2019 Fiscal Year Annual Research Report
Age and Pedagogy Effects on Conceptual Access in Child L2 Learning
| Project/Area Number |
17K03013
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| Research Institution | Akita International University |
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Principal Investigator |
CLAY Williams 国際教養大学, 国際教養学部, 准教授 (70792555)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
長沼 奈絵子 国際教養大学, 国際教養学部, 助教 (10381336)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2017-04-01 – 2020-03-31
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| Keywords | RHM / young learners / conceptual access / language education |
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
This research study, tested over 1,000 4th-6th graders in multiple Japanese elementary schools to determine whether children could link newly-acquired L2 vocabulary to mental concepts, or, like adults, they were restricted from conceptual access in L2 vocabulary learning until greater L2 proficiency was achieved. The results indicate that students are faster overall connecting L2 vocabulary to pictures than to L1 translations. This result was intensified when students are taught via images. This, in turn, suggests that elementary-aged learners are able to access concepts without resorting to translation to L1. While the results seem to get weaker as the students' age increases, a cutoff point for conceptual access was not found (and could require additional testing at junior high levels).
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