The relationship between the Chinese trainees motivation in learning Japanese as a second language and the cognition of training environment: A suggestion for teaching Japanese to foreign trainees in on-the-job-training

Abstract

This paper aims to investigate the relationship between the change of Chinese trainees motivation in learning Japanese as a second language and the recognition of training environment. Based on the change of motivation, semi-structured interview techniques were employed to 6 Chinese on-the-job trainees who were trained in an IT company in Japan, and the qualitative result analysis shows that increasing their motivation is related with their positive cognition and decreasing it is with negative one to their training environment. Its factors of their changing motivation are, for example, the existence of clear goal in learning, the existence of significant others in training environment, the opportunity of communication in Japanese, and so on. These findings show that it is necessary to work on both of trainees themselves and their training environment to construct the supportive environment for their learning Japanese which promotes their empowerment.