2016 Fiscal Year Research-status Report
Online Classroom English Course for Elementary School Teachers
| Project/Area Number |
15K02809
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| Research Institution | Sojo University |
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Principal Investigator |
ハーシェル ロバート 崇城大学, SILC, 講師 (60458651)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
LaClare Elton 崇城大学, SILC, 講師 (20720593)
ローベリー ジョナサン 崇城大学, SILC, 教授 (90751727)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2015-04-01 – 2018-03-31
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| Keywords | Teacher Talk / Teacher Training / Elementary English / Communicative English / CALL |
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
During Fiscal Year 2016, our team gave two presentations, one in English to the annual conference of the Japan Association of Language Teachers (JALT), and one in Japanese at the annual conference of the Japan Association of English Teaching in Elementary Schools (JES / 小学校英語教育学会). The JALT presentation focused primarily on the details and ramifications of the needs analysis whereas the JES presentation explained both the observational data from the needs analysis and the resulting content on our app.
We are making steady progress on the app, with content for approximately half of Hi, Friends! Book 1 covered, vocabulary practice for corresponding topics developed, and a repeated exposures "Fluency Builder" module close to completion.
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| Current Status of Research Progress |
Current Status of Research Progress
4: Progress in research has been delayed.
Reason
Given ambitious plans, delays may have been inevitable from the outset. As practitioners and researchers in a university context, it can be difficult for us to find regular access to elementary schools and elementary school teachers.
Compounding the usual delays were the effects of the earthquakes in Kumamoto. Though the research itself has not been directly affected, the offices and classrooms of the researchers were destroyed and the academic year was extended by two weeks into the summer of 2016. A lot of time and energy that would otherwise have been spent on the project has been consumed by activities related to managing the effects of the earthquakes.
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| Strategy for Future Research Activity |
The plan for Fiscal Year 2017 is to create a fully functioning app and accompanying website that is independently accessible and easily used even by teachers with very limited English ability.
To the extent possible, we would like to pilot the app and website with local teachers, obtain feedback, and make appropriate revisions to the content. This feedback loop may need to continue into Fiscal Year 2018.
Additionally, promotion of the website will likely be conducted towards the end of Fiscal Year 2017 and into Fiscal Year 2018.
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| Causes of Carryover |
The funds for Fiscal Year 2017 will be used as necessary for development of additional plug-ins and other programming costs. Money will additionally be spent to attend and present our project at conferences as well as to give demonstrations to teachers in local schools. Finally, when the website is ready to go live, we will require more powerful hosting and greater bandwidth.
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| Expenditure Plan for Carryover Budget |
Programming; Presenting the project at regional conferences;
Giving demonstrations in local schools; Purchasing more powerful hosting and greater bandwidth
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