When it comes to Language Acquisition and Language Pedagogy, Japanese is no easy task, especially for a native English speaker in a classroom setting. This is because the Japanese language has many unique characteristics that are far different from English, like the complexity of Kanji characters, counter-words, and many others. These unique characteristics in Japanese sparked my interest in researching what can be done pedagogically to help students overcome these unique challenges. Extensive research consisting of literature reviews, comparative analysis, highlighting connections learners can make to Japanese subcultures with the help of online resources, and utilizing my personal experiences as a Japanese learner led me to form my opinion and inform my research on this topic. The central question I am asking with this research is, “What can help introductory-level Japanese learners overcome some of the challenges they face?” I have found that engaging in subcultures and comparing Japanese with a learner’s native language enhances comprehension of Japanese grammatical structures and therefore better equips them to overcome these challenges. These aspects combined into a multi-faceted approach to Japanese language acquisition provide thorough assistance and motivation to learners on their journey to fluency. Additionally, this allows me to conduct further research by finding more specific information regarding the effectiveness of comparative analysis and subculture engagement in a JFL classroom. This work aligns with my career aspirations, as I aspire to find myself in a position where I have the opportunity to contribute to the development of curricula based on proven pedagogical practices.
Author(s): Jacob Urmston, East Asian Languages and Cultures and Political Science Major
Advisor: Tomoyuki Yabe, Department of German, Russian, Asian, and Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures
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