Conducting Japanese Conversation Lessons in the International Context : HyperMirror-Based Japan-China Intercollegiate Practice

Li, Zhe

孫, 帙

Sun, Zhi

奥林, 泰一郎

Okumayashi, Taiichiro

中村, 雅子

Nakamura, Masako

前迫, 孝憲

Maesako, Takanori

オオサカ ダイガク ダイガクイン ニンゲン カガク ケンキュウカ キョウイクガクケイ

Department of Education, Graduate School of Human Sciences, Osaka University

This paper reports on a study in which the HyperMirror-mediated learning environment was constructed. The tool was developed in collaboration with native Japanese speakers from a university in Japan, for non-native Japanese learners (in this case, native Chinese students in China) to support international distance communication in Japanese conversation lessons. The efficacy of the HyperMirror-mediated learning environment was tested by means of trial lessons. Prior to a trial lesson, the non-native Japanese learners were required to draw a relation diagram of Japanese honorific expressions with the aid of the Japanese language learning assisting system. In the HyperMirror-mediated learning environment, learners then presented their drawings and conducted a dialogue with the help of native Japanese speakers. The aim was to engage the learners in conscious use of Japanese honorific expressions in active communication with native Japanese speakers. The results of this study show that the HyperMirror-mediated learning environment, in which the common-virtual scene enables students situated in Japan and China to feel like they are in the same place, increased learning motivation among the learners of Japanese. It is suggested that the drawing of the relation diagram and the collaborative dialogue improved the non-native speakers’ understanding of Japanese honorific expressions. This research also sheds light on issues in simplifying system operation, timing conversation exercises, and setting dialogue difficulty.

孫, 帙

奥林, 泰一郎

中村, 雅子

前迫, 孝憲