Development of Online Kanji Vocabulary Learning System for EPA Nurse Candidates

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26370607
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Japanese language education
• Research Institution: Osaka University
• Principal Investigator: OTANI Shinya 大阪大学, 国際教育交流センター, 准教授 (50294137)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): スミス 朋子 大阪薬科大学, 薬学部, 教授 (50402988)
• Research Collaborator: CHEN Xuelian
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: EPA看護師候補者 / 看護師国家試験 / 語彙データベース / オンライン語彙教材 / 日本語教材開発

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Based on an economic partnership agreement (EPA) with other Asian countries, foreign nurses come to Japan to participate in a program to obtain a Japanese nursing license in a few years. However, the high Japanese-language competency requirement has prevented a majority of them from passing Japan's national nursing examination.
In this research, to address the problem, we developed a web-learning tool called the “Essential Vocabulary Learning System for EPA Candidates for Japan's National Nurse Examination”. The system helps candidates learn words that are frequently used in the national exam, and especially facilitates their acquisition of Kanji vocabulary. Learners can progress in their study for the national exam as they check the meanings and pronunciations of the frequently used words.

Free Research Field

日本語教育

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

母国での看護師有資格者を日本に招きながら、日本の看護師国家資格取得が壁になって、有為な働き手を失意のうちに母国に帰国させることは、本人にとってはもちろんのこと、母国や日本にとっても大きな痛手となる。「EPA看護師候補者用国家試験必修語彙学習システム」は、効率的な漢字語彙習得を促進させる学習方法の提案であると同時に、一人でも多くの候補者に看護師として日本で働いてもらい、本人と日本社会の福利の向上に資する可能性を有している。