Support for Language Minority Students through Long-distance Learning Using the Mother Tongue

Abstract

This study researches the potential of long-distance classes using Skype, the smartphone application, for learning in the mother tongue in "the Inter-Development and Learning Model of Academic Learning, the First Language and the Second Language" (Okazaki 1997) as a method of learning support for language minority students. It is thought that learning support using the mother tongue promotes understanding of subjects taught in Japanese. However, it is difficult to acquire people who can provide support in the mother tongue. When we trialled this long-distance support that is available flexibly in both time and location, it turned out that study tasks of the support require students' high-level thinking operation which includes comprehension skills and expressing skills of their understanding. Therefore, it can be said that long-distance support over Skype provides more opportunities to acquire mother tongue study supporters, which encourages the students to learn with their mother tongue support.