Where’s the research for Japanese language education?
I was taking a look at last year’s admissions test for the Japanese Applied Linguistics Graduate program at Waseda and there are some very interesting and intriguing questions.
Here’s a small sample:
G JSLの子どもを対象にした日本語学習教材について述べなさい。
B CLL (Community Language Learning) について説明しなさい。
H 「総合型教科書」 について述べなさい。
You can download the whole file at:
http://www.waseda.jp/gsjal/dat/nyusi_master/07.4-07.9m_kakomon.pdf.
It seems like there’s a lot of research and things going on for teaching Japanese. But I have no idea where I can get information about this stuff. For instance, how do I get these teaching materials for JSL kids? (I’m guessing JSL is Japanese as a Second Language like ESL?) I’m also curious about what a 「総合型教科書」 is and how it could help people learning Japanese. It certainly can’t be worse than the mainstream textbooks here. Or maybe Community Language Learning is the way to go for learning Japanese? I have no idea because unfortunately, real research studies and papers are nowhere to be found on the net. I guess I can try looking in University libraries nearby.
The thing I’m wondering is how does all this research help people learning languages? Biomedical research cure illnesses and technology research (eventually) creates new and innovative products but how does research in applied linguistics help improve the language classes that you and I take? Why are we still stuck with workbooks, flash cards, drills, cheesy dialogues, and crappy textbooks? When is this Applied Linguistics research going to “apply” to us?
I’m curious to hear from anybody studying Applied Linguistics particularly for Japanese or Chinese. What’s the best way for me to catch up on current research and introduce the good stuff to the rest of the world?
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December 25th, 2007 at 4:02 am
I believe JSL refers to “Japanese Sign Language” in this case. I have taught deaf Japanese children before with JET, and I can attest that they can have a lot of difficulty with oral/written Japanese.
December 28th, 2007 at 12:53 am
My guess is that if you go to the bookstore and buy the study guide published by Waseda, it will have all the info you need to pass the entrance exam.
December 28th, 2007 at 8:08 am
Thanks Chris. Do you mean I have to go to the Waseda bookstore?
December 28th, 2007 at 2:28 pm
Sorry about that respoonse.
They might have it there, too. It’s just typical for universities to publish books, often per department, with prep information for the entrance exams. These are usually on sale at bookstores across the country.
I guess I was being a little too cynical with my response since it was mostly a jab at the entrance exam system and that if you bought the book, you’d have example questions and info that you’d be asked about on the test.
*ahem*
As for actually looking into information about teaching Japanese as a second language, I highly recommend the Japan Foundation.
http://www.jpf.go.jp/
These guys are a fantastic source. And if there’s anything you can’t find on their site, I’m sure you could e-mail them for some links or references.
December 31st, 2007 at 11:01 am
I intend to go to school for a Linguistics major (with a Japanese base) this summer ‘08. So if I remember I’ll come back and post what I found out.
January 3rd, 2008 at 9:30 pm
Hi there :)
I think I’d recommend the university library, and read up on some materials concerning second language acquisition and language planning.
I do know of a major contributor to linguistics by the name of Shibata Takeshi and he’s written quite a number of material. I think he would be of help to you. Look for him, and it should lead you onto more relevant stuff.
Another area of study I think is important for anyone considering doing second language teaching is the relationship between language and thought. It’s a relatively new area of study - it only really kicked off in the mid 20th century.
I’ll leave it here for now because I don’t want to overwhelm. Good luck!
January 5th, 2008 at 2:26 am
Thanks, I’m going to see if I can visit some libraries at University of Washington.
January 10th, 2008 at 9:25 am
I had a long reply written but I’m getting some kind of error.
January 10th, 2008 at 9:26 am
Trying again: The problem is that researchers can do all the research they want, but that doesn’t mean administrators or school officials (or even teachers) are willing to implement it–or that publishers will publish it. It’s deeply frustrating to me–I have a master’s in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages), studied Chinese previously, and am currently studying Japanese. Among the theories I subscribe to are those of Stephen Krashen, who holds that large amounts of comprehensible written input are essential to language acquisition. For ESL/EFL students, there are lots of good “graded readers” written for just this purpose, but for Japanese? Well, there’s only one series as far as I can tell.
You can find some articles on Japanese in specific by searching Google Scholar (probably from an on-campus computer for journal access).