著者
北村 まゆみ
出版者
全国英語教育学会
雑誌
全国英語教育学会紀要 (ISSN:13448560)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.22, pp.169-184, 2011

The purpose of this paper is to examine whether errors affect the quality of essay writing by Japanese EFL university students. Using a decision tree analysis, a total of 134 essays on two topics from a corpus written by Japanese university students were selected and analyzed. The results showed that the ratio of errors per word was not an influential predictor affecting writing quality in essays on the topic "school education," whereas it was a predictor of essay scores in the case of the other topic, "money." Our qualitative analysis also revealed that students at the Middle level produced sentence fragments and even learners at the High level made frequent errors in subject-verb agreements. These results suggest that errors have some influence on essay evaluation.
著者
笠原 究
出版者
全国英語教育学会
雑誌
ARELE : annual review of English language education in Japan (ISSN:13448560)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.21, pp.91-100, 2010-03

The purpose of the study is to investigate whether learning a two-word collocation is superior in retention and retrieval of meaning to learning a single word. The focus is on the effect of a two-word collocation consisting of a known word and a new word for learners, such as school janitor. This study employed 39 high school students. They were asked to remember the Japanese meanings of 20 low-frequency English words, half of which were turned into two-word collocations by attaching high-frequency cues. In short, they tried to remember the Japanese equivalents of 10 single words and 10 two-word collocations. Two types of recall test were conducted. Test 1 presented all the items as single words by removing the cues from the two-word collocations (without the cue condition). Test 2 presented all the items as they were on the list (with the cue condition). Both of the tests were given to the same participants just after the learning phase and one week later. The main results were: (a) two-word collocations showed better retention of meaning than single words and, (b) two-word collocations showed better results in the recall tests with cues in the retrieval phase, whereas the opposite results were obtained without cues in the retrieval phase. Some pedagogical implications were drawn from these findings.
著者
羽藤 由美
出版者
全国英語教育学会
雑誌
全国英語教育学会紀要
巻号頁・発行日
vol.5, pp.31-40, 1994

This paper examines 'cognitive demands' of tasks as a possible cause of interlanguage(IL) variability. It begins with the definition of cognitive demands, and goes on to investigate their influence on cognitive operations involved in speech production. It will be suggested that the level of cognitive demands may be one of the external determinants of the learner's variable use of linguistic knowledge. This paper then identifies and examines several elements of cognitive demands, while simultaneously seeking to establish an analytic frame for assessing pedagogic tasks in terms of these demands. Such aspects as the degree of abstractions which tasks require the learner to make, and the range of meanings which tasks allow the learner to express, will be discussed. Finally, this paper specifies the danger inherent in 'unrestrained' forms of task-based approaches to second language(L2) teaching, and then suggests that regulating cognitive demands may be one way of evading that danger.
著者
深澤 清治 前田 啓朗 鬼田 崇作 山内 優佳 辰己 明子
出版者
全国英語教育学会
雑誌
ARELE : annual review of English language education in Japan (ISSN:13448560)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.26, pp.125-140, 2015-03-31

The purpose of the present research is to examine how quickly and accurately Japanese English as a foreign language (EFL) learners can make appropriateness judgments for second language (L2) requests. Previous studies in interlanguage pragmatics are limited in that they did not distinguish between types of pragmatic inappropriateness and also in that they used only offline measurement through questionnaires. The present study therefore distinguishes two types of pragmatic inappropriateness in L2 utterances (under-polite and over-polite) and measures the reaction time of learners' appropriateness judgments. The participants were 45 Japanese university students; they were asked to judge whether the presented L2 requests were appropriate or not in the situation, as quickly and accurately as possible. Six appropriate requests, five under-polite requests, and five over-polite requests were judged. Further, the degree of inappropriateness in under- and over-polite requests was manipulated from slightly inappropriate to very inappropriate. As a result, it was found that speed and accuracy of appropriateness judgments depend on the degree of (in)appropriateness of requests. In particular, extremely over-polite utterances were difficult for L2 learners to process.
著者
飯村 英樹
出版者
全国英語教育学会
雑誌
ARELE : annual review of English language education in Japan (ISSN:13448560)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.22, pp.361-376, 2011-03-31

This paper presents an analysis of whether performance in multiple-choice (MC) listening tests is influenced by the way in which questions and options are presented. We developed four test formats and analyzed the performance of our study participants-219 Japanese university students-having taken different formats of the tests. The results of the study demonstrated that the way in which questions were presented significantly affected test-taker performance-listeners performed better when questions were presented in writing rather than verbally. The second part of this study examined which characteristics of a test item (text, question, and options) were related to item difficulty in the context of our different test formats. Our results indicated that text-related variables (infrequent vocabulary, lexical diversity, word familiarity, grammatical complexity, text length, and speaker's role) were significantly correlated with item difficulty regardless of which test format was used and that task-processing variables (explicitness of question, necessary information, and lexical overlap between text and questions) were significantly correlated with specific formats. The implications of these findings on test validity are discussed.
著者
赤松 信彦 田中 貴子
出版者
全国英語教育学会
雑誌
ARELE : annual review of English language education in Japan (ISSN:13448560)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.19, pp.81-90, 2008-03

This study examined Japanese university students' knowledge of English articles. Specifically, the study investigated (a) Japanese university students' knowledge (i.e., accuracy) in their usage of English articles, (b) their meta-cognitive knowledge (i.e., confidence) in their usage of English articles, (c) the relationships between accuracy and confidence, and (d) the relationships between English proficiency and accuracy. Results showed that Japanese university students' knowledge varied in accuracy among the three types of articles: definite, indefinite, and no articles. Definite-articles were most properly used, while the accuracy in the usage of no articles was the lowest. It was also found that accuracy in the use of English articles was correlated with English proficiency and confidence. These results appear to suggest that (a) Japanese university students with higher English proficiency had more accurate knowledge in their usage of English articles, and (b) they used English articles with accurate meta-cognitive knowledge to a certain extent.
著者
草薙 邦広 山下 淳子
出版者
全国英語教育学会
雑誌
ARELE : annual review of English language education in Japan (ISSN:13448560)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.24, pp.205-220, 2013-03-31

The present study investigated effects of agreement type and morphosyntactic regularity on L1-Japanese learners' acquisition of explicit and implicit grammatical knowledge of the English plural morpheme. We adopted a timed grammaticality judgment task (TGJT) to measure implicit knowledge and an untimed grammaticality judgment task (GJT) for explicit knowledge in order to observe differences between learning difficulties in each type of knowledge. Twenty six participants completed the two tasks, and the scores were submitted to a three-way ANOVA (task types, agreement types, and morphosyntactic regularity). Only the main effect of morphological regularity was statistically significant in TGJT, while the interaction between agreement type and morphosyntactic regularity was observed in GJT. This result indicated that the two linguistic factors affect the acquisition of explicit and implicit knowledge in different ways.
著者
吉村 雅仁 後藤 美知子
出版者
全国英語教育学会
雑誌
ARELE : annual review of English language education in Japan (ISSN:13448560)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.6, pp.111-121, 1995-07

This paper reports the results of an investigation into the intonational influence on politeness judgements of requesting forms in English and Japanese through a questionnaire survey. The result confirmed the hypotheses which were presented in our last article that (1) intonation has a greater influence on politeness judgements in English than in Japanese and (2) the rising tone has a tendency to be perceived as more polite than the falling tone in English, but such a tendency is not observed in Japanese. Moreover, the uniformity of the informant-group enabled us to demonstrate the relative tendency of English male/female and elder/younger group concerning the perception of intonation. The female and the younger group tended to distinguish between the rising and falling tones more clearly than the opposite group in informal situations. This tendency was not found in the Japanese group.
著者
廣森 友人
出版者
全国英語教育学会
雑誌
ARELE : annual review of English language education in Japan (ISSN:13448560)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.20, pp.281-290, 2009-03

The English Education Center at Ehime University has been carrying out a series of studies in order to establish achievement goals and standards for evaluating achievement in General Education English classes. Based on preliminary questionnaires given to instructors and students, we have created tentative "Can-Do Lists" (benchmarks for evaluating English language proficiency) for four language skills. This paper, focusing especially on the benchmark of the writing skill, reports the current attempt to elaborate and validate the "Can-Do Lists", and suggests some effective ways to make good use of them. Although there has conventionally been a strong need for learning support that is based on achievement goals, this paper takes a specific perspective that provides effective guidance for that purpose.
著者
村尾 玲美
出版者
全国英語教育学会
雑誌
全国英語教育学会紀要 (ISSN:13448560)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.15, pp.1-10, 2004

Numbers of studies on language transfer have been done at phonological, morphological, and syntactic levels, but there is relatively little research done in the area of lexico-semantic where L1 influence is considered to be the most persistent and pervasive. The present study focuses on semantic transfer of verb + noun collocation by intermediate and advanced level Japanese learners of English. Attempts are made to examine (a) whether or not learners at different proficiency levels differ in their performance of language transfer in the domain of lexical collocation, and (b) what the possibilities are that make certain collocates more transferable over other collocates. The results of the Acceptability Judgment Test performed by three different proficiency groups show that even learners at the highest level have difficulty in correctly accepting and rejecting the easy verb collocations that do not have the same patterns in their L1. The findings suggest the importance of negative evidence and the effects of the contrastive approach to teaching collocation in order to develop learners' language proficiency one step further.
著者
藤田 卓郎
出版者
全国英語教育学会
雑誌
全国英語教育学会紀要 (ISSN:13448560)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.28, pp.335-348, 2017-03-31 (Released:2018-04-10)
参考文献数
11
被引用文献数
1

This study reports an action research aimed at alleviating learners' unwillingness to communicate in English and at enhancing their oral performance in the same. Targeting seven low-proficient learners, two cycles of action research were conducted. In each cycle, two communicative activities were carried out using a variety of scaffolding based on the framework of task-based language teaching. Learners' affective changes were examined both qualitatively and quantitatively, and the changes in their oral performance were measured quantitatively. The result revealed that learners' unwillingness to communicate reduced slightly and their oral performance improved in terms of fluency and syntactic complexity. Apart from the product of the action research, this study also shows the details of the events that occurred in each research cycle and the teacher's interpretation of these events. Based on the product and process of this action research, the study reflects on how the teacher's perspective of teaching English underwent a change.
著者
小林 翔
出版者
全国英語教育学会
雑誌
全国英語教育学会紀要 (ISSN:13448560)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.32, pp.161-176, 2021-03-31 (Released:2022-04-01)
参考文献数
36
被引用文献数
1

English has been recognized as a means of communication around the globe. However, students describing feelings of anxiety for speaking can be a common phenomenon owing to the lack of authentic situations to practice English. In this study, we examined the impact of an e-collaborative project using Information and Communication Technology (ICT) aimed at alleviating learners’ unwillingness to communicate in English. Two English-speaking programs were carried out using videoconferencing technology and an online video discussion platform that helps individual learner reflect and share the videoconferencing experience. A total of seventeen Japanese college students and thirteen Australian high school students participated in the study. Data were collected using a nine-item questionnaire before and after programs and free response item, and student reflections were analyzed using the co-occurrence network of words in the KH coder. Results showed that there was no statistically significant effect on reducing unwillingness to speak English, however, speaking anxiety statistically decreased. Additionally, it was observed that positive attitudes toward English changed after the intervention. These findings suggest that the e-collaborative project may have had an impact on decreasing speaking anxiety and enhancing motivation.
著者
飯村 英樹 高波 幸代
出版者
全国英語教育学会
雑誌
全国英語教育学会紀要 (ISSN:13448560)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.27, pp.293-308, 2016 (Released:2017-04-05)
参考文献数
23
被引用文献数
1

This study reports on how mimicking practice (MP) influences reading aloud and speaking performance. Thirty-eight Japanese university students who participated in this study were instructed to imitate a model reading for four weeks. Data for this study were collected via a pre- post-test design. Students' reading aloud performance was assessed in two ways: (a) how exactly they could imitate the model reading, and (b) how well they could read aloud a short dialogue and an expository text. Students' speaking performance, on the hand, was evaluated by a narration task in which they were asked to describe the events depicted in a series of pictures. The results demonstrated that students' reading aloud performance including mimicking skills was significantly improved in terms of fluency and prosodic features such as stress and intonation. The results also showed that the four-week MP could contribute to the development of fluency in speaking performance.
著者
卯城 祐司 森 好紳 細田 雅也 田中 菜採 ダウズ エレノア 多田 豪 中川 弘明
出版者
全国英語教育学会
雑誌
アレレ (ISSN:13448560)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.27, pp.81-96, 2016

This study examined whether and how Japanese EFL readers maintain coherent narrative comprehension in their memory representations. If readers can successfully maintain coherence in their text comprehension despite encountering coherence breaks, their text memory is enhanced, but if they fail, their text memory can suffer (Otero & Kintsch, 1992). In this study, 48 Japanese EFL university students read 8 experimental narratives and performed a recall task. In each narrative, a character performed an action (e.g., "Mary ordered a cheeseburger") that was either consistent or inconsistent with a prior description of him or her (e.g., "Mary loved junk food" or "Mary was a vegetarian"). The results showed that participants recalled more descriptions and actions of the characters in the inconsistent texts than in the consistent texts, indicating that they selectively reprocessed the inconsistent information in order to maintain coherence. Moreover, most readers chose to edit the later character actions, rather than the preceding descriptions, by substituting the inconsistent actions with more neutral actions (e.g., "Mary ordered food"). These findings suggest that L2 readers slightly edited subsequent information in order to maintain coherence. Pedagogical implications are argued in terms of developing autonomous readers who can self-monitor coherence in their text comprehension.
著者
鈴木 渉
出版者
全国英語教育学会
雑誌
全国英語教育学会紀要 (ISSN:13448560)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.20, pp.81-90, 2009

When second language (L2) learners produce and comprehend their target language, they are engaged in languaging, "a dynamic, never-ending process of using language to make meaning" (Swain, 2006, p. 96). According to Swain (2006), languaging is a major source of L2 learning. This paper investigates whether individuals learn an L2 more effectively when they language in response to written feedback that they receive than when they do not. I report the data from 24 students who engaged in a three-stage writing task: (1) writing a draft, (2) languaging about specific linguistic errors corrected in the draft, and (3) revising the draft. The average number of linguistic errors significantly decreased from the draft to its revision. Similarly, if an error was explained, it was more likely to be changed, whereas if an error was not explained, it was less likely to be changed. These findings suggest that languaging may have improved L2 writing accuracy. I point out several limitations of this study and conclude this paper by suggesting the need for further studies to examine the role of languaging in L2 learning.
著者
前田 啓朗
出版者
全国英語教育学会
雑誌
全国英語教育学会紀要 (ISSN:13448560)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.19, pp.253-262, 2008 (Released:2017-04-27)

This paper reports the practice of English language teaching for the first year university students in a listening class, intending to cooperate classroom teaching and individualized learning. A Web-Based Training (WBT) system is involved in order to overcome some problems which will be easily observed in the classroom teaching. Since each learner has different aptitudes, a certain instruction may be effective for some but ineffective for the others. It is true that instructions should be flexible so as to balance out the students' aptitudes. However, as far as a teacher controls the lessons, there still would be some difficulties for students to commit themselves to learning. Therefore, the present courses are planned to utilize the WBT system, named Gyuto-e, for the purpose of involving students into self-learning. Three kinds of questionnaires, which investigate learner beliefs, learning motivations, and vocabulary learning strategies, are conducted in the beginning and the end of the course. A hierarchical cluster analysis reveals the fact that the TOEIC test scores show there seem to be the positive tendencies compared with the students in other classes as well as that there are successful and unsuccessful learners who seem to show some particular tendencies of learner factors.
著者
廣森 友人
出版者
全国英語教育学会
雑誌
全国英語教育学会紀要 (ISSN:13448560)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.23, pp.361-372, 2012 (Released:2017-04-24)

Recent research investigating how the motivation to learn English can be enhanced has included several studies that discussed numerous motivational strategies (i.e., methods and techniques to generate and maintain the learners' motivation). However, in order for the outcomes of these studies to be fully utilized in actual classroom settings, they need to be used diagnostically and applied directly to the subsequent educational improvement. This study examined how English learners perceive motivational strategies, and whether instructional practice in keeping with the appraisal of these perceptions influences their motivation toward English learning. The results showed that (1) learners with different motivations appraised the effectiveness of motivational strategies in different ways, and (2) less motivated learners seemed to benefit the most from the instructional practice using motivation diagnosis as references. Based on the results, some educational implications and directions for future research are provided.
著者
卯城 祐司 土方 裕子 清水 真紀 院南 洋 笠原 究 下田 彰子 溝下 肇 佐藤 臨太郎
出版者
全国英語教育学会
雑誌
ARELE : annual review of English language education in Japan (ISSN:13448560)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.16, pp.71-80, 2005-03

A translation test is one of the most common reading test methods in Japan, although its reliability and validity have been quite controversial. This study investigated the reliability and validity of translation tests as a measure of reading comprehension in Japanese university entrance examinations, with a particular focus on two research questions: (a) In terms of reliability, what types of translation materials cause difference in rating severity? (b) In terms of validity, what types of sentence can make great differences between translation and comprehension tasks? In order to examine the first research question, four experienced teachers scored English-to-Japanese translations made by 102 university students. Results showed that rating divergence is attributable to raters' different points of scoring (holistic vs. partial), and raters' leniency for inappropriate Japanese expressions or careless mistakes. The second research question was examined by administering 18 sets of translation and reading comprehension tasks to the same participants as above. Results showed that 4 out of 18 English sentences used in Japanese university entrance examinations were considered to be inappropriate as materials for translation tasks when examinees' reading comprehension was intended to be measured.
著者
平井 明代 藤田 亮子 伊藤 牧子 大木 俊英
出版者
全国英語教育学会
雑誌
ARELE : annual review of English language education in Japan (ISSN:13448560)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.24, pp.31-45, 2013-03-31

In 2006, an English listening test was added to the National Center Test for University Admissions (NCT) in Japan. We investigated whether including the Center listening test on the NCT has had positive washback on students' listening skills and attitudes toward studying listening. In Study 1, test scores of university freshmen dating back to 2002 were analyzed to investigate the improvement in students' listening skills. In Study 2, a questionnaire survey was conducted to investigate students' motivational aspects. The results revealed three findings. First, the test scores did not show a marked improvement in listening skills after the Center listening test was introduced. Second, the Center listening test might influence students in different majors to a different degree. Third, the majority of students favored the introduction of the Center listening test, and most were encouraged to study listening and felt their preparation had a positive effect on their score.
著者
森本 由子
出版者
全国英語教育学会
雑誌
ARELE : annual review of English language education in Japan (ISSN:13448560)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.19, pp.211-220, 2008-03

The aim of this study was to investigate whether attractive distractors differed by proficiency level in the multiple-choice sentential gap-filling test. In each item, apart from one correct choice, three distractors were prepared: a distractor which had a paradigmatic relationship with the correct answer, a distractor which had a syntagmatic relationship with a word in the context, and a distractor which had no relationship with either the correct answer or the context. The result of a chi-square analysis demonstrated that the lower group was attracted more to distractors with no relationship, but the upper group was likely to select syntagmatically-related distractors. In terms of distractors with paradigmatic relationship, there was no difference among proficiency groups, which was supported by low discriminability of paradigmatically-related distractors. These results provided an implication that using distractors with a syntagmatic relationship with the context or with no relationship makes tests more effective.