Development and evaluation of English vocabulary teaching method based on brain activation of motor area.

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26370635
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Foreign language education
• Research Institution: Toyo University
• Principal Investigator: Suzuki Akio 東洋大学, 経営学部, 准教授 (00406373)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 外国語理解 / 言語の身体性 / ｆMRI / 授業実験 / 行動実験 / 教授法開発

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The purpose of the study was to validate a development approach of English teaching methods that focused on action experience and on brain activation of motor area, and to develop English teaching methods. This study reported a research of stimulus sentences, two behavioral experiments, an fMRI experiments, and a class experiments. The class experiment tested whether the action experiences facilitate understanding of the English prepositions, but the hypothesis was not supported. Behavioral experiments showed that comprehending English sentences elicit perceptual-motor simulation, and that the simulation altered along grammar. The fMRI experiment showed that action sentence comprehension activate fronto-parietal network, and that reading English sentences caused activation of caudate.

Free Research Field

英語教育法