Design and Development of CALL Courses in Japan
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/cj.v17i2.251-268Keywords:
English as a Foreign Language, E-Mail, Curriculum Design, Cultural Context, Second Language AcquisitionAbstract
Features of Japanese education and student learning styles influenced the authors' design, development, and implementation of a computer-assisted language learning curriculum to support English writing and computing skills. The authors' research extended over a four-year period while teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in a University setting in central Japan. This discussion covers implementation of computer-mediated communication (CMC) and the language and computing skills students need to acquire for cross-cultural e-mail exchanges. CMC syllabus design within the Japanese context and within a second language acquisition (SLA) research framework is also discussed.
References
Ashworth, D., & Koike, Y. (1998). Interinstitutional task-based collaborative language learning. Paper presented at the annual symposium of the Computer Assisted Language Instruction Consortium (CALICO), San Diego, CA.
Bowers, C. (1988). The cultural dimensions of educational computing: Understanding the non-neutrality of technology. New York: Teacher’s College Press.
Bannon, L. J. (1986). Helping users help each other. In D. A. Norman & S. W. Draper (Eds.), User centered system design: New perspectives on human-computer interaction (pp. 399-410). Hillsdale: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Brine, J., & Johnson, E. M. (1996). Learning English in an academic computing environment. Paper presented at the Fifth National Conference on Community Languages and English for Speakers of Other Languages (CLESOL), Hamilton, New Zealand.
Chapelle, C. (1997). CALL in the year 2000: Still in search of research paradigms? Language Learning & Technology [On-line Serial], 1 (1), 19-43. Available: http://polyglot.cal.msu.edu/llt/backissues.html
Chapelle, C. (1998). Multimedia CALL: Lessons to be learned from research on instructed SLA. Language Learning & Technology [On-line Serial], 2 (1), 22-34. Available: http://polyglot.cal.msu.edu/llt/
Fuller, D. (1992). Crossroads: Communication activities for today. Tokyo, Japan: Macmillan Language House, Ltd.
Harasim, L. (1993). Networlds: Networks as social space. In L. Harasim (Ed.), Global networks: Computers and international communication (pp. 15-34). Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press.
Harasim, L. M., & Johnson, E. M. (1986). Computer conferencing and on-line education: Designing for the medium. Canadian Journal of Information Science, 10, 1-15.
Johnson, E. M. (1997). Multimedia process writing in the Japanese context. Computers in New Zealand Schools, 9 (20), 36-40.
Kling, R., & Star, L. (1998). Human centered systems in the perspective of organizational and social informatics. Computers and Society [On-line serial] 28(1), 22-29. Available: http://www.slis.indiana.edu/kling/pubs/CAS98A-O.htm
Kraut, R., Lundmark, V., Patterson, M., Kiesler, S., Mukopadhyay, T., & Scherlis, W. (1998). Internet paradox: A social technology that reduces social involvement and psychological well-being? American Psychologist [Online serial] 53 (9), 1017–1031. Available: http://www.apa.org/journals/amp/amp5391017.html
Levy, M. (1997). Computer-assisted language learning: Context and conceptualization. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, Y. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Beverly Hills: Sage Publications.
LoCastro, V. (1996). English language education in Japan. In H. Coleman (Ed.), Society and the language classroom (pp. 40-58). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Lunde, K. R. (1990). Using electronic mail as a medium for foreign language study and instruction. CALICO Journal, 7 (3), 68-78.
Murphy-Judy, K. (1997). The use of the World Wide Web in teaching foreign languages. In B. Khan (Ed.), Web-based instruction (pp. 403-406). Englewood Cliffs: Educational Technology Publications, Inc.
Murray, D. E. (1995). Knowledge machines: Language and information in a technological society. New York: Longman.
Richards, J. (1990). Interchange: English for international communication 1—Students’ book. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Richards, J. (1991). Interchange: English for international communication 1—Workbook. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Richards, J., & Sukwiwat, M. (1985). Cross-cultural aspects of conversational competence. In J. Richards (Ed.), The context of language teaching (pp. 129-143). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Rohlen, T. P. (1983). Japan’s high schools. Berkeley: University of California Press. Scollon, R., & Scollon, S. W. (1995). Intercultural communication: A discourse approach. Oxford: Blackwell.
van der Linden, E. (1993). Does feedback enhance computer-assisted language learning? Computers and Education, 21(1/2), 61-65.
Van Handle, D. C., & Corl, K. A. (1998). Extending the dialogue: Using electronic mail and the internet to promote conversation and writing in intermediate level German classes. CALICO Journal, 15 (1-3), 129-143.
Vilmi, R. (1996). An overview of HUT email writing project [On-line]. Available: http://www.hut.fi/~rvilmi/Publication/euro95.html
Wachs, S. (1993). Breaking the writing barrier: Approaches to the composition class. In P. Wadden (Ed.), A handbook for teaching English at Japanese colleges and universities (pp. 73-90). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Warschauer, M. (1995). E-Mail for English teaching: Bringing the internet and computer learning networks into the language classroom. Bloomington, Illinois: TESOL, Inc.
