This study used dictogloss in an online news listening comprehension class and analyzed its effects and students' responses. The results showed that students' news listening comprehension and note-taking skills improved. Students' metacognitive thinking and collaboration among learners were also demonstrated. In addition, the students felt that their abilities had improved, and they responded well to the dictogloss in the online class. Therefore, it is worthwhile to incorporate dictogloss into online classes. Furthermore, when dictogross is conducted in face-to-face classes, taking time to think individually after the group discussion may lead to the production of more accurate sentences.

View full abstract

In this study, three learners who were unable to effectively utilize a corpus tool for writing participated in writing activities using an improved “model for corpus tool utilization in writing,” and their differences were examined. Results showed that the improved method allowed diverse use patterns of the corpus tool, incorporation of more collocations using the corpus tool into the writing, and incorporation of previously created short sentences into the writing. However, misuses sometimes occurred when the corpus tool was used, and short sentences caused some issues in writing.

View full abstract

The presenters have been investigating vocabulary in elementary school textbooks to provide useful teaching materials for supporting foreign children in learning Japanese. In this study, vocabulary used in one subject (social studies words /science words) and two subjects (science and social studies common words) were extracted and analyzed for their features. Social studies words are four times more common than science words, but many words are used only once. In both subjects, high frequency words are important for learning subject, but many of them are used as compound words in textbooks, indicating that it is essential to present compound words in textbooks. In addition, although common words are frequently used basic words, their usage varies from subject to subject, making it essential to provide appropriate examples.

View full abstract

In this study,we conducted a questionnaire survey on the evaluation of apology emails to Chinese learners of Japanese and Japanese native speakers.Specifically,the email with the most significant difference in evaluation results between the two languages'speakers was selected.Besides,the reason for the difference in evaluation were analysed based on the characteristics of this email and the points of the evaluation perspectives mentioned in the previous research.As the previous research has pointed out,Chinese learners of Japanese and Japanese native speakers placed importance on different perspectives respectively,such as the format of the email,Japanese expressions and content, leading to the difference in the evaluation results.

View full abstract

Audio content is an effective way to support language learning, but currently there are not many Japanese language learning materials that offer audio content. One of the reasons for this is the high cost of voice recording and editing. Therefore, the authors attempted to add voice content to learning material for technical terms of care specialties using the VOICEPEAK synthetic speech software. As a result, it was found that it was possible to create voice content at a practical level while keeping creation costs low. The use of synthetic speech for Japanese language learning materials is a realistic option.

View full abstract

This paper examines what Japanese workers have noticed through working with foreign colleagues in workplaces where Japanese workers and their foreign colleagues work smoothly. As a result, by working together with foreign colleagues, the tension and confusion about differences will fade away, and you will become aware of new methods of communication with foreigners and that it does not matter whether workers are Japanese or foreigners.

View full abstract

In order to assess Japanese language learners’ auditory comprehension of emotions expressed through Japanese speech and identify the factors influencing auditory comprehension, learners were asked to evaluate 85 statements selected from a speech corpus as positive or negative. Age, gender, and Japanese language level were found to have little impact. However, many Japanese language learners had a low percentage of correct answers for either positive or negative statements, demonstrating individual differences in the auditory comprehension of emotions.

View full abstract

The aim of this study is to provide a way of evaluating the Japanese pronunciation ability of Japanese learners by using the “nya- nya- game” in which players must speak in cat language. Through playing this game, we found that Japanese learners had difficulty in speaking cat language and the ones who could speak cat language well had a high level of fluency in Japanese pronunciation ability. Furthermore, by analyzing their cat language, the tendency of errors in the number of morae, the selection of the special morae and accent have been found. By playing this game, we can detect the pronunciation problems at the individual level and show them how to correct their pronunciation habits.

View full abstract

Vocabulary knowledge is one of the difficulties in conducting discussions in a second language. In this paper, an outline of a sample vocabulary list based on the usage of Japanese native speakers is presented, and the effectiveness of the list is examined based on feedback from intermediate and advanced learners of Japanese who participated in a mini-discussion using it. The findings suggest that presenting words with poor retention and low word familiarity in a list during discussions not only provides cognitive assistance during second language discussions, but also facilitates effective communication of one's opinions and more in-depth discussions.

View full abstract

This research aims to report on the implementation of extensive reading classes at a university and to gain suggestions for class improvement by analyzing the changes in the learners from their work. The subjects of this research were three intermediate Japanese language learners. Throughout the classes, the learners were instructed to document their observations, and during the final class, they engaged in book reviews and reflected on their overall learning experiences. An examination of the learners' work revealed that as the classes progressed, the learners demonstrated an increased focus on vocabulary acquisition. It is recommended to provide opportunities in the future for both the teacher and the learners to consider the distinctions between extensive reading and reading comprehension.

View full abstract

This paper reports on the development of web-based typing practice materials for Japanese beginner learners at the engineering university. The features of this material are (1) it visually presents a systematic input method in accordance with Japanese phonological rules and (2) it uses the words which frequently appear in engineering papers as typing practice words. The results of the post-trial questionnaire showed a high satisfaction rating, which suggests that this material is acceptable to engineering students.

View full abstract

This study conducted a preliminary survey on student volunteers who participated in a Japanese language class to reveal the extent to which they grew and transformed themselves through volunteer activities. The results showed that these volunteers improved in areas such as the “ability to convey,” but no improvement was observed in areas such as the “ability to influence.”

View full abstract

This paper reports on the practice and results of using Microsoft Teams' "Reading Progress" from the perspective of task repetition. The author conducted this practice in terms of the four effects of oral reading and the expectation of improvement in the phonetic aspect through repetition of the task. The two results are as follows: 1. The repetition of same oral reading task showed improvement in the speed of speaking the same task correctly. 2. It was suggested that repeating of same oral reading task sentences may also improve the speed of speaking different task sentences correctly.

View full abstract

This study investigated certain forms of phatic communion between graduate students in a laboratory using video data of the lab members making greetings and small talk. They were found to be oriented towards greeting the other members as much as possible, even those with whom they did not have deep contact. In addition, it was found that they carefully judged whether or not to start small talk by monitoring each other’s reactions.

View full abstract

This study reports on an attempt to develop listening comprehension skills using shadowing for international students in the English Track for Science. These students have difficulty securing time to study Japanese. When practising listening comprehension struggle to deal with unknown language items, which places a heavy burden on them. Therefore, the author conducted classes using shadowing and analyzed a total of six tests and the records over a period of about three months. The results showed that shadowing had a certain effect, especially in first-time listening comprehension questions involving language items that had been previously shadowed.

View full abstract

In April 2022, the Intensive Japanese language program (IJLP) at Okayama University of Science newly adopted the online teaching platform Google Classroom. This paper reports on the author’s attempt to utilize this platform in Japanese classes. The paper will also report on how students and other teachers responded to the platform based on questionnaires. The result shows that although the platform was not used in all classes, most students responded positively to using it as part of their Japanese studies.

View full abstract

The sentences with the compound function word "KIKKAKE" sometimes result in non-sentences when they are correct based on the grammar explanations in textbooks for Japanese language learning. In this paper, I focused on <X o KIKKAKE ni> and investigated grammar explanations and usage in Textbooks. In addition, I conducted an online survey to clarify the causes of non-sentences and their correction in the sentences using the compound function word "KIKKAKE." Furthermore, based on the verification of textbooks and the survey result, I discussed matters that should be added to Textbooks to use the compound function word "KIKKAKE" correctly.

View full abstract

With the development of ICT technologies and networks, online courses are also being used extensively in education to supplement classroom deficiencies or to combine online and offline courses through blended classrooms to allow more time for interactive learning. However, whether online classes can be loved by students affects video viewing. In this study, 30 Japanese majors from Jiangxi University of Science Technology were surveyed to investigate the advantages and disadvantages of 18 Japanese teaching videos on China's most popular online video platform. The results showed that students' preference for video depended on the following aspects: subtitles, sound, presentation style, teacher, interaction and duration.

View full abstract

We use two types of online tests to assess students’ Japanese language proficiency and to ensure that they are placed in the appropriate courses: one is a four-choice test that primarily asks about vocabulary and grammar knowledge; the other is a listening comprehension test called LEAP. We, however, found that learners are not uniform, that some of them have different learning experiences, and that in a few cases, test results are not enough to determine the appropriate courses to attend. To solve this problem, after administering the two online tests, we interviewed students whose scores were discrepancies between the two. The interview uncovers five facts not revealed by the testing: 1) problems with the vocabulary and grammar tests, 2) test malfunctions, 3) unique learning methods, 4) influence of Japanese resources and 5) inappropriate response behavior due to excessive prior preparation for LEAP test. Conducting the interviews with the two online tests allowed us to design an effective placement procedure for a diverse range of learners.

View full abstract

This study focuses on the activities of three Native Japanese Language Teachers who instructed speech contestants in different educational institutions in China, and analyzes the speech of one of the teachers to investigate the difficulties felt through the teaching process. The results of the survey showed that the four main difficulties felt when teaching speech contests were: adjustment to the extent of revising manuscripts, teaching elements other than 'good speech', responding to the needs of learners and educational institutions and teaching in a way that suits individual learners.

View full abstract

This paper reports on a technical Japanese class for students of a preparatory education program preparing for undergraduate course. As the specialties of the learners are diverse, topics derived from Japanese secondary school textbooks were adopted, and activities emphasizing note-taking and semantic negotiations were integrated into the curriculum. Through these activities, it has gradually become possible to encounter situations in which even unknown words are recorded in hiragana, such as taking notes. It can also be considered a practice of consulting dictionaries based on pronunciation. Even vocabulary that was difficult to reproduce individually could be reproduced in a group. Opportunities for production, such as explaining kanji or phrases during discussions, were secured, and it is believed that preparation was made for discussions in specialized subjects.

View full abstract

In this study, advanced learners of Japanese were asked about their understanding of the seven grammatical items they had studied and were asked to produce sentences using them, in order to investigate whether there was a relationship between their understanding and the likelihood of misuse. The study also looked at what factors contributed to the occurrence of misuse. The results showed that there was little relationship between learners' understanding of the grammar items and the likelihood of misuse.

View full abstract

This study analyzes a questionnaire survey of foreign employees and their supervisors and coworkers regarding the degree of needs for Japanese in their work and their evaluation of their business Japanese proficiency. The results showed general agreement on which tasks required Japanese; however, for certain items, while foreign employees thought that Japanese was not necessary, their supervisors and coworkers required to perform in Japanese. Regarding the evaluation of abilities, there were items in which the foreign employees’ self-evaluations matched those of their supervisors and coworkers. However, in some items, significant differences.

View full abstract

Language classes in schools are organized by age or grade level, rather than by ability, so it is common to have a range of learners at different levels of proficiency, and from a variety of linguistic and cultural backgrounds in one classroom．For young learners, there are also age-related developmental variations in cognition．The school has been working to use such variations to positive effect in the classroom. This study will report on the process of improving the Japanese ability of young learners observed in such classes, along with discussing the tendencies observed according to the learners' linguistic and cultural background and age of development.

View full abstract

Philosophical dialogue is defined as deep thinking about questions that have no correct answers. It is expected to promote cross-cultural understanding. We conducted a philosophical dialogue between international students from a Japanese language school and Japanese university students. It was a good opportunity for the international students to actually use Japanese. The participants noticed each other's similarities and differences. Some Japanese university students found it meaningful to interact with people from different cultures.

View full abstract

This study sought to understand the perceptions of faculty members who teach specialized subjects at a small-sized university regarding the connection between Japanese language education and specialized education. Through interviews, we gathered insights on various themes including communication between faculty members and Japanese language teachers, role sharing, the Japanese curriculum, and extra-curricular support. Our findings revealed several key steps that must be taken to bridge the gap between Japanese language education and specialized education, including increased communication between Japanese language teachers and faculty members, further examination of effective role-sharing in education, a reevaluation of the Japanese curriculum, and the establishment of an extra-curricular support system.

View full abstract

A beginner-level class was designed to help students find strategies for their own individual learning styles. This paper reports on the structure of the class, the teaching materials, and the students’ impressions. The purpose of this paper is to ascertain whether discussion contributes to finding a learning strategy that suits one’s own learning style. Data will be presented through interviews with students regarding the impact of discussions on classroom activities, particularly the content and impressions of discussions among students. It will be recommended that discussion situations be incorporated into regular classroom activities so that individual learners can find their own appropriate way of learning.

View full abstract

In this study, a class activity was developed and conducted directing Japanese university students (“readers”) to comment on the Japanese language learners’ (“writers”) opinion essays to enhance the writers’ ability to convey ideas through written communication as well as their awareness of actual readers outside the classroom. The readers commented on the writers’ mastery of critical essay elements such as persuasiveness, accepting counterarguments, and setting the argument scope; the writers then applied the readers’ comments to their revisions. Most learners responded positively to the peer-based critiques and said the activity increased their confidence and intrinsic motivation to write.

View full abstract

In Japanese language classes for international students at universities, there are opportunities in which Japanese students enrolled at the school enter the classroom as supporters to help international students learn Japanese. This study conducted a survey of Japanese language teachers’ use of support students. The survey results indicated that many teachers need support students, especially as conversation practice partners and as a resource for Japanese (language) of their own generation. Furthermore, this survey shows teachers encourage Japanese students’ participation in the classes, not only to support Japanese language study, but also for the partner role of learning together. On the other hand, support students’ unscheduled absences are frequently cited as problems.

View full abstract

This paper reports on the outline and effects of a "reading activities activity using compositions" that was implemented in a pre-advanced Japanese class. By using compositions written by classmates as reading material, readers became more interested in the content and were able to read at a moderate level of difficulty. In addition, some students commented that they were more motivated to learn writing after having their own compositions read, indicating that this activity was somewhat effective in promoting motivation among learners.

View full abstract

Intermediate to advanced learners of Japanese as a second language practiced reading aloud and shadowing. They also performed in an in-class public reading (recital) competition. An exploratory study was conducted to investigate learners' attitudes and efforts towards these practices. Favorable attitudes toward the practices did not correlate positively with performance in the competition.

View full abstract

Language activity involves physicality in everyday life, but not really in Japanese classrooms. In this report, Reading Theatre注1 that employs physical expressions is introduced and the effectiveness of the activity is examined focusing on process of understanding, self-evaluation and learning by analyzing students’ review sheets. The results show that the multiple resources and collaborative activity helped middle/advanced level students to understand the story, characters and various vocabulary of folktale texts, and to find the importance of using the language along with appropriate intonation, emotion and movement.

View full abstract

This paper describes the differences in the use of "Dandan" and "Masumasu". According to the data from Tsukuba Web Corpus, we have observed that verb "Fueru" co-occurs most frequently with "Dandan" and "Masumasu". Through the analysis of the sentences, we found that "Dandan Fueru" can be used to indicate an increase from "nothing or a little", whereas "Masumasu Fueru" is only used to indicate an increase or a significant increase from "a lot". In addition, "Masumasu" can also be used as a polite expression.

View full abstract

In the case of a first-time conversation, interaction to gather information is crucial for striking up the conversation between unfamiliar participants. In this paper, the comparison of the behavior between Japanese native (JN) and Chinese native (CN) speakers were studied regarding the response request utterance from the listener and the subsequent self-disclosure of the speaker. The result revealed that CN listeners were inclined to exchange information actively through frequent questioning, but JN listeners interchanged information in modest amounts since utilized plenty of implicit request utterances.

View full abstract

One of the speech acts that plays an important role in building good human relationships is giving advice. However, giving advice also easily threatens one’s “equity rights” and may disrupt human relationships based on the rapport-management theory (Spencer-Oatey 2000). This paper aims to clarify how Chinese learners of Japanese (CJL) manage their relationships through giving advice compared with native speakers of Japanese (JN). The data collected from a follow-up interview were analyzed by text-mining using KH coder.

View full abstract

In this study, we conducted a PAC analysis of Chinese international students before and after coming to Japan and investigated what kind of anxiety they felt as a result of COVID-19. The results showed that their anxiety after coming to Japan changed to the following three points: anxiety about adapting to a different cultural environment, anxiety about daily life, and anxiety about the economy.

View full abstract

Corpus tools that can be used to search for collocations and grammatical items that go with them can assist Japanese learners with their writing. However, such tools are difficult for learners to use. Therefore, the authors are developing a website to assist with learning how to use corpus tools. The present paper reports on the website’s development. The website contains seven video lessons and six practice/task pages. It is intended for learners aiming for CEFR B1 level to enable them to use corpus tools from an early stage. Moreover, it is based on the concept of the Model for Corpus Tool Utilization in Writing.

View full abstract

This study focused on meaning negotiation in Japanese-Chinese contact situations, and examined how Chinese native speakers of Japanese communicate successfully by actively engaging in adjustment from two aspects: form and content. According to the data, the Chinese learners of Japanese are slightly less active and inventive in their chosen adjustment than native speakers of Japanese, but they promote mutual understanding and increase the breadth and depth of the topics by using a variety of adjustment more frequently.

View full abstract

Due to a growing number of care workers in Japan whose native languages are not written in kanji, there is an urgent need to help improve these individuals’ knowledge of kanji. From the perspective of formulaic sequences research, a quantitative analysis of the Japanese State Examination for Certified Care Workers was conducted to learn how educators can improve foreign care workers’ understanding of kanji expressions. Three dictionaries were used for morphological analysis. Since care workers need to acquire technical terminology, keywords containing three or more kanji were extracted along with novel words. The results indicate that not only technical terms, but also keywords and new occupationally relevant words are important for the language education of foreign care workers.

View full abstract

This is a report on surveys of foreign residents and multilingual and multicultural events that were planned and implemented based on the surveys’ results. First, the authors conducted surveys to gather the voices of foreign residents that could not be seen in large-scale surveys. The respondents indicated that they want Japanese residents to understand their customs and to think from their perspectives, and they also want to participate in local events and volunteer activities. Based on the responses, cultural events were planned and implemented. The events deepened Japanese participants’ understanding of foreign residents and brought them closer to foreign residents. They also provided foreign residents with an opportunity to participate actively in the community.

View full abstract

This study examined how transitive and intransitive verbs are being introduced in the textbook and classroom lessons for the Sri Lankan Learners of the Japanese Language (SLJL). The results showed that numerous transitive and intransitive verbs are introduced throughout the textbook, but it rarely mentioned the basic grammatical usage of those verbs. To address this point, during the lessons teachers used a variety of strategies to make SLJL become more aware of the distinction between transitive and intransitive verbs.

View full abstract

This research shows Japanese language learners’ description of “positive reflection” in one university in Aichi prefecture. “Positive reflection” consists of 3 questions: your emotion, time and period, and reactions from others. For this research, the author analyzed 4 students’ “positive reflection” descriptions. The results revealed two patterns of description. First, some students described different experiences for each question. On the other hand, some students described different aspects of the same experience in some questions. These results and previous research suggest that "positive reflection" can promote "deep" reflection at an early stage.

View full abstract

This paper reports an attempt to teach onomatopoeia for communication using the television program Activate Your Japanese! A class was conducted as part of a training program for teachers of the Japanese language. The results of a class evaluation questionnaire showed that participants were highly satisfied with the class and began using onomatopoeia outside of class. Thus, this indicates that the program is effective in teaching onomatopoeia for communication. Moreover, the questionnaire results also revealed the necessity of explaining the features of the video well to the participants.

View full abstract

The author has created a proposal of semantic formulas for analyzing discourse in which advice is offered, which has not been well studied so far among speech acts. When creating the formulas, the author refers to Morimoto's (2005) semantic formulas and Tsujimoto's (2008) original classification of free text responses within a survey. The semantic formulas created in this research consist of the following four major parts: I. Clarification of the situation that triggers the advice, II. Advice, III. Speech surrounding the advice, IV. Others. In total, 19 subcategories were established.

View full abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the formation process of the view of support for autonomous learning among undergraduate students in a Japanese language teacher training course. Undergraduate students provided online support for contract learning at a university in Taiwan. The results of the analysis revealed that undergraduates had a strong awareness of teaching at the beginning of the support, but gradually they began to reconsider the relationship between themselves who were not yet teachers and other learners as they became more aware of listening to learners’ stories, and perceived learners as being there to learn from each other.

View full abstract

This study presents features of SAKURA, issues identified, and modifications made during operational trials. SAKURA enables learners of Japanese to practice writing email from beginner level and up. While developing SAKURA, a "Data Collection System" was used to collect basic data from 16 email tasks at beginner and intermediate levels. After developing SAKURA, the basic data was used to extract a "Mistake List" and "Essential Expression List". These lists were added to SAKURA when conducting operational trials. Names of advice types and classification criteria were modified to match the learner’s Japanese ability.

View full abstract

This study recorded the content of dubbing drills to investigate their educational effects in eight Taiwanese university students of Japanese with L2 language levels ranging from beginner to intermediate. To measure the educational effects of dubbing, students were instructed to comment freely on its impact on learning, changes in their desire to learn, and the advantages and challenges of dubbing. The results indicate improved pronunciation and intonation as well as increased desire to learn, but also that subjects had difficulty communicating emotion when expressing themselves in Japanese.

View full abstract

This study explored the effect of the shifting ability on the performance of Chinese and Japanese consecutive interpreting with different difficulty levels. By comparing the experimental results of advanced Japanese-as-a-foreign-language (JFL) learners and master of translation and interpreting (MTI) students, it is found that the shifting ability significantly influences the performance of Chinese-Japanese consecutive interpreting. The effect differs between JFL learners and MTI students and is more significant for MTI students. These results indicate that general cognitive function training can be introduced into interpreting teaching to improve interpreting ability.

View full abstract