The paper presents preliminary findings of a project which investigated whether learner background, in terms of instruction mode (i.e., school or intensive first-year course at university) and first language (i.e., character based or non-character based), has an impact on the development of writing skills in Japanese as a second language (JSL). Many students in second-year Japanese at university are post-secondary (i.e., they completed Year 12 Japanese at school). They are in class with students who started Japanese at university (i.e., are post-beginners). The intensity of instruction that the two groups have received is very different. A large number of the students learning Japanese at tertiary institutions in Australia are also native speakers of character-based languages (e.g., Chinese). Although there is a substantial volume of studies comparing the effects of instruction mode on L2 development, little is known of how instruction mode and L1 background together may affect L2 development in adult L2 learning settings. The data for the present study include writing samples collected on two occasions from 34 students from a variety of backgrounds. The samples were analysed in terms of length, grammatical complexity and schematic structures, use of kanji (Chinese characters), and vocabulary. The results were compared in terms of study experience and first language. In general, the performance of post-beginner learners from character-based language backgrounds was higher on kanji use and a few other areas, but their superior performance was derived from the interaction of two background factors (L1 and study background). The results show complexity in how different backgrounds affect L2 writing task performance. The study has strong pedagogical implications for teaching a character-based language to students from diverse study backgrounds.

This paper investigates the detailed effects on language learners of various communication tools meant to improve course coordination. Activities with video conferencing, chat, and BBS were introduced as 3-week language exchange sessions in one semester. Students exchanged information and opinions on Japanese culture with students learning the Japanese language at a research-based university in Melbourne, Australia.Students in Japan used English, while students in Australia used Japanese and some English. After these online sessions, we conducted a survey using a questionnaire to collect the responses of the students in Japan on their motivation, attitudes and tension in video conferencing, chat, BBS sessions. In addition to the above activities, a face-to-face discussion with overseas students was conducted. As a result of the analyses, we found that there are 2 important factors that affect student's learning processes in each communication tool. Video conferencing has conflicting effects, that is, it has an advantage of increasing motivation to communicate more, but in contrast, it has a disadvantage of making students feel nervous and embarrassed. Possible reasons behind the feeling of nervousness and embarrassment might be not only their making mistakes in grammar or pronunciation but also their personalities and characters. On the other hand, the effect of chat is to provide stimulus to develop vocabulary and to enhance their cultural awareness, and the effect of BBS is to provide relaxed feelings in online communication and to increase students' desire to develop vocabulary.

This paper reports on the evidence learning found from a flipped, blended, ubiquitous learning Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) course teaching global leadership skills using a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) to Japanese undergraduates through English. The purposes of the current study are to see if (1) there was any evidence of learning found in the students’ oral outputs, and (2) there were any changes in student perceptions about the course and their Target Language (TL) fluency over a 10-week period. The data were collected through two interview sessions conducted in Weeks 4 and 14. A similar set of questions were asked in both interviews to gauge student understanding of the course content, perceptual changes, and oral output skills. Three-semesters worth of interview data were transcribed and sorted into four categories; (1) transfer of words, (2) transfer of phrases, (3) transfer of concepts, and (4) application of concepts. The results indicated that the students’ perceptions of the course shifted from an English as a foreign language course to a leadership course, and they produced more course relevant answers.

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The paper presents preliminary findings of a project which investigated whether learner background, in terms of instruction mode (i.e., school or intensive first-year course at university) and first language (i.e., character based or non-character based), has an impact on the development of writing skills in Japanese as a second language (JSL). Many students in second-year Japanese at university are post-secondary (i.e., they completed Year 12 Japanese at school). They are in class with students who started Japanese at university (i.e., are post-beginners). The intensity of instruction that the two groups have received is very different. A large number of the students learning Japanese at tertiary institutions in Australia are also native speakers of character-based languages (e.g., Chinese). Although there is a substantial volume of studies comparing the effects of instruction mode on L2 development, little is known of how instruction mode and L1 background together may affect L2 development in adult L2 learning settings. The data for the present study include writing samples collected on two occasions from 34 students from a variety of backgrounds. The samples were analysed in terms of length, grammatical complexity and schematic structures, use of kanji (Chinese characters), and vocabulary. The results were compared in terms of study experience and first language. In general, the performance of post-beginner learners from character-based language backgrounds was higher on kanji use and a few other areas, but their superior performance was derived from the interaction of two background factors (L1 and study background). The results show complexity in how different backgrounds affect L2 writing task performance. The study has strong pedagogical implications for teaching a character-based language to students from diverse study backgrounds.