2016 Fiscal Year Research-status Report
Using English for Academic Purposes to improve students' research skills in global project-based learning teams
| Project/Area Number |
16K16875
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| Research Institution | Kyoto University |
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Principal Investigator |
ダルスキー デビッド 京都大学, 国際高等教育院, 准教授 (90512020)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2016-04-01 – 2020-03-31
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| Keywords | EAP / Classroom research / Collaboration / Intercultural competence / Exploratory Practice / Team Learning / Virtual classroom / Intergroup contact |
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
This research project commenced in earnest with an international symposium entitled “English for Academic Purposes and Academic Writing: Practical and Interdisciplinary Perspectives”, that I chaired at Kyoto University. The symposium featured the collaborators in this project (Dr. Garant-China; Dr. Mattig-Germany, and Dr. Widiyanto-Indonesia). The proposed research for 2016 was carried out in collaboration with Dr. Mikel Garant (Professor, Bryant-Zhuhai University-Beijing Institute of Technology, China) with our first-year students in English for academic purposes (EAP) courses. Our classes collaborated virtually via an Internet platform using various academic source materials about indigenous Japanese and Chinese psychological concepts. The students and teachers collaborated as one international research team for a four-week period with the aim of becoming better able to understand indigenous Japanese/Chinese psychology by comparing and contrasting cultural groups through reading and writing about the following analogous concepts using English for Academic Purposes: 1) giri/renqing (indebtedness in personal relationships), 2) shudanishiki/jitizhuyi (collectivism), 3) amae/sajiao (asking for an inappropriate favor and expecting it to be granted), and 4) honne and tatemae/biaoxiang and zhenxinhua (real intentions and facade). Comments from students and teachers that illuminate intercultural understanding are under analysis, especially those that were reflections of cultural prejudices that may have changed as a result of the intergroup contact.
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| Current Status of Research Progress |
Current Status of Research Progress
2: Research has progressed on the whole more than it was originally planned.
Reason
The initial plan was to collaborate with Professor Mikel Garant in Finland at the University of Helsinki, but he moved to Bryant-Zhuhai University-Beijing Institute of Technology in China. Fortunately, we were still able to execute our international classroom collaboration in the Fall Semester of 2016. The collaboration lasted for four weeks and it went mostly as planned.
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| Strategy for Future Research Activity |
This year’s classroom research collaboration will be with Professor Ruprecht Mattig at Dortmund University, Germany. We plan to proceed with the international classroom research according to the following guide: 1) Students will be taught the principles of Exploratory Practice and the model of Team Learning, and teams of roughly four students will be formed (about two in each country). 2) Students will communicate with their partners overseas and decide on individual roles (e.g., team leader). 3) The team will then agree on how to communicate via the Internet (e.g., Facebook, MSN messenger, Skype, Google Hangouts, etc.). 4) Students will engage in cross-cultural communication and formulate research questions about indigenous psychological concepts. These are called “puzzles” in Exploratory Practice. 5) Teachers will encourage students to explore their research questions: Students will use academic English to brainstorm and explain indigenous psychological concepts, some of which that are not easily translated into English. For example, in the case of Japanese: honne to tatemae, amae, aimai, etc. 6) Students will discuss an English translation and then brainstorm examples. 7) Students will research their questions with a literature review and by collecting data from students at their locations. 8) Students will make presentations to their local class about their research projects. 9) Students will upload materials to the Internet via an electronic book for world-wide distribution.
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| Causes of Carryover |
I didn't travel as much as I had planned.
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| Expenditure Plan for Carryover Budget |
I will use the extra amount to travel to Hong Kong for an international conference.
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Research Products
(1 results)
