of the English-speaking participants were judged as native or near-native speakers of Japanese. However, results demonstrated a significant positive correlation between ratings of accent and two variables: Intrinsic Motivation Toward Accomplishment and attitudes toward pronunciation. The statistical analysis also revealed a positive correlation between integrative and instrumental orientation and extrinsic motivation, suggesting a relationship between measures of orientation and extrinsic motivation as well. These results highlight the importance of including Self-Determination Theory in the area of second/foreign language acquisition research, as well as clarifying the role of motivation and attitudes toward pronunciation in the present context of late learners of Japanese.
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Katayama, Akemi. "Correction of Classroom Oral Errors: Preferences among University Students of English in Japan." PDXScholar, 1996. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/5282.
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Correction of oral errors in foreign or second language classrooms has been an issue of great concern. Although the literature on error correction is abundant, the studies on student reaction to this pedagogical practice are few. This study investigated the preferences for correction of classroom oral errors among university students of English in Japan. Data were collected from anonymous questionnaires. The study examined the students' attitudes toward the views about correction of oral errors which have been controversial among foreign and second language educators. The study also investigated the students' preferences for correction of different types of oral errors (e.g., grammatical errors) and particular types of correction as well. The results showed that the students had a strong positive agreement regarding teacher correction of oral errors. They showed a tendency toward agreement concerning peer correction, and a slight tendency toward agreement regarding selective error correction. Concerning overcorrection of errors, they showed a tendency toward disagreement. There was no significant difference among the different levels of oral English proficiency. The students had positive attitudes toward the correction of all five types of errors listed in the questionnaire: grammatical errors, phonological errors, and errors regarding vocabulary, pragmatics, and discourse. Pragmatic errors received the strongest preference. A significant difference among the proficiency levels was observed in only preference for correction of discourse errors. Preferred methods of error correction were: 1) the teacher gives the student a hint which might enable the student to notice the error and selfcorrect, 2) the teacher explains why the response is incorrect, 3) the teacher points out the error, and provides the correct response, and 4) the teacher presents the correct response or part of the response. The methods disliked were: 1) the teacher ignores the student's errors and 2) the teacher repeats the original question asked of the student. A significant difference among the groups was observed in preference for only one error correction method: the teacher presents the correct response or part of the response.
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Kawano, Madoka. "An analysis of cultural contents of high school English textbooks in Japan." Thesis, University of British Columbia, 1987. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/26851.
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This study was conducted for the following two purposes: 1) to create and test a process by which cultural information in English textbooks in Japan can be analyzed, and 2) to examine what and how much information about foreign culture is taught in English classes in Japan.
First, a process was developed from Joiner's evaluation form to gauge the cultural content of EFL textbooks. Action was taken to ensure that the process included both qualitative and quantitative steps. Second, the process entailed an analysis of the cultural content of 10 senior high school English textbooks published in Japan.
The process was found to be functional and the analysis revealed that the textbooks were inadequate for the purpose of raising students' cultural awareness. The results of this study may be utilized not only for the improvement of textbooks, but also for future studies which might examine junior high school and college English textbooks.Education, Faculty of
Language and Literacy Education (LLED), Department of
Graduate
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Harley, Elizabeth Anna. "An Exploratory Evaluation of Language and Culture Contact by Japanese Sojourners in a Short-term US Academic Program." PDXScholar, 1996. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/5168.
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Short-term intercultural exchange programs provide a wealth of information and experiences for participants. Participants are given the opportunity to travel out of their native country and are exposed to new languages and cultures. This case study looks at the Japanese sojourners in the Northwest/ Pacific Rim {NWPR) summer program. The purpose was to examine the language use of the Japanese sojourners throughout the course of the NWPR program. This case study sought to determine when the Japanese sojourners used English and/or Japanese, in which situations, what strategies the Japanese sojourners employed and who initiated contact with whom. All of the data was gathered from a participant observer who also employed various ethnographic methods. The Japanese sojourners were observed informally and six were interviewed formally. All four of the ESL teachers were also formally interviewed to provide as wide a range of information as possible. The results showed that the Japanese sojourners did, in general, have a positive experience in the NWPR program but they did not learn as much English and intercultural sensitivity as they could have. Although this case study was focused on the language use of the Japanese sojourners aspects of program evaluation inevitable infiltrated in.
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Kanda, Kosuke. "Effects of the First Language on Japanese ESL Learners' Answers to Negative Questions." PDXScholar, 2014. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/1704.
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This study investigates how Japanese learners of English respond to English negative questions. Previous research has reported that Japanese learners of English make errors in yes/no responses to English negative questions due to the first language (L1) influence (Kang & Lim-chang, 1998; Takashima, 1989). From the perspective of L1 influence, there are two learning pitfalls: different functions of the yes/no response and different interpretations of negative questions. Both of these influences were examined in this study.
This study involved 8 Japanese learners of English, 4 females and 4 males, attending Portland State University (PSU). In order to elicit data that reflect the effect of Japanese English Language Teaching (ELT), the subjects were chosen so that at the time of data elicitation, they had less than 6 months of experience in an English-speaking environment. In addition, all the participants had English instruction in Japan at least through high school.
In order to see how the L1 influenced their yes/no answers to negative questions, I used two data elicitation methods: an oral interview with a native speaker and a retrospective protocol analysis of the interview. The results indicated the following: First, the participants appeared to respond to English negative questions fairly consistently with the English norm. Deviation was observed only when a negative question had a negative expected answer. Particularly, the stronger the expectation for a negative answer was, the more likely it was that the negative question elicited an incorrect yes/no response. Secondly, the participants interpreted the polarity of the expected answer based on the Japanese norm. With the help of context, they usually interpreted the stimulus sentence correctly. However, when an expected answer was ambiguous for any reason, the participants interpreted the stimulus sentence as having a negative expected answer, which is the default interpretation for Japanese negative questions.
This study shows that the influence of the L1 on answers to negative questions requires complex analysis. That is, superficially the participants appeared to answer questions correctly, but a deeper analysis revealed that they still relied on an L1 interpretation norm.
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Levesque, Guy-Luc. "Lexico-Semantic Influence in Interlingual Transfer." PDXScholar, 1994. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/4771.
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The present study replicates research by Tomoko Takahashi (1984) on lexico-semantic patterns used by students in an acquisition poor environment. The purpose of the current study was to determine how an acquisition rich environment affects learners' use of four lexico-semantic patterns: congruence occurs when the Ll definition of a lexical item forms a one-to-one correspondence with the L2 lexical item; convergence occurs when the Ll lexical item has broader applications than the L2 lexical item; divergence occurs when the L2 lexical item has broader applications than the Ll lexical item; and semantic gap occurs when the Ll lexical item has no appropriate corresponding L2 lexical item (Takahashi, 1984). The instrument, a lexico-semantics test, is the same instrument used in Takahashi's study. It was designed to measure which patterns are most frequently used by Japanese EFL students learning English. The results, unlike Takahashi's, suggest that beginning and advanced ESL students use the four patterns equally well. No significant difference was found between the two groups. These results are contrary to what had been expected. However, they show that the proposed hierarchical order of difficulty of congruence, convergence, divergence and semantic gap is the same in both studies. The results also indicate that the acquisition· rich environment seems to dramatically improve beginners' performance of the four patterns. Since the instrument was designed for EFL students (an acquisition poor environment) it may not have fully challenged the advanced ESL students (an acquisition rich environment) while challenging the beginning students. This may have been due to the fact that the students in the present study received a great deal of input from the acquisition rich environment, which could account for their increased ability to restructure hypotheses about L2 vocabulary items. In conclusion, more studies are needed to determine the complete role of the four lexico-semantic patterns in vocabulary acquisition. An expanded follow up study that fully tests the advanced and beginning ESL learners' ability could determine whether both groups progress along a language continuum with respect to the use of the four lexico-semantic patterns. Furthermore, although the patterns may serve, in a limited capacity, as indicators of a learner's difficulties in vocabulary acquisition, a wider body of research is needed before they can be applied in a language learning environment.
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Kitamura, Wakana. "Social cognition-based content instruction for communicative competence in Japanese middle school English." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 2001. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/43.
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This project demonstrates how English teachers in Japan can conduct purposeful and meaningful lessons for middle school low-intermediate students. The teaching approach used for this project is based on Content-Based Instruction (CBI).