Enhancing communication and cultural understanding among JFL learners

1. Enhancing communication and cultural understanding among JFL learners Hideko Shimizu University of Colorado at Boulder Victoria Muehleisen Waseda University

2. Overview • Purpose of the study • Review of literature • Curriculum for the current collaborative cyberspace project • Research method • Pre-and post-questionnaire results • Descriptive statistics • Qualitative results Examples of weblog writings Examples of student-generated video clips

3. Waseda University

4. The Purpose of the Study • Explore how a cyber-community can serve as a dynamic vehicle for communication, language learning, and critical thinking about the Japanese culture through reading, the use of web logs and student-generated videos among learners in the U.S.

5. Networked Computer Use for Language & Cultural Learning • Research is now entering its second decade. • Early studies tended to focus on quantifiable and easily measured aspects (e.g., Kern, 1995; Sullivan & Pratt, 1996; Warschauer,1996a). • Linguistic features (Chun,1994; Herring,1996) • Motivational patterns (Beauvois,1992; Meunier,1998)

6. A Second Stage of Online Language Research • Sociocognitive perspective • (Warschauer & Kern, 2000) • Context, interaction, and multimedia • More recent research • Long-distance collaboration project • Focus beyond language learning to an emphasis of culture (i.e., intercultural competence, cultural learning, cultural literacy).

7. Intercultural Learning • Learners view their own culture in dynamic relation to another cultural perspective (e.g., Cononelos & Oliva,1993; Cummins & Sayers,1995; Warschauer,1995). • Cross-cultural understanding did not automatically result from online communication(Fischer,1998; Kern,2000). • Critical thinking for cultural learning (Kubota,1999)

8. Current Uses of Blogs • 1. Individual pursuits • 2. Business endeavors • 3. Educational uses (Ducate & Lomicka, 2006)

9. Blogs in Foreign Language Pedagogy • Ferdig & Trammell (2004) described some benefits of blogs: • 1. Students can become subject matter experts • 2. Student interest and ownership in learning is increased. • 3. Students become active participants in a community • 4. Blogging opens the doors for a multitude of diverse perspectives. Blogging may foster critical thinking(Oravec ,2002).

10. Use of Student-Generated Video • Enhancement of intrinsic motivation • Student-produced video is a powerfully motivating medium and can be used as the focus for projects with diverse pedagogical aims (Gardner, 1995).

11. Pedagogy • Multimedia computer assisted language learning • Web-based platform for collaborative cross-cultural exploration (Furstenberg, 2003) • Collaborative learning with people around the world without going abroad

12. Curriculum for the Current Collaborative Cyberspace Project Requirements • Complete a questionnaire about the exchange project at the beginning and end of the semester. • Read The Material Child by Mary White.

13. Requirements continued… • Make your own individual blog, with an introduction in both Japanese and English. • Read the class blog regularly.

14. Requirements continued… 5. Post at least one blog message per week. Some weeks, you will have to post a short comment to the class blog. The short comments should be bilingual (first Japanese and then English) or in Japanese only. 6. Complete four homework assignments, one for each Chapter that we read. These will be short essays (300 ji or more,) written in Japanese and posted the final to your individual blog.

15. Requirements continued… 7.With a group, make a video or a PowerPoint presentation about life for teenagers in the U.S. today. The finished video should be 5 to 15 minutes long. The PowerPoint presentation should have at least 25 slides (of as many as 75) and must include pictures. Speak in Japanese and (in English) 8. You can post more than the required assignments to your individual blog.

16. Research Methods 1. Examine the students’ products: a) Weblogs and comments posted on the weblog b) Student-generated video clips 2. Pre-and post questionnaire a) Attitude toward the Web-log project b) Cultural understanding of Japanese and American youth c) Attitude toward creation of video

17. Description of the participants • 36 students enrolled in the third year-advanced Japanese language in the U.S. • 24 students enrolled in the First Year Seminar class at the School of International Liberal Studies in Japan.

18. Pre-questionnaire Responses : 20 • Students who have been to Japan:5 • How they knew about Japanese culture: • Anime, travel books, friends, class, internet, movies • Asked about their images of Japan

19. Images of Japanese Schools& Students • Study hard to enter high schools and colleges, but it is easier in college • Serious, polite, and wear uniforms • They are similar to American students • Highly intelligent

20. Image of Materialism of Teenagers in Japan • Similar to the U.S. • Love to go shopping • They have been raised on technology and materialism. • They like to have fashionable clothing and fancy cell phones.

21. Images of Friendship • Similar to the U.S. • It is important to keep company with a friend who is interesting.

22. Images of Japanese Families • More friction between adults & teens • Tradition & respect, group-mind • Very structured, role and obligations of each member are emphasized.

23. Images of Japanese Families continued… • Children were allowed to get away with a lot. Family ties are close.(Observation during home-stay) • Father works all day. Mother stays home. • Small house • Very respectful children

24. Images of Sexuality among Youth • They are more formal than in the U.S. • It was traditional for marriages to be arranged , but not now. • There is a bit of taboo surrounding women. Women are still seen as housewives, and as submissive.

25. Post-questionnaire Responses • Responses :20 • 1) Attitude toward the web log project : 11 questions • 2) Cultural understanding of Japanese family, school, materialism, friendship, and sexuality • 3) Attitude toward the creation of the video: 8 questions.

26. Results

27. School and Student Life • I was surprised about just how much more schooling the Japanese have to take as well as how their college years seem easier than college in America. • Previously I thought grades and entrance exams dominated school life, but most Waseda students mentioned clubs and sports more than test.

28. School and Student Life continued… • There definitely seems to be a lot of pressure put on Japanese students to study extremely hard and perform well, they seem to be more disciplined than American students. • The additional information about Japanese school rules & uniforms, plus how strict the schools can be.

29. Family • Kids are allowed leniency from chores in order to do school work. • I did not know how the “absent father” and “education mother” roles were so prominent. • The discussion entries of students were basically what I expected. Some of the comments added to my blog by Japanese students surprised me.

30. Family continued… • The presentation on family was pretty much how I had pictured it in my head. There was nothing new in this segment. • It was interesting how it was okay for Japanese youth to still be able to live with their parents when they become adults. • Interesting to see the similar nuclear values.

31. Materialism • Similar to U.S. but more emphasized due to “group” culture • Brand names and “images” seem to be very prominent in Japan, about the same as here especially among the younger generation

32. Friendship • I expected more group-oriented than America, which is true, but it’s almost like a club, and one’s personality in the friend-group could be totally different from when they are alone.

33. Friendship continued… • They party is a much more controlled setting than we do. U.S. parties are usually with those that are under age. In Japan, they seemed much more in control of themselves. • Seemed to be almost exactly the same

34. Sexuality • Sex is more accepted in Japan, in some ways. • Did not know it was so taboo to show PDA! That it’s more acceptable to take a lover than to have a public relationship. • Even though sex is a taboo thing to discuss in Japan there is no hiding that they are participating. They just don’t like talking about it.