Abstract
This paper reports on an interview survey of students and examines the environment in which learners feel more comfortable participating in conversations when using the target language (English) with other learners in the process of foreign language acquisition. The author is in charge of a short-term study abroad program at the University of North Georgia (UNG) in the U.S., where students in Japanese language classes at UNG and students at Nanzan University in Japan engage in online collaborative learning remotely before they meet in person at UNG. In the academic year of 2021, due to the spread of the new coronavirus, the on-site activities were replaced by transpacific online activities. After the program, more than half of the participants said the interaction with Japanese language learners left the biggest impression on them, while one student compared her affective aspects: English discussions with Japanese students in her undergraduate classes and English discussions with other students including UNG students in this program. Based on the interview, the author will discuss and report on the various factors that influence one's feelings when participating in a conversation in the target language.
