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Creating translingual teaching resources based on translanguaging grammar rules and pedagogical practices
No full textThis article describes the process of understanding how translanguaging is naturally used in multilingual teaching environments and then applying this analysis to the creation of translanguaging grammar rules and ultimately pedagogical materials. Focusing primarily on our work with a Māori puna reo in Aotearoa New Zealand, but also drawing upon our work with a Samoan a’oga amata, we explain in this article how we created translingual children’s books and other teaching materials that are able to embody translingual practices and core cultural values. After discussing the materials and their development, this article ends with an initial analysis of the materials’ effectiveness as well as a discussion of the importance of translingual pedagogical materials that goes beyond traditional discussions of codeswitching in the classroom
The indirect spaced repetition concept
No full textThe main goal of this research is to systemize, build, and test prototype software to demonstrate Indirect Spaced Repetition (ISR) as a viable concept for Second Language Vocabulary Acquisition (SLVA). ISR is designed around well-founded spaced repetition and SLVA principles. Most importantly, it is based on Nation’s (2001) recommendation to consider all three tiers of word knowledge (meaning, form, and function/use) and subsequent 18 aspects of word knowledge for a more balanced approach in teaching and learning vocabulary. ISR prototype software was achieved in the conceptual phase of the research. The resulting prototype flashcard software was given an in-depth trial for a period of 2 weeks by seven university students. Participants were given a post-project survey to evaluate ISR software (ISRS) under four categories: enjoyment, usefulness, usability, and general consideration. Post-test survey findings showed above-average satisfaction and consideration to use such software in the future. However, these findings also revealed that some areas could be further improved, such as addressing some hardware/software issues (e.g., IT infrastructure problematics and lag) and integrating gamification elements (e.g., performance feedback/reports)
An overview and synthesis of research on English loanwords in Japanese
No full textLoanwords in Japanese that share form and meaning with English words are referred to as Japanese-English cognates (e.g., ラジオ /radӡio/ “radio”) and are of fundamental concern for researchers concerned with vocabulary learning and instruction. This concern is reflected in the growing body of research into Japanese-English cognates in applied linguistics, which has addressed a wide range of questions in different contexts and with various methodologies. However, the research relevant to applied linguists appears not only in various domestic and international learning- and teaching-focused publications, but also in the feeder disciplines of linguistics, sociolinguistics and psycholinguistics. Consequently, identifying published research on Japanese-English cognates presents a considerable challenge for the applied linguist, which may in turn hinder progression in the field. Therefore, this article reports a comprehensive yet non-exhaustive literature search, which yielded a corpus of 130research publications, for which a full reference list is provided. Furthermore, an overview and synthesis of the research is given, illustrating how cognates are typically treated in the feeder disciplines and in studies focusing on language learning and/or teaching, and assessment. Based on this synthesis, the following key areas for future research are identified: learners’ identification and use of cognates in English, their knowledge of loanwords in Japanese, their attitudes and beliefs towards cognates, researchers’ categorisation of cognates, whether classroom teaching approaches to cognates impact learning outcomes, and the extent of the cognate advantage in a range of assessment formats
A procedure for determining Japanese loanword status for English words
No full textJapanese loanwords are mainly derived from English. These loanwords provide a considerable first-language (L1) resource that may assist in second-language (L2) vocabulary learning and instruction. However, given the huge number of loanwords, it is often difficult to determine whether an English word has a loanword equivalent and whether the loanword is likely to be widely known among the Japanese. This article demonstrates an efficient method of answering these two questions. The method employs corpus frequency data from the Balanced Corpus of Contemporary Written Japanese, from which the existence and frequency of loanwords in Japanese can be determined. Following the guidelines presented herein, researchers will be able to use data from the corpus themselves to check cognate frequency, thereby determining the cognate status of items used in research
Representations of multiculturalism in Japanese elementary EFL textbooks: A critical analysis
No full textRecent reforms to Foreign Language Activities policies in Japan have highlighted the importance of facilitating multilingualism and multiculturalism in global contexts. However, as this analysis finds, some of the most recent textbooks (2018-2020) for Foreign Language Activities classes in Japan are English Foreign Language (EFL) textbooks that fail to provide teachers and students with meaningful discussions on society, language, or culture. This critical discourse analysis (CDA) finds that four elementary school textbooks currently being used by boards of education throughout Japan fail to meet the Ministry of Education’s goals for developing multilingualism and multiculturalism in Japanese elementary schools. Working in an anti-racist lens, this paper identifies problematic areas within the textbooks Let’s Try 1, Let’s Try, We Can 1, and We Can 2 (MEXT, 2018) and discusses the necessity of an attitudinal shift from linguistic hegemony to the implementation of anti-bias frameworks in language and culture education in Japan
The effect of mobile-assisted language learning on speaking accuracy of EFL learners
No full textAs a type of technology-enhanced learning tool, mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) provides a rich input environment enabling learners to learn a second language beyond the classroom. The present study was an attempt to explore the effectiveness of MALL in providing learners with opportunities to foster their oral accuracy. For this purpose, a total of 35 English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners were assigned into two groups. In the experimental group (n=16), learners were asked to engage with ACO as an interactive mobile-assisted application while in the control group (n=19), learners did not receive any such intervention. Speaking accuracy was measured by oral narrative pre- and post-tests. The findings of statistical analysis revealed the positive effects of MALL, highlighting the essence of supplementing formal learning at school by non- and informal learning in enthusiastic and motivating ways through the use of ever-developing new technological aids. Implications for the language classrooms are presented
The emergence of a first paradigm in vocabulary research: The bibliometrics of system
No full textThis paper uses a bibliometric method to analyse the vocabulary research published in the journal System between 1976 and 2017. The bibliometric method used here is co-citation analysis, an approach which allows us to map the influences that have significantly impacted on vocabulary research. The analysis is intended to expand on an earlieranalysis by Lei and Liu (2019), which studied the outputs in System but also analyses the features of all the papers published in the journal. This paper identifies five main clusters in the System data set. It also reports how these clusters grow and change over time. It argues that the data point to the emergence of a first paradigm in vocabulary research (Kuhn, 1971), and suggests some ways in which this paradigm might shift in response to demographic changes among the researchers who publish in System
General word lists: Overview and evaluation
No full textVocabulary learning is unarguably one of the sub-goals in every language classroom. The learning and teaching of vocabulary have been transformed by the development of general word lists, providing compilations of the most prevalent vocabulary items used in everyday contexts. These lists have made an invaluable contribution to the field of applied linguistics in terms of both research and pedagogy, they have assisted the learning, teaching and testing of vocabulary, and they have also been widely used in materials development and vocabulary research. However, if they are to be utilised effectively, it is important to understand the characteristics of these word lists. Thus, this article offers a review of the various general word lists presently available with the aim of assisting English as a Foreign Language (EFL)/English as a Second Language (ESL) practitioners in making informed decisions regarding the choice and utility of these word lists in their practices
Vocabulary learning and assessment: A commentary on four studies for JALT vocabulary SIG
No full textFour papers by Chie Ogawa, Haidee Thomson, Michael Holsworthm and Darrell Wilkinson were presented in the Vocabulary Learning and Assessment session at the Eighth Annual Japan Association for Language Teaching (JALT) Vocabulary Special Interest Group (SIG) Symposium, at the University of Niigata, Japan, in May 2020. The papers raised methodological questions, proposed approaches to assessing spoken and written word knowledge and fluency, and presented some experimental findings. It is my pleasure to discuss these papers in terms of the ideas proposed by the four researchers, their implementation and potential future direction
“Soy estudiante de ingles :)” – A telecollaborative approach to intercultural and ethnographic engagement in a Hong Kong university course
No full textThis ethnographic case study explores intercultural and ethnographic engagement by undergraduate Hong Kong students enrolled in an Intercultural Communication course at a public research university. Ethnographic projects originated from virtual exchanges with undergraduates in a professional writing course at a private research institution on the East Coast in the U.S. Using a discourse approach as taught in the course, Hong Kong teams explored, analyzed, and reflected on intercultural communication topics as experienced in social networking sites. Hong Kong teams elicited from their U.S. partners information on their personal, institutional, and professional contexts. Online interactions took place on Facebook over 10 weeks, and Hong Kong teams were encouraged to analyze their online interactions for an ethnographic project, a course requirement. The author investigates Hong Kong students’ prior experiences and expectations, and if and how Hong Kong students engaged with counterparts in the U.S. on Facebook to collect information on their topic, and if Hong Kong teams analyzed their Hong Kong-U.S. exchanges. Data triangulation includes a pre- and post-project survey, Facebook interactions, and ethnographic projects. Findings indicate that the majority of Hong Kong teams used their online exchanges for analysis in relation to course themes (e.g., politeness, face systems, corporate ideologies) as well as commented on the cultural exchange as a learning outcome