The College of Education, Health and
Human Sciences
Announces the Final Examination of
Junko Tokuda Simpson
for the degree of
Doctor of Education
April 8, 2014 at 10:00 am
405 Ball Hall, University of Memphis
Memphis, TN
Biographical Sketch
Bachelor of Arts, English Literature and English Education, Shirayuri Women’s College
Master of Arts, TESOL and Bilingual Education, The University of Findlay
Advisor Committee
Satomi Izumi-Taylor, Ph.D., Professor, Instruction and Curriculum Leadership, Committee chair
Louis Franceschini, Ph.D., Research Associate II, Center for Research in Educational Policy
Jeffrey Byford, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Instruction Curriculum and Leadership
Duane Giannangelo, Ph.D., Professor, Instruction Curriculum and Leadership
Major Field of Study
Instruction and Curriculum Leadership
Period of Preparation: 2009 – 2014
Comprehensive Examination Passed: November 2012
Technology for Effective Japanese Learning:
Positive Influence of Using Technology for American College Students
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine how college students can be supported in learning Japanese and be exposed to culture by utilizing technological tools (computers, smart phones, and tablets). This study employed an online survey which was developed to elicit findings of five research foci: college students’ comfort levels and their perceptions about using technological devices as learning tools in terms of invested times and changes in their orientation in learning language and culture; kinds of devices, purposes, places, and reasons for their use of technology to learn Japanese; the support obtained through the use of technology to master the five goals of the National Standards; the relationship between the self-assessed mastery levels of the five goals of the National Standards and the use of technology; and students’ motivations for using technology focusing on three areas– language learning, cultural acquisition, and social networking. One hundred seventy-eight college students, studying Japanese at the University of Memphis, participated in the study. The Statistical Package for the Social Science was used to analyze the data to address the research questions. The results indicated most students feel comfortable using technology to learn Japanese. Students enjoyed using technology and perceived it as tools to enhance their learning. Technology allows anytime/ anywhere learning exceeding the boundaries of learning environments (homes and classrooms). Students’ self-assessed mastery levels of the five goals of the National Standards revealed that the use of technology supported them in mastering proposed outcomes (Comparisons and Communities). The relationship between the National Standards and the four metrics of the use of technology were examined, and correlations were found between the mean of each of the National Standards and the four metrics of technology use. Students’ greatest motivation and purpose for using technology were related to language learning, cultural acquisition, and social networking.