Service Learning in an Advanced Japanese Language Course

Abstract

Service learning (SL) is a method of experiential learning which engages learners in their local community through a service activity with clear academic objectives. Learners apply their knowledge to the activity, acquiring further knowledge through experience. SL has recently been introduced into higher education in Japan. This article is a report on the experimental use of SL in a university course for advanced learners of Japanese, who learned Japanese through a service activity in a residence for senior citizens. I present an overview of the course and an analysis of the course evaluation sheets completed by the learners, individual interviews with them, their journals and their final reports. The results show that the learners felt that not only had they improved their writing skills, but also that the course had influenced their views on life and their sense of values. From SL, they acquired 1) awareness about and encouragement in life from their elders; 2) joy and a sense of achievement in helping other people; 3) insight into and empathy for other people; and 4) the self-recognition of having broken away from prejudice.