2019 Fiscal Year Research-status Report
Integrating English Study With the Learning of Basic Principles of Politics and Economics: A Self-Study System for Individuals and Small Groups of Japanese University Learners
| Project/Area Number |
19K00804
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| Research Institution | Meiji University |
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Principal Investigator |
マーク ケヴィン 明治大学, 政治経済学部, 専任教授 (30409429)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
George Johnny 明治大学, 政治経済学部, 専任講師 (10565659)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2019-04-01 – 2023-03-31
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| Keywords | autonomy / complexity / learner English / materials design / critical thinking / identity |
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
Practical:
In 2019 a great deal of video data was gathered, and experimentation was made with Evernote and Filemaker as software infrastructure for the project. A blog system was put into effect, and a number of new types of teaching exercise were designed for rapid materials production using Filemaker.
Theoretical:
A presentation was made by the main researcher at the September 2019 international conference of the British Association for Applied Linguistics: "Hacking Into the CIA: Making Educational Sense of Complexity, Identity & Autonomy."
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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 year proved, unexpectedly, to be a very good preparation for the need for online teaching precipitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The experimentation with software infrastructure and video recording was progressing at a pace designed for a longer-term project, but by mid-March, when online teaching for the coming semester became a very real possibility, we realized that the work done in 2019 made it much easier for us to shift into an online mode than if we had not done this research. The use of Filemaker for direct use by students is likely to take longer than expected, however.
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| Strategy for Future Research Activity |
The ability to make video and audio recordings of online classes, using zoom, aspects of the simplified the logistical aspects of the project considerably, while also providing a much richer and wider range of data. Since the project aimed to support greater use of online teaching in the future, the fact that it has been catapulted into use so early means that the timing of the project has changed somewhat. It is anticipated that a very detailed and comprehensive interim report will be possible by the end of September 2020. More extensive and direct use of Filemaker by students will be the focus of the research after September.
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| Causes of Carryover |
It was decided to delay the setting up of files on a Filemaker server until fiscal 2020, as the Filemaker platform environment changed dramatically in 2019. We felt that we need to do more careful consultation before proceeding. In FY 2020 we will take this step, but sub-contract to a professional service rather than use our own server.
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Research Products
(1 results)
