STUDY ABROAD IN JAPAN: A CASE STUDY OF THREE AMERICAN UNDERGRADUATES’ INTERACTIONAL EXPERIENCES AND ITS RELATIONSHIPS WITH PRE-SA PROFICIENCY AND MOTIVATION 日本留学におけるアメリカ人学習者の対話経験：留学前の言語能力とモチベーションは学習者の対話経験にどのように関わってくるのか

HIROMI TOBARU THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY

INTERACTIONAL OPPORTUNITIES DURING SA SA contexts: Unlimited (!) interactional opportunities with target native speakers (Noda, 2007)

SA students: Use L1 > L2 (Freed, Segalowitz & Dewey, 2004; Wilkinson, 1998 etc.)

Gap

INTERACTIONAL ACTIVITIES DURING SA: PRE-SA LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY & MOTIVATION

Pre-SA Language Proficiency •  Freed (1990)

•  A positive correlation between pre-SA language proficiency and interactional activities during SA

Motivation <Integrative Motivation> e.g. interests in the target culture and language <Instrumental Motivation> e.g. studying languages for their career •  Isavelli-Garcia, (2006)

•  Positive correlation: Motivation & Social network •  Hernandez (2010)

•  Positive correlation: Motivation & Interactional activities •  Integrative M. > Instrumental M.

•  Freed (1990)* •  No correlation: Motivation &Interactional activities •  Positive correlation: Motivation & non-interactional activities.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1.  What are the struggles that American undergraduate students face in interactional experiences during study abroad in Japan?

2.  How does their pre-SA language proficiency and motivation predict their interactional experiences during SA?

METHOD 1: PARTICIPANTS

•  American undergraduate students who studied Japanese at a private university in Ohio.

•  Completed an academic year of SA in Japan in 2012-1013 Participants

(Pseudonyms)  Course Completed  

SA Destinations   OPI*  

Allan   6 semesters   Okayama Prefecture   Intermediate-Mid  

Brian   6 semesters   Fukui Prefecture   Intermediate-Low  

Chelsea   6 semesters   Saitama Prefecture   Intermediate-Low  

*Oral Proficiency Interview Test (Informal)

1st

Interview (45-90min)

2nd

Interview (45-90min)

3rd Interview (45-90min)

METHOD 2: INSTRUMENT & PROCEDURE

Retrospective In-depth Interviews in English •  [45 min.- 90 min. ] x3 = 135 min. -270 min. (per

participants) • Audio-recorded • Semi-structured questions

ALLAN

“not so much the bookwork, and not so much the Japanese that I would use in the future or job… So my goal was to be able to, I went to Okayama... [But if] a Japanese tourist from Tokyo or somewhere else [would] come to Okayama and [I wanted him to] be able to ask me where I get my ramen or ask me directions, because I’m obviously an American, nobody would think to ask me first. But if I would hear two people talking, saying “where is this” and other person said “oh, I don't know,” I can come up and say “it’s over there.” [laugh] That was my goal, that was my one goal, really that was the biggest one.”

Pre-SA Social Network & Language Use with Japanese NS Japanese Language Use   •  Professor

•  Roommate •  International students  

English use with Japanese people •  International students

Integrative Motivation

ALLAN’S SA EXPERIENCE

zemi was huge, huge big really good experience. And it

was huge part of my life while I was there

(Sep.)

Aug. Visited former roommate

Sep. School/ Zemi

Oct. Met former J friends JLPT 2 passed

Nov.

Dec. Hawaii w/ family

Jan.

Feb. Local senior sport club

Mar. Trips to Korea

Apr. Day trips w/ former J friends

May Kyoto

Jun. Day trips w/ former J friends

Jul. JLPT level 1 (did not pass)

Aug. Kyoto trip

it was not easy, but there weren’t a lot of ‘I had no

ideas what going on’ moments.

….if I had a question, I asked (Aug).

In October, I got to meet a lot of friends that I had

met from the [home university]. In October, I did a lot of traveling to

meet friends and people that I'd known before

(Oct.).

ALLAN’S SOCIAL NETWORK & LANGUAGE USE

Allan

Japanese Friend

Professor Japanese Student

Other Local People

International Friend

Month Language Used

August / 2012 Japanese

September Japanese

October Japanese

November Japanese

December JPN & ENG

January / 2013 JPN & ENG

February Japanese*

March JPN & ENG

April Japanese*

May JPN & ENG

June Japanese

July Japanese

BRIAN Pre-SA Social Network with Japanese people

Japanese Language Use   •  A Japanese professor  English Use with Japanese people

•  Japanese roommate (a short period(?)) •  Japanese international students

…my entire goal was not only to get better at Japanese, but also to make friends in Japan. Like, even though it was study abroad, I should be honest, like, I didn’t really focus on studying…. studying, like, for class, or, classes, like, for classes, like… If we had homework for class, I would do the homework, but I wouldn’t border, like, studying [for classes].

Integrative Motivation

BRAN’S SA EXPERIENCE

Sep. School Started

Oct.

Nov. Met Kobayashi

Dec. Met former Japanese friends

Jan.

Feb. Spring Vacation

Mar. Met former J instructor

Apr. Started part-time job

May Started studying for JLPT 2 Birth day party Jun.

Jul. JLPT level 2 (passed)

February, sucked. I was extremely depressed. All

my Japanese friends went away. I was alone

basically...didn't wanna do anything….. I pretty much stayed at my room…. It

was really bad.

…the only reason I tried with him,

was because I was really drunk (Nov.).

…they only spoke to me in English, but I wanted to speak Japanese. So I think that why we weren't

such close friends. (Oct.)

This is where things started to pick up… I

was happy to see them…So, it was nice

coz it was kind of reinsuring, and it was just nice because [his instructor] was there

(March).

BRIAN’S SOCIAL NETWORK & LANGUAGE USE

Brian

Japanese Friend

International Friend

Month Language September English October JPN & ENG November JPN & ENG December JPN & ENG January /2013 JPN & ENG February ENG March JPN & ENG April JPN & ENG May JPN < ENG June JPN < ENG July JPN & ENG

‘I wanna talk to you (i.e. Kobayashi, his Japanese friend), like, really close friends’ but because the language barrier, like we (i.e. Brian & Kobayashi) were not as close as we could be, I guess…. We (i.e Brian & two European international students) felt freer and closer. Ummm, there was, a lot more trust

in there too. And I think it's because we, all spoke English so well. (3rd )

CHELSEA Pre-SA Social Network with Japanese people

Japanese Language Use   •  A Japanese professor  English use with Japanese people

•  Japanese roommates •  Japanese international students

My goal, I wanted to pass the JLPT 2. That was my big goal. I also wanted to make friends. And I wanted to see as much of Japan as possible, like explore. Really, I wanted just have fun. That was my goal because I had been in school already for four years, college, because I went to college early, at [a university]. So I had one year there, and three years at [her home university]. So I was done, I had graduated basically. I had everything I needed. So, I really wanted to have fun, like, in another country.

Instrumental Motivation

Integrative Motivation

CHELSEA’S SA EXPERIENCE

Aug.

Sep. House party

Oct. Started skipping classes

Nov. Skype w/former instructor

Dec. Preparing for graduate school applications Jan.

Feb. Spring vacation (Kyoto)

Mar. Met former J instructor

Apr. Second semester, Zemi

May Met Jun (boyfriend)

Jun. Short trips w/ her boyfriends and other friends JLPT 2 (did not pass) Jul.

Aug. Zemi camp

…well I'm not learning anything, so there were no points to go to the class,’ I don't wanna go anymore, so for a while I stop going

to the class

I felt motivated to speak Japanese, to understand, to use it…. Like within one

month, all of my communication went from

English to Japanese…

so I would try the way to not talk, to people even

it take longer.

And zemi was not any fun [laugh]. I didn't

make a single friend in the entire zemi

CHELSEA’S SOCIAL NETWORK & LANGUAGE USE

Japanese Friend

International Friend

Chelsea Chelsea

Month Language

August English

September JPN < ENG

October JPN < ENG

November JPN < ENG

December JPN < ENG

January /2013 ENG

February ENG

March JPN & ENG

April JPN & ENG

May JPN > ENG

June JPN > ENG

July JPN > ENG

August JPN > ENG

…when I was actually trying in class, and when I was studying… I was having a lot of fun just using Japanese, because I felt like, I finally

understood. Like, I finally talk.

Sep./ 2012

October

November

December

January /2013

February

March

April

May

June

July

DISCUSSION: PRE-SA LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY& INTERACTION

Allan Brian Chelsea August / 2012

September

October

November

December

January /2013

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

August / 2012

September

October

November

December

January /2013

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

Skipping Classes

Spring Vac. Spring

Vacation

Winter Vacation

[Hawaii trip with family] This is so

dumb.. [I] regretted going to anywhere.

A lot of [former] Japanese students [from the home

university]… decided to have get together party in Fukui.

I didn’t wanna do anything

Kyoto trip with international students

Glad to be back

[During Korea trip] We were all

speaking Japanese.

Japanese was my only friend, if I lost

in Korea Reunion with their

former instructor

PRE-SA LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY & SEEKING INTERACTION

Allan:… that’s how I willing to it, you know I’m alone. I’m into it… and if I had a question, I asked, you know. I went there (i.e. a local Udon store) a lot, where I actually worked up the relationships with people worked there

Brian: ...but I didn't go to his office or anything because I was a kind of scared….I didn't ask her (i.e. a professor) for help because I was just scared of her.

Chelsea: At first I was really, really shy, so I would try the way to not talk, to people even it would take longer.…because asking was too hard.

I hardly ever spoke to teachers about my problem… because I knew I could not explain it …I didn’t know how to quit [part time job]. Because I didn’t have that language, and I didn't have the culture knowledge…I just didn't contacted them anymore.

Passive

Active

August / 2012

September

October

November

December

January /2013

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

January /2013

February

March

April

May

June

July

August / 2012

September

October

November

December

January /2013

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

PRE-SA SOCIAL NETWORK WITH JAPANESE PEOPLE AND THEIR INTERACTIONAL EXPERIENCES

Allan Brian Chelsea

:Meeting with Japanese friends that the SA students have known before SA.

Sep./ 2012 October November December January /2013 February March April May June July

MOTIVATION & INTERACTION Allan Brian Chelsea

August / 2012 September October November December January /2013 February March April May June July August

August / 2012 September October November December January /2013 February March April May June July August

I didn’t wanna do anything

I didn’t care about school…

I'm super excited, and I've

never felt that excited to use

Japanese.

Instrumental Integrative Unclear

Zemi was a failure.

This is where things started to pick up… I was happy to see

them…

…studying except my birthday

INTERACTION & PREDICTORS

Pre-SA Language Proficiency

Motivation Integrative . Instrumental

Pre-SA Social Network

Host Schools

Proficiency Test

Preparation for life after SA

Seasonal Vacations

Japanese Friends

International Friends

Support from home teacher

Interactional Activities during SA

Passive Active

IMPLICATION FOR FUTURE RESEARCH

1.  Mixed method research that investigates the relationship between SA students’ experiences and language acquisition.

2.  Conducting in-depth interviews pre- & during SA with SA students and Japanese people. •  Focusing on SA students pre- and during social

network in terms of size, dispersion, intensity, durability etc. (Isavelli-Garcia, 2006; Dewey, 2014)

3.  Conducting a larger scale research and/or culminating small size studies in similar contexts

THANK YOU!

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