2022 Fiscal Year Research-status Report
Study on communication to overcome limitations and barriers
| Project/Area Number |
22K00803
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| Research Institution | Ritsumeikan University |
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Principal Investigator |
ワイト ジェレミー 立命館大学, 情報理工学部, 准教授 (00710716)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
山西 良典 関西大学, 総合情報学部, 准教授 (50700522)
西原 陽子 立命館大学, 情報理工学部, 教授 (70512101)
松村 耕平 立命館大学, 情報理工学部, 准教授 (80629600)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2022-04-01 – 2025-03-31
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| Keywords | Japanese Students / Limited interaction / Communication |
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
This research report presents the findings of a survey that aimed to investigate the effects of COVID-19 on communication, particularly focusing on the challenges faced by students in understanding teachers and peers while wearing masks. Additionally, the report highlights the ongoing development of a translation application and outlines the research group's plans to conduct experiments in the upcoming academic year. To evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on communication, a comprehensive survey was developed. The survey comprised a series of questions related to students' experiences and difficulties in understanding teachers and classmates while wearing masks. It was designed to gather both quantitative and qualitative data, providing a holistic understanding of the communication challenges encountered during the pandemic. The survey was widely distributed, resulting in an impressive response rate, with over 150 participants completing the questionnaire. The respondents encompassed a diverse range of educational backgrounds and demographic characteristics, ensuring a comprehensive representation of students' experiences. The analysis of survey responses revealed a significant finding regarding the challenges faced by students in understanding teachers and peers while wearing masks. The majority of participants reported experiencing difficulty comprehending verbal instructions and conversations when facial expressions and lip movements were concealed. These findings underscore the potential impact of mask usage on effective communication within educational settings.
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| Current Status of Research Progress |
Current Status of Research Progress
3: Progress in research has been slightly delayed.
Reason
The necessary restrictions and precautions imposed during the pandemic to curb the spread of the virus significantly slowed down the pace of the research. The limitations on physical contact, social distancing measures, and remote learning modalities created challenges for conducting experiments and collecting data in an optimal manner. The lifting of restrictions means that the experiments can be conducted more efficiently and effectively, allowing for a quicker pace of data collection and analysis. Researchers will have the opportunity to observe and analyze communication dynamics in real-world scenarios without the limitations imposed by social distancing measures. The removal of restrictions also means that the research team can engage with participants more closely, facilitating a richer understanding of their experiences and insights. This enhanced interaction will enable researchers to gain deeper insights into the challenges faced by students in understanding teachers and peers while wearing masks. Moreover, the unrestricted environment will also provide an ideal opportunity to conduct experiments with the translation application. Overall, the removal of restrictions is expected to expedite the research process, allowing for a quicker pace of experimentation, data collection, analysis, and subsequent advancements. This newfound momentum will enable the research team to make significant strides in addressing the challenges posed by the pandemic on communication, and contribute valuable insights to enhance educational experiences in the post-pandemic era.
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| Strategy for Future Research Activity |
The research group has been actively working on the development of this application, which seeks to facilitate real-time translation of conversations between individuals speaking different languages. By enabling effective communication in diverse linguistic contexts, this application has the potential to enhance educational experiences and promote inclusivity.
Moving forward, the research group plans to conduct experiments with the translation application during the next academic year. These experiments will involve testing the application's usability, accuracy, and overall effectiveness in real-world communication scenarios. By evaluating the performance and user feedback, the research group aims to refine and enhance the application, ensuring its practical applicability in diverse educational settings.
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| Causes of Carryover |
Due to COVID restrictions international travel was not possible, so we couldn't use all of the travel funds.
Our paper has been accepted for presentation at the EUROCALL 2023 conference, to be held in Iceland. One of our primary focuses moving forward will be the continued development of our translation application. Building upon the success of our initial prototype, we aim to refine and enhance the application to provide more accurate and efficient translations. We are in the process of writing a paper that examines the implications and findings of our survey. We intend to submit this paper to the WorldCALL 2023 conference in Thailand. We will conduct further experiments related to our ongoing research. These experiments will explore various aspects of language learning and technology integration, allowing us to expand our understanding of effective language acquisition strategies and their practical applications.
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