ACTFL 2002 (November 22, 2002)

The Possibility of Technology Use in a Real Japanese Classroom:
Deeper Look at Reluctance to CALL among Good Teachers

Yoko Nakamichi
Miyuki Fukai

Indiana University

1. Background

1.1 Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL)
1.2 Use of CALL in Class

2. Study

2.1 Participants
2.2 Course and Activity: E-mail exchange
2.3 Data collection
2.4 Data analysis

3. Findings

3.1 Interview 1 (01/24/02)

  • Ambivalent due to limited experience
  • Positive than negative in the hope that technology benefits students
  • "I haven't gotten to the point where I can say if [the email activity] would be good, bad, or helpful"
  • "I don't really know if the e-mail activity would be helpful for Japanese language education."
  • "With the e-mail activity, whether it�s good or bad, I think it will at least be enjoyable for the students."
  • "For them, basically there wasn't any [problem]."
  • "This wouldn't be a burden to me at all"
  • It's expected that it could be a little bit confusing at first."
  • "If we really want to do this, then we can find a way."

    • 3.2 Class activity between the first interview and the third interview (01/24/02)

    • Had students report e-mail partners (involving error correction)
    • Suggested asking questions related to the course project

    Student: In the first email message, [I wrote] Dad is Sakura University's�..
    Instructor: Who?
    Student: My male parent is�..
    Instructor: Father. Father. You should absolutely not use "Dad" [in formal writing].
    Instructor: Everybody, is [email activity] useful? Interesting? When you are doing project or something,
               please obtain opinion [from your email partner] by asking many questions.

    3.3 Third Interview (02/14/02)

    • "Positive --> negative" comment pattern
    • Started to be skeptical because of struggle to make a strong connection between the e-mail activity and other course materials

  • "[The email activity] might be useful for focusing on form"
  • "It is of no use unless we look at [forms], right?"
  • "I would say that asking students to report what their partners have said briefly in class might at least be helpful to practice speaking, but it wouldn't be anything more than that"

    • 3.4 Class activity between the third interview and the forth interview (02/19/02)

    • Showed errors from e-mail messages and had students correct them

    Instructor: Do you know (casual form) him? I think he was (casual form) a splendid teacher.
    Do you think anything is strange [with this statement]?.
    Student: It was "do (honorific)" in the first, so, it should be�
    Instructor: Yes, it is called "the level of speech." In one consecutive writing, once you use "do (honorific)" and "be (honorific)," you want to use these for all of the sentences.

    3.5 Class activity between the third interview and the forth interview2 (02/28/02)

    • Had students report e-mail partners; A student introduced a poem made by a Japanese historical figure of her choice
    • Discussed related poems with historical information

    To have students report what they have been talked with partners, especially about the connection between their project and their partner's opinion. Though most of the students presented their partner's personal information, one student introduced that her partner taught her famous poetry made by the person she chose. The professor and students interpreted the historical in the poetry.

    3.6 Fourth Interview (03/07/02)

    • Negative due to failure to link the e-mail activity with the existing course materials
    • Disbelief in benefits of technology in favor of traditional, face-to-face class activities

  • "Maybe it [the email activity] does not have much benefit. This is because you can correct the same errors in the other writing assignments [as in email]"
  • "The reason I think I can�t do this in the future is because it just becomes extra work, you know?"
  • "Actually, I'm lost now. I don't know what to do�It is definitely a good resource, though"
  • "But, I don't think [using the technology] would be best [for language education]. Well, I just think face to face [communication is necessary]"

    3.7 Class activity 1 after the forth interview (03/21/02)

    • Told students to write about specific topics related to the course
    • Encouraged students to link the e-mail activity with other work

    "I have some questions that I absolutely want you to ask your partners" [Wrote the following list on the board]

    1. About XXX (a female Japanese author)
    2. About ZZZ (a female Japanese educator)
    3. About questions difficult to answer
    4. About education

    Instructor: I have things that I want you to make sure to ask your pen pals about. (writing four things on the board) The content of the e-mail isn't a part of your grade, but whether or not you discuss them is. So, please write seriously. If your pen pal doesn't say anything (about your questions), why don't you ask them again? Why don't you say, 'I have to report in class, will you please tell me'?

    3.8 Follow-up Interview

    • Resistance to technology because of unsatisfactory outcomes of the first experience in using technology
    • Possible change in attitudes if technology is used in a different context

  • "I'm not going to use this activity in my class again"
  • "Upper-level students don�t have enough time� I can't tell who will be enrolled in a course, so I can't make a plan in advance� Students are weak in reading, so there are a lot of things to do before e-mail that seems to be an extension of speaking� [I could have students do the e-mail activity outside class, but] even if so, I already assign a lot of homework" "Current students are very passive, and they can�t do anything unless I give them something"
  • "[E-mail] could benefit my current students. I might change my opinions [about the use of technology] if I did [use e-mail] with my current students. It's because there aren't students who can speak like native speakers. And on top of that, few students have been to Japan or have Japanese friends. In other words, authentic exposure is absolutely lacking. So, if I give them a chance to be active on their own, they may get more interested in increasing authentic exposure, and they may be able to participate actively.

    • 4. Another look at findings

    5. Conclusion

    6. Blueprint: Online newspaper project

    Copyright 2002: Y. Nakamichi & M. Fukai