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The Autonomy and Language Learning: Maintaining Control Conference

Exploring the Possibility of a Learner Development Programme: A Case Study of Japanese Language Education in Higher Education Institutions in Thailand. The Autonomy and Language Learning: Maintaining Control Conference Hong Kong University of Science and Technology 14 June 2004

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The Autonomy and Language Learning: Maintaining Control Conference

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  1. Exploring the Possibility of a Learner Development Programme:A Case Study of Japanese Language Education in Higher Education Institutions in Thailand The Autonomy and Language Learning: Maintaining Control Conference Hong Kong University of Science and Technology 14 June 2004 Tomonori OKADA Center for Language Studies Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences National University of Singapore www.fas.nus.edu.sg/cls tomonori_okada@hotmail.com

  2. What is a learner development programme? • Learner development The improvement of the learner’s capacity for planning, monitoring and assessing his/her own learning (Wenden 2002: 34) • A learner development programme A set of courses designed to improve learner’s capacity for managing his/her own learning = A programme which fosters learner’s capacity of autonomous language learning

  3. My approach to the paper • Point of view Review of previous theories: from a point of education of a less popular language taught in a FL learning context • A theoretical proposal • Proposal of a theoretical framework of programme designing • Application to a specific learning context

  4. The structure of the paper Section 1 Introduction: the rationale of the implementation of a learner development programme for Japanese language education in HE institutions in Thailand Section 2 A review of literature on the notion of learner development Section 3 Setting a new framework of a learner development programme Section 4 Proposal: discussion of programme design for Japanese language education in HE institutions in Thailand Section 5 Summary and conclusion

  5. Japanese language education in Thai HE institutions Figure 1: Map of Thailand (Adapted from National Geographic Society 2003)

  6. Japanese language education in Thai HE institutions Table 1: Top Ten Countries for the Number of Japanese-Language Education Students in 1998 (the Japan Foundation 2000: 5)

  7. Japanese language education in Thai HE institutions Figure 2: The Breakdown of Educational Institutions in Thailand in 1998 (Adapted from the Japan Foundation 2003)

  8. Japanese language education in Thai HE institutions • Japanese courses: among 82 institutions... • 13 as major • 12 as minor • 57 as free electives • Graduates’ careers • Job securing rate: 80-90% • Career paths: 80% graduates work in Japanese companies • Salary: 2-4x more Figure 3: Career paths of Thammasat University graduates in 2000 (Adapted from Skulkru 2001:8-9) Motivation for learning Japanese

  9. Japanese language education in Thai HE institutions Problems • Lack of qualified teachers • Curriculum design • Syllabus: emphasis on structure • Large classes • Graduates: lack of self-study skills • Culture gap at workplace

  10. Rationale for a learner development programme • To be effective in study of the language at HE institutions • even in large classes • especially for the understanding of socio-cultural aspect of the language • To be prepared for further study after graduation • to develop skills for managing self-study

  11. History of the notion of learner development Two roots (Wenden 2002) : • Self-directed language learning • Henri Holec and autonomy in language learning • Influenced by social and political factors in Europe in 1970s: Autonomy in learner’s relevant social context • Learner strategies • Studies in good language learner • Good learners can articulate what to do for language learning Focused on learner’s cognitive capacity and awareness

  12. History of the notion of learner development Learner Training • A training programme to foster learner’s capacity of autonomous learning • A two-step deductive procedure 1. Investigating learner’s knowledge on his/her… • beliefs about language and language learning • use of learning strategies 2. Explicit teaching including informing and exercises

  13. Self-directed language learning Learner Training Strategies Instruction Traditional language learning Frameworks of learner development programmes Figure 4: Framework of Learner Development Programmes (Adapted from Abraham and Vann 1987: 97) Underlying factors Personal factorsEnvironment factors Intelligence, Society, Culture, Personality, Value system of the Level of education, group which the Cognitive style etc. learner belongs etc. Previous learning experience etc. Metacognitive knowledge on Belief language learning Learning strategies Cognitive Metacognitive Language competence Input Grammatical Learning resources Discourse Sociocultural Strategic (of communication)

  14. A critical review of the notion of learner training Theoretical drawback of notion’s claim on universality • Motivation • Learner training: less effective for those with low motivation in language learning • Autonomous learning: improves learner’s motivation Learner training: required preparation process to improve learner’s capacity of autonomous learning? • Learner’s social/cultural background and affect • Ethnological study (Coleman 1996) : questions on cultural appropriateness • Training outcome: not always replicative across learners with different cultural backgrounds • No precise directions for learner’s affect

  15. A NEW LEARNER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME Self-directed language learning Learner Training Strategies Instruction Traditional language learning A new framework of learner development programmes Figure 4: Framework of Learner Development Programmes (Adapted from Abraham and Vann 1987: 97) Underlying factors Personal factorsEnvironment factors Intelligence, Society, Culture, Personality, Value system of the Level of education, group which the Cognitive style etc. learner belongs etc. Previous learning experience etc. Metacognitive knowledge on Belief language learning Learning strategies Cognitive Metacognitive Language competence Input Grammatical Learning resources Discourse Sociocultural Strategic (of communication)

  16. A new framework of learner development programmes Characteristics: • Making effective use of the underlying factors which the learner already has • Let the learner start autonomous learning at the level he/she can • Let the learner inductively acquireadditional underlying factors which is necessary for autonomous learning at higher level • Teacher’s role: • To investigate both learner’s background and the learning context • To providea learner hands-on autonomous learning experience at appropriate level cf.learner training: explicit & deductive teaching of beliefs and strategy use

  17. A new framework of learner development programmes Some remarks: • Actual programme design: defers according to each learner & the given learning context • Availability of local learning resources: possible constraint • A learner development programme in the new framework: still to increasing learner’s capacity of autonomous learning not directly to improve learner’s language competence

  18. Proposal: a learner development programme for Japanese language education in Thai HE institutions Programme details • Compulsory: an ‘independent study’ course... • at lower intermediate level • conducts project work contains interviews with native speakers of Japanese in Thailand • Optional: additional projects with speakers of Japanese, such as... • Visitor sessions in classroom • Home stay • Social visit to Japanese companies & factories, tourist attractions etc... • Possible topics: • geography, history, etiquette, religion, family, housing, cooking, opinions on social issues

  19. Proposal: a learner development programme for Japanese language education in Thai HE institutions Analysis of underlying factors & learning resources (1) • Interpersonal and social relation norms • Thais: well balanced between individualism and group-oriented (Mulder 1996) • Resources: well-sufficient human resources • Students’ previous experience of language learning (Matsui et al. 1999) • Primary/secondary education: • Too much emphasis on forms and structure • Curricula: unclear goals, lack of opportunities to use FLs outside of class • Unqualified teachers • Too much emphasis on achievement tests • Student-teacher relationships

  20. Proposal: a learner development programme for Japanese language education in Thai HE institutions Learning Resources for Thai HE Students of Japanese (Adapted from Tanaka and Saito 1993; Thomson-Kinoshita 1997) • Human Resources • Japanese people (teachers; company workers; tourists; pensioners etc.) • Colleague students (seniors; classmates and juniors) • Material Resources: publications, audio-visual materials pamphlets etc. • Books; textbooks; dictionaries • Audio-visual materials • Media (Japanese newspapers/television programmes) • Advertisement; pamphlets (tour guides, menu at Japanese restaurant etc.) • Social Resources: various groups of speakers of Japanese • Japanese associations • Japanese restaurants, shops, bookstores, shops • Information Services Resources:organisations/media as self-accessible resource centers • Libraries • Japanese consulates • Internet

  21. Proposal: a learner development programme for Japanese language education in Thai HE institutions Analysis of underlying factors & learning resources (2) • Motivation and timing of the independent study • Available number of native speakers of Japanese • Very large number of students at elementary level • Assessment and institutional issues • HE institution’s responsibility towards the society: certification of student’s achievement • Appropriate quota in the whole curriculum?

  22. Summary • A review of the notion of learner development • Overemphasis on learner training: technical aspects in learner development • Underestimate of learner’s personal factors & social/cultural factors • Proposal of a learner development programme for Japanese language education in Thai HE institutions • An ‘independent study’ course at lower intermediate level: • Project work including interaction with native speakers of Japanese

  23. Reference (1) Abraham, R. G. and R. J. Vann. 1987. ‘Strategies of Two Language Learners: A Case Study’ in A. L. Wenden and J. Rubin (eds): Learner Strategies in Language Learning Chapter 7: 85-102. London: Prentice Hall International. Coleman, H. (ed). 1966. Society and the Language Classroom. Cambridge: CUP. The Japan Foundation Japanese-Language Institute, Urawa. 2000. Present Condition of Overseas Japanese-Language Education: Survey Report on Japanese-Language Education Abroad 1998. Urawa: The Japan Foundation Japanese-Language Institute, Urawa. —. 2003. Information on Japanese-Language Education: Thailand. Urawa: The Japan Foundation Japanese-Language Institute, Urawa. www.jpf.go.jp/j/urawa/world/kunibetsu/1999/thailand.html (29 August 03) Matsui, Y., T. Kitamura and V. Chirasombutti. 1999. Tai ni okeru nihongo kyouiku: sono kiban to seisei to hatten (Japanese Language Education in Thailand: Its Background, Situations and a History of Its Development). Tokyo: Kinsei-sha. Mulder, N. 1996. Inside Thai Society: Interpretations of Everyday Life (5th ed). Amsterdam: The Pepin Press. National Geographic Society. 2003. Xpeditions Atlas: Thailand. Washington DC: National Geographic Society. www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/atlas (30 August 2003)

  24. Reference (2) Rees-Miller, J. 1993. ‘A Critical Appraisal of Learner Training: Theoretical Bases and Teaching Implications’ TESOL Quarterly 27/4: 679-689. Riley, P. 1999. ‘On the Social Construction of “the Learner”’ in S. Cotterall and D. Crabbe (eds): Learner Autonomy in Language Learning: Defining the Field and Effecting Change: 29-41. Frankfurt: Peter Lang. Skulkru, P. 2001. ‘Tai ni okeru nihongo kyouiku: Donna jinzai o ikusei subeki ka [Japanese Language Education in Thailand: What Kind of Human Resources Should We Develop?]’. The Old Japan Students’ Association, Thailand (OJSAT) (ed): Japanese Language Teachers Seminar: Vision and Experience Exchange of Japanese Language Teaching in ASEAN. Grand Pacific Hotel, Bangkok. 20-21 October 2001. Tanaka, N. and S. Saito. 1993. Nihongo kyouiku no riron to jissai: Gakushuu sisutemu no kaihatsu [Theory and Practice in Japanese Language Education: Development of Learning Support System] Tokyo: Taishukan. Thomson-Kinoshita, C. 1997. ‘Kaigai no nihongo kyouiku ni okeru risoosu no katsuyou (Japanese Language Learning Resources for Overseas Learners and Teachers)’ Sekai no nihongo kyouiku (Japanese-Language Education around the Globe) 7: 17-29. Wenden, A. L. 2002. ‘Learner Development in Language Learning’ Applied Linguistics 23/1: 32-55.

  25. Some Advertisement... ClaSIC 2004: Center for Language Studies International Conference National University of Singapore 1-3 December 2004 www.fas.nus.edu.sg/cls/clasic2004 Conference Theme: Current perspectives and new directions in foreign language teaching and learning • Foreign Language Teaching Methodologies • Innovations in Language Teaching • CALL / ICT, Multimedia and Foreign Language Learning • Syllabus Design and Curriculum Development • Teacher Education and Professional Development • Theories in Second Language Acquisition • Linguistics Theories and Language Learning Joint conference: PacCALL@CLaSIC 2004

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