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THE EFFECT OF REDUCING TEACHING HOURS ON TERTIARY BEGINNERS’ JAPANESE LANGUAGE STUDIES. Judith Ascione and Nicolette Bramley University of Canberra. University of Canberra. DEFAT Language training requirements. LOTE at Australian Universities. Tertiary LOTE courses face budgetary constraints
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THE EFFECT OF REDUCING TEACHING HOURS ON TERTIARY BEGINNERS’ JAPANESE LANGUAGE STUDIES Judith Ascione and Nicolette Bramley University of Canberra
LOTE at Australian Universities Tertiary LOTE courses face budgetary constraints Japanese suffers higher attrition than other LOTE languages (Nettlebeck, Byron, Clyne, Elder, Hajek, Levy, McLaren, Möllering and Wigglesworth 2009) Causal link between the reduction in contact hours and language proficiency (Nettlebeck, Byron, Clyne, Hajek, Levy, Lo Bianco, McLaren and Wigglesworth 2007)
UC Beginners’Japanese content and assessment • Content • Survival conversation • Introduction to writing system • Assessment • Workbook – self study • Written tests (including listening) x 3 • Oral tests x 2 • Written exam
Research questions Question 1: Were there a higher proportion of students who discontinued either before or after the census date, thus not completing the unit in 2009?
Significant difference between 2009 and 2007/2008 • The p-value for this test was 0.04.
Question 2 results: Boxplots of the Total Marks for each Year
Question 2 results • The mean total mark significantly reduced in 2009. • ANOVA test that showed that the mean total mark for 2009 was significantly lower than 2007 and 2008. (F = 6.312, p < .005)
Question 3 results • The overall grades were significantly lower in 2009. • Chi-Squared test (2 = 16.768, df =8, p ≤.033) • High Distinction (HD) (85-100%) in 2009 decreased to 50% of the 2007 and 2008 • Pass marks (50-64%) in 2009 more than four times as much as the average number of the 2007 and 2008 Pass marks.
Conclusion Lower overall proficiency in 2009 Higher attrition rate Flow on effects for higher year levels