Opinions on Teachers' Use of the Mother Tongue in Japanese Conversation Classes : from the results of questionnaire research at seven universities in Taiwan

Abstract

This research investigates the possibilities and limits of teachers' use of the mother tongue in Japanese Language classes. The teachers and students of Japanese conversation classes at seven universities in Taiwan were asked to fill out a questionnaire on the above topic. The results show that teachers' use of the mother tongue decreases as the students proceed to upper grades. On the other hand, the factor affecting the students' opinion is the mother tongue of the teachers. Where students are taught by Taiwanese (non-native) Japanese language teachers they expect the teachers to use the mother tongue more as compared to the students taught by native Japanese language teachers.