研究実績の概要 |
In this research year it was examined what governs their choice of either Japanese or German during typical group work tasks (interview and feedback) employed in GFL teaching. The methods used for the data collection include classroom observation, audio recordings of classroom activities as well as interviews and written surveys with students. The results indicate that students resorted to their L1 quite extensively when solving communication problems, to reflect on L2 vocabulary and structures, and to tackle difficulties with task fulfilment (pro task). For utterances aimed at fulfilling the actual tasks (on task), the quantitative findings of this study show that learners almost exclusively used the L2. According to their own assessments, established by a post-course survey, they noted an improvement of their writing skills, an increased awareness for their L2 weaknesses, and an increase of their vocabulary. Therefore, the tasks developed within this project seem to be suitable for enhancing the students’ interaction skills. However, it has to be taken into account that due to the limited scope of this study, the descriptive results obtained can only make claims about a particular learner group in a particular teaching context. In order to arrive at a deeper understanding in which cases L1 usage can be considered a barrier or a benefit for L2 learning further research is needed, in particular, comparative as well as longitudinal studies.
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