A study on Learning Problems of Senior High JSL Students in Taiwan

• Main Authors: Lee Hsin-I, 李欣倚
• Other Authors: Ferng Bow-Ju
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2010
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/91712509278047097153

碩士 === 輔仁大學 === 日本語文學系 === 98 === With the Ministry of Education’s (the MOE) promotion of the second foreign language education in Twain, Japanese, as a second language, is therefore introduced into senior high education. Among various second foreign languages, Japanese seems to be senior high school students’ first choice, due to Japan’s geographical and economical relation with Taiwan and the Japanophilia trend in Taiwan. Although, in senior high schools, a second foreign language course is obligatory/elective (namely, a second foreign language is a obligatory subject but different foreign languages are provided for students to choose from), the learners’ learning willingness is comparatively lower in comparision with that of the learners in Japanese-related departments in colleges. In addition, according to the statistics published by the MOE, it is shown that there is a discrepancy in number of students taking Japanese as a second foreign language between the 1st semester and the 2nd semester; to be specific, the number of students taking Japanese is lower in the 2nd semester. Consequently, the present thesis is aimed at investigating and solving the learning problems the JSL senior high school students have and further providing an optimal pedagogical methodology to increase the students’ motivation to take Japanese as a second foreign language and prove the feasibility of Japanese language education in senior high schools if the MOE continue to promote it in the following ten years. Besides, the present thesis expects to provide inspirations for those intending to devote themselves to Japanese language education. The present thesis bases itself on the course information published by Department of Secondary Education, the MOE, from 2008 to 2009. The participants involve ten senior high schools that offer the most Japanese language courses in Taipei City and County. The methodology includes questionnaire and in-class observation. The major findings are as follows Learning problems by the students in public senior high schools. 1. The reasons for taking Japanese as a second foreign language: the internal motivation is stronger but the external one is weaker. 2. The courses are practice-oriented. 3. The image of Japanese is not positively boosted. 4. Syntax and vocabulary are the obstacles that the students find difficulties overcoming. 5. The attitude toward Japanese learning is negative. 6. It is commonly assumed that teaching hours are not enough. 7. The teaching materials cannot satisfy the learning needs. Learning problems by the students in private senior high schools. 1. The reasons for taking Japanese as a second foreign language: both the internal and the external motivation are stronger. 2. Learning needs focus on the development of each aspect. 3. The image of Japanese gradually becomes negative. 4. Syntax is the main obstacle to Japanese learning. 5. The attitude toward Japanese learning is comparatively positive. 6. Japanese-teaching teachers ‘course schedules are comparatively tight. 7. It is assumed that more and more Japanese courses can maximize Japanese language learning. At last, based on the conditions that prompt the formation of learning willingness and strengthen learning motivation, I propose some concrete strategies for Japanese language teaching. The present thesis is organized as follows. Chapter One is an introduction, providing the information about the background, the overall research goals, the selection of subjects and the methodology. Chapter Two is about the literature review, introducing the history of the second foreign language education in Taiwan and the design of a sample questionnaire for the present thesis by reviewing the previous studies on Japanese learning in senior high schools and referring to the questionnaire designs found in the related theses. Chapter Three deals with the analysis of the collected questionnaires. First, I give a brief introduction to the questionnaire content and divide the results obtained from the questionnaires into two groups for discussion, the students in public schools and the students in private schools. Subsequently, I identify the learning problems commonly found in these two groups. Chapter Four is intended to compare the in-class observation with the results obtained from the questionnaires. First, I will introduce the steps for administering the observation, and then identify the problems after the observation. Second, I investigate the differences discovered in the results between the questionnaires and the in-class observation. Chapter Five is the conclusion, summarizing the main points of each chapter and indicating some parts that go beyond the scope of the present study and require further research.