Are Japanese Digital Natives Ready?
30 MINUTES OF SYNCHRONOUS CHAT WILL BEGIN AT 9:00AM (MST) TUESDAY OCT. 4 USING THE EMBEDDED TLK.IO WIDGET ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE SCREEN (PLEASE LOOK FOR THE BLUE BAR TITLED L2DLAZCALL2016).
Parisa Mehran, Alizadeh Mehrasa, Ichiro Koguchi, & Harou Takemura, Osaka University
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Abstract
When one thinks of Japan today, technology quickly springs to mind alongside the images of sushi, cherry blossoms, and kimonos. Japan is in fact a technology-driven country that manufactures millions of high-tech gadgets; however, digital literacy levels are comparatively low amongst its generation of digital natives. Anecdotal evidence suggests that while Japanese university students are skillful at using smartphone applications such as LINE and are even occasionally addicted to gaming, many are not avid technophiles when it comes to education. Therefore, availability and accessibility of computer technology do not necessarily guarantee its usability, and that is why technology has not yet been normalized in Japanese educational settings. As an initial step in designing and developing a web-based EGAP (English for General Academic Purposes) course at Osaka University, this study seeks to assess Japanese learners’ perceived e-readiness for learning English online.
An adapted version of the Technology Survey, developed by Winke and Goertler (2008) and translated into Japanese by the researchers, was used to collect data from a sample of 175 undergraduate Japanese students majoring in both humanities and sciences. The questionnaire items asked about respondents’ ownership of and access to technology tools (such as PCs, laptops, printers, and webcams), their ability in performing user tasks from basic to advanced (e.g., copying and pasting texts and editing videos), their personal educational use of Web 2.0 tools (for instance, blogs, wikis, podcasts, and social networking websites), and their willingness to take online English courses. Overall, the results indicate that students have personal ownership and sufficient access to digital devices as well as the Internet either at home or on campus.
Despite having low keyboarding skills in English, they also have a solid command of knowledge and practice of Web 2.0 tools for daily life, but not for educational purposes. This might explain why around 40% percent of the students are reluctant to take online courses which makes CALL-focused digital literacy training an essential element in implementing the prospective EGAP online course. The present study further highlights the importance of assessing learners’ CALL readiness prior to the delivery of an online course.
Presenters
Parisa Mehran
Osaka University
mehran.parisa@lab.ime.cmc.osaka-u.ac.jp
Alizadeh Mehrasa
Osaka University
Ichiro Koguchi
Osaka University
Harou Takemura
Osaka University