| 研究実績の概要 |
Recent emphasis in Japan on globalization with real-world experience as well as research on English-language need in the engineering field led the researcher with colleagues at a Japanese national university to create and conduct an English Project-Based Learning (PBL) curriculum in 2014 in collaboration with engineering faculty and local business. However, an extensive PBL literature review revealed a lack of longitudinal studies on the effects of a PBL curriculum on students. Specifically. virtually all research conducted in PBL focused only on students' immediate reactions of English ability after a course.
The researcher, after one year of data collection and analysis, is already revealing emerging themes stemming from participant questionnaires and interviews which suggest development not just in English ability, but other skills including giving presentations, conducting research, working collaboratively, thinking critically, and managing time.
In FY2015, the researcher has presented three times in connection with this research: (1) a solo presentation at MexTESOL in Mexico on November 5, 2015 entitled, “Cross-departmental PBL course collaboration at a Japanese university,” (2) a collaborative presentation at the English Teachers in Japan Tohoku Expo in Sendai, Japan on December 6, 2015 entitled, “Critical Thinking Inherent to Project-Based Learning,”(3) a collaborative presentation at CamTESOL in Cambodia on February 21, 2016 entitled, “A longitudinal study on perceived acquired skills in an English engineering PBL course at a Japanese national university.”
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| 現在までの達成度 (区分) |
現在までの達成度 (区分)
2: おおむね順調に進展している
理由
Data from weekly reflective journals has been catalogued with no issue. Engineering professors associated with the course have been interviewed extensively with no issues. Participants in the second iteration of the course from October 2015-January 2016 have all been given initial questionnaires for comparison with no issue. However, FY 2015 semi-structured interviews of the 24 participants from the April 2014-August 2014 pilot course was substituted for questionnaires due to time considerations. This questionnaire data collection on participants was successfully conducted except for only half of the 24 students participated fully in two sets of questionnaires that have been distributed in FY2015. From the data analyzed and collected, themes revolving around collaboration and critical thinking are emerging.
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| 今後の研究の推進方策 |
In FY2016, the researcher plans to follow the timeline set out in the original proposal: namely, (1) continuation of longitudinal data collection (questionnaires, semi-structured interviews) and (2) major analysis of the data collected. In addition to this, as data between participants of the pilot course conducted from April 2014-August 2014 and participants of the second iteration course conducted from October 2015-January 2016 is yielding different emerging themes, the researcher wants to also include second iteration course participants more for further longitudinal comparison (questionnaires, semi-structured interviews). Also, semi-structured interviews of the 24 pilot course participants in FY2015 proved to be logistically difficult. However, the researcher will conduct interviews with six participants (three from pilot course, three from second iteration course) in order to have richer qualitative data with which to analyze the effects of PBL on students longitudinally. The content of the interview will focus on responses given in questionnaires as well as future plans. Finally, the researcher will in FY 2016 present continuing data analysis and results at two academic conferences and is working with collaborator Wayne Malcolm on publishing a research paper with a focus on critical thinking in PBL.
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