2022 Fiscal Year Research-status Report
Meditation as a Tool for Language Learning - Mindfulness as a New Approach to Foreign Language Teaching in Modern Higher Education
| Project/Area Number |
20K13104
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| Research Institution | Kyoto University |
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Principal Investigator |
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| Project Period (FY) |
2020-04-01 – 2024-03-31
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| Keywords | 外国語教育 / マインドフルネス / SLA / Mindfulness / Vocabulary |
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
The goal of this project is to investigate whether meditation can improve language learning in university settings. The third year was very fruitful as two high-impact peer-reviewed articles were published. Educators are increasingly implementing holistic approaches into the foreign language classroom, with one popular method being mindfulness. Mindfulness has been associated with better grades and well-being in higher education. However, no study has yet explored the language-specific relationship between mindfulness SLA. Therefore one of my articles investigated the relationship between mindfulness and the ability to learn new vocabulary. The findings indicate that mindfulness not only improves general academic performance, but also has a direct relationship with SLA. My research suggests that mindfulness training for students may be a novel approach to facilitate vocabulary learning.
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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
All my planned goals for the academic year were successfully achieved. My research now shows that mindfulness interventions can be beneficial for language learning in several ways. For example, no previous research has examined the language-specific association between mindfulness and second language acquisition (SLA). Consequently, one of my scholarly articles endeavored to explore the connection between the mindfulness levels of 269 Japanese undergraduate students and their aptitude for acquiring new German L3 vocabulary. The results of the investigation suggest that mindfulness not only enhances overall academic performance but also exhibits a direct correlation with SLA. In light of these findings, my research advocates for the implementation of mindfulness training as a unique strategy to promote vocabulary acquisition among students.
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| Strategy for Future Research Activity |
Currently, I am collaborating with other researchers who are exploring the connection between mindfulness and language learning and teaching. Together, we are building an international network and reaching out to experts at leading research institutions worldwide to organize a conference.
At the moment, I am in the process of submitting a new article that investigates the direct link between mindfulness and language learning. I am also outlining a new data collection process for this study.
Furthermore, I am considering an alternative research idea that examines the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions in enhancing language learners' pronunciation skills. My proposed study would involve administering a mindfulness-based intervention to participants, followed by an evaluation of their pronunciation skills before and after the intervention.
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| Causes of Carryover |
During the third year of my research project, I utilized fewer funds than originally allocated due to various circumstances, such as the pandemic-related disruptions (cancellation of international and national conferences).
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