Examining the Effects of Study Abroad on the Listenership of Japanese EFL Students

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K02754
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Foreign language education
• Research Institution: Nagasaki University
• Principal Investigator: CUTRONE Pino 長崎大学, 多文化社会学部, 准教授 (30573381)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 今村 圭介 東京医科歯科大学, 教養部, 助教 (00732679)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: backchannels / study abroad / EFL / pragmatic competence / あいづち / 聞き手語用論的能力 / 語用論 / 留学

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study examined the effects of both short-term and long-term study abroad, as well as pre-study abroad instruction, on the listenership of Japanese EFL university students. The results of this study point to the benefits of study abroad (SA), particularly for the learners who studied abroad long term, as well as for the learners who received instruction prior to studying abroad. Specifically, the students who studied abroad longer and received pre-SA instruction on listenership were best able to sustain the instructional goal of sending minimal backchannels less frequently and extended backchannels more frequently, with greater variability, while asking questions and taking the primary speakership in the conversation more often, and initiating conversational repair strategies when they did not understand and/or disagree rather than feign understanding and agreement. Such findings provide support for the pre-teaching of listenership to Japanese EFL students endeavoring to SA.

Free Research Field

Pragmatics

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

研究結果の学術的、社会的意義は次の二点である。留学が日本人英語学習者の語用論的能力の発達に大きな影響を与えるという研究結果は、留学の効果を実証するものである。また、語用論的能力の発達には留学前の指導も大きく関わるという研究結果は、教育者、教育機関側のより効果的な留学プログラムの計画に重要な示唆を与えるものである。