Exploring the Possibility of a Learner Development Programme: A Case Study of Japanese Language Educ

1
Exploring the Possibility of a Learner
Development Programme A Case Study of Japanese
Language Education in Higher Education
Institutions in Thailand

• The Autonomy and Language Learning Maintaining
  Control Conference
• Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
• 14 June 2004
• Tomonori OKADA
• Centre for Language Studies
• Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
• National University of Singapore
• www.fas.nus.edu.sg/cls
• tomonori_okada_at_hotmail.com

2
What is a learner development programme?

• Learner development
• The improvement of the learners capacity for
  planning, monitoring and assessing his/her own
  learning (Wenden 2002 34)
• A learner development programme
• A set of courses designed to improve learners
  capacity for managing his/her own learning
• A programme which fosters learners capacity
  of autonomous language learning

3
My approach to the paper

• Point of view
• Review of previous theories
• from a point of education of a less popular
  language taught in a FL learning context
• A theoretical proposal
• Proposal of a theoretical framework of programme
  designing
• Application to a specific learning context

4
The structure of the paper

• Section 1
• Introduction the rationale of the
  implementation of a learner development programme
  for Japanese language education in HE
  institutions in Thailand
• Section 2
• A review of literature on the notion of learner
  development
• Section 3
• Setting a new framework of a learner development
  programme
• Section 4
• Proposal discussion of programme design for
  Japanese language education in HE institutions in
  Thailand
• Section 5
• Summary and conclusion

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Japanese language education in Thai HE
institutions

• Figure 1 Map of Thailand (Adapted from National
  Geographic Society 2003)

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Japanese language education in Thai HE
institutions

• Table 1 Top Ten Countries for the Number of
  Japanese-Language Education Students in 1998
• (the Japan Foundation 2000 5)

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Japanese language education in Thai HE
institutions

• Figure 2 The Breakdown of Educational
  Institutions in Thailand in 1998
• (Adapted from the Japan
  Foundation 2003)

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Japanese language education in Thai HE
institutions

• Japanese courses among 82 institutions...
• 13 as major
• 12 as minor
• 57 as free electives
• Graduates careers
• Job securing rate 80-90
• Career paths
• 80 graduates work in
• Japanese companies
• Salary 2-4x more

Figure 3 Career paths of Thammasat
University graduates in 2000
(Adapted from Skulkru 20018-9)
? Motivation for learning Japanese
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Japanese language education in Thai HE
institutions

• Problems
• Lack of qualified teachers
• Curriculum design
• Syllabus emphasis on structure
• Large classes
• Graduates lack of self-study skills
• Culture gap at workplace

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Rationale for a learner development programme

• To be effective in study of the language at HE
  institutions
• even in large classes
• especially for the understanding of
  socio-cultural aspect of the language
• To be prepared for further study after graduation
• to develop skills for managing self-study

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History of the notion of learner development

• Two roots (Wenden 2002)
• Self-directed language learning
• Henri Holec and autonomy in language learning
• Influenced by social and political factors in
  Europe in 1970s
• ? Autonomy in learners relevant social context
• Learner strategies
• Studies in good language learner
• Good learners can articulate what to do for
  language learning
• ? Focused on learners cognitive capacity and
  awareness

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History of the notion of learner development

• Learner Training
• A training programme to foster learners capacity
  of autonomous learning
• A two-step deductive procedure
• 1. Investigating learners knowledge on
  his/her
• beliefs about language and language learning
• use of learning strategies
• 2. Explicit teaching including informing and
  exercises

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Frameworks of learner development programmes

• Underlying factors
• Personal factors Environment factors
• Intelligence, Society, Culture,
• Personality, Value system of the
• Level of education, group which the
• Cognitive style etc. learner belongs etc.
• Previous learning experience etc.
• Metacognitive
• knowledge on Belief
• language
• learning
• Learning strategies
• Cognitive
• Metacognitive

• Figure 4 Framework of Learner Development
  Programmes
• (Adapted from Abraham and Vann 1987 97)

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A critical review of the notion of learner
training

• Theoretical drawback of notions claim on
  universality
• Motivation
• Learner training less effective for those with
  low motivation in language learning
• Autonomous learning improves learners
  motivation
• ? Learner training required preparation process
  to improve learners
• capacity of autonomous learning?
• Learners social/cultural background and affect
• Ethnological study (Coleman 1996) questions on
  cultural appropriateness
• Training outcome not always replicative across
  learners with different cultural backgrounds
• No precise directions for learners affect

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A new framework of learner development
programmes

• Underlying factors
• Personal factors Environment factors
• Intelligence, Society, Culture,
• Personality, Value system of the
• Level of education, group which the
• Cognitive style etc. learner belongs etc.
• Previous learning experience etc.
• Metacognitive
• knowledge on Belief
• language
• learning
• Learning strategies
• Cognitive
• Metacognitive

• Figure 4 Framework of Learner Development
  Programmes
• (Adapted from Abraham and Vann 1987 97)

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A new framework of learner development programmes

• Characteristics
• Making effective use of the underlying factors
  which the learner already has
• Let the learner start autonomous learning at the
  level he/she can
• Let the learner inductively acquire additional
  underlying factors which is necessary for
  autonomous learning at higher level
• Teachers role
• To investigate both learners background and the
  learning context
• To provide a learner hands-on autonomous learning
  experience at appropriate level
• cf. learner training
• explicit deductive teaching of beliefs
  and strategy use

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A new framework of learner development programmes

• Some remarks
• Actual programme design defers according to each
  learner the given learning context
• Availability of local learning resources
  possible constraint
• A learner development programme in the new
  framework
• still to increasing learners capacity of
  autonomous learning
• not directly to improve learners language
  competence

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Proposal a learner development programme for
Japanese language education in Thai HE
institutions

• Programme details
• Compulsory an independent study course...
• at lower intermediate level
• conducts project work contains interviews with
  native speakers of Japanese in Thailand
• Optional additional projects with speakers of
  Japanese, such as...
• Visitor sessions in classroom
• Home stay
• Social visit to Japanese companies factories,
  tourist attractions etc...
• Possible topics
• geography, history, etiquette, religion, family,
  housing, cooking, opinions on social issues

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Proposal a learner development programme for
Japanese language education in Thai HE
institutions

• Analysis of underlying factors learning
  resources (1)
• Interpersonal and social relation norms
• Thais well balanced between individualism and
  group-oriented (Mulder 1996)
• Resources well-sufficient human resources
• Students previous experience of language
  learning
• (Matsui et al. 1999)
• Primary/secondary education
• Too much emphasis on forms and structure
• Curricula unclear goals, lack of opportunities
  to use FLs outside of class
• Unqualified teachers
• Too much emphasis on achievement tests
• Student-teacher relationships

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Proposal a learner development programme for
Japanese language education in Thai HE
institutions

• Learning Resources for Thai HE Students of
  Japanese
• (Adapted from Tanaka and Saito 1993
  Thomson-Kinoshita 1997)
• Human Resources
• Japanese people (teachers company workers
  tourists pensioners etc.)
• Colleague students (seniors classmates and
  juniors)
• Material Resources publications, audio-visual
  materials pamphlets etc.
• Books textbooks dictionaries
• Audio-visual materials
• Media (Japanese newspapers/television programmes)
  
• Advertisement pamphlets (tour guides, menu at
  Japanese restaurant etc.)
• Social Resources various groups of speakers of
  Japanese
• Japanese associations
• Japanese restaurants, shops, bookstores, shops
• Information Services Resources
  organisations/media as self-accessible resource
  centres
• Libraries
• Japanese consulates
• Internet

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Proposal a learner development programme for
Japanese language education in Thai HE
institutions

• Analysis of underlying factors learning
  resources (2)
• Motivation and timing of the independent study
• Available number of native speakers of Japanese
• Very large number of students at elementary level
• Assessment and institutional issues
• HE institutions responsibility towards the
  society
• certification of students achievement
• Appropriate quota in the whole curriculum?

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Summary

• A review of the notion of learner development
• Overemphasis on learner training technical
  aspects in learner development
• Underestimate of learners personal factors
  social/cultural factors
• Proposal of a learner development programme for
• Japanese language education in Thai HE
  institutions
• An independent study course at lower
  intermediate level
• Project work including interaction with native
  speakers of Japanese

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Reference (1)

• Abraham, R. G. and R. J. Vann. 1987.
  Strategies of Two Language Learners A Case
  Study in A. L. Wenden and J. Rubin (eds)
  Learner Strategies in Language Learning Chapter
  7 85-102. London Prentice Hall International.
• Coleman, H. (ed). 1966. Society and the
  Language Classroom. Cambridge CUP.
• The Japan Foundation Japanese-Language Institute,
  Urawa. 2000. Present Condition of Overseas
  Japanese-Language Education Survey Report on
  Japanese-Language Education Abroad 1998. Urawa
  The Japan Foundation Japanese-Language Institute,
  Urawa.
• . 2003. Information on Japanese-Language
  Education Thailand. Urawa The Japan Foundation
  Japanese-Language Institute, Urawa.
  www.jpf.go.jp/j/urawa/world/kunibetsu/1999/thailan
  d.html (29 August 03)
• Matsui, Y., T. Kitamura and V. Chirasombutti.
  1999. Tai ni okeru nihongo kyouiku sono kiban
  to seisei to hatten (Japanese Language Education
  in Thailand Its Background, Situations and a
  History of Its Development). Tokyo Kinsei-sha.
• Mulder, N. 1996. Inside Thai Society
  Interpretations of Everyday Life (5th ed).
  Amsterdam The Pepin Press.
• National Geographic Society. 2003. Xpeditions
  Atlas Thailand. Washington DC National
  Geographic Society. www.nationalgeographic.com/xp
  editions/atlas (30 August 2003)

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Reference (2)

• Rees-Miller, J. 1993. A Critical Appraisal of
  Learner Training Theoretical Bases and Teaching
  Implications TESOL Quarterly 27/4 679-689.
• Riley, P. 1999. On the Social Construction of
  the Learner in S. Cotterall and D. Crabbe
  (eds) Learner Autonomy in Language Learning
  Defining the Field and Effecting Change 29-41.
  Frankfurt Peter Lang.
• Skulkru, P. 2001. Tai ni okeru nihongo
  kyouiku Donna jinzai o ikusei subeki ka
  Japanese Language Education in Thailand What
  Kind of Human Resources Should We Develop?.
  The Old Japan Students Association, Thailand
  (OJSAT) (ed) Japanese Language Teachers Seminar
  Vision and Experience Exchange of Japanese
  Language Teaching in ASEAN. Grand Pacific
  Hotel, Bangkok. 20-21 October 2001.
• Tanaka, N. and S. Saito. 1993. Nihongo kyouiku
  no riron to jissai Gakushuu sisutemu no kaihatsu
  Theory and Practice in Japanese Language
  Education Development of Learning Support
  System Tokyo Taishukan.
• Thomson-Kinoshita, C. 1997. Kaigai no nihongo
  kyouiku ni okeru risoosu no katsuyou (Japanese
  Language Learning Resources for Overseas Learners
  and Teachers) Sekai no nihongo kyouiku
  (Japanese-Language Education around the Globe) 7
  17-29.
• Wenden, A. L. 2002. Learner Development in
  Language Learning Applied Linguistics 23/1
  32-55.

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