Hajime Umeda
Suzuka International University
I. INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this research is to offer some advice from an academic point of view to Japanese students who are willing to study and who are studying at American universities. In May 1995, at Minnesota State University-Akita (MSU-A), a questionnaire was given to 55 Japanese students who were then studying in the general education (GE) course. The questionnaire included 14 questions overall. The data was collected and analyzed. The results demonstrated that the students were well-motivated to study and thoughtfully considered their futures after graduation from university.
On the other hand, for those who wanted to transfer to another college/university as a junior after earning an Associate of Arts (AA) degree at MSU-A, some crucial points for improvement were also found. In this paper, the results of the following four items are described; (1) whether the students feel that the lectures in the GE course are difficult, (2) what they do when they do not understand the lecture, (3) whether they use the office hours provided by each of their teachers, and (4) what bothers them most about the GE course.
II. ABOUT MINNESOTA STATE UNIVERSITY-AKITA (MSU-A)
Founded in May, 1990, MSU-A is one of seven campuses under the Minnesota State University System (MSUS), whose headquarters are located in St. Paul. MSU-A adopts a quarter system, one quarter consisting of 10 weeks. There are two courses for Japanese students; English as a Second Language (ESL) and GE courses. Both the ESL and GE courses are taught entirely in English. The teachers are mainly native speakers of English. After finishing the ESL course, the students can enroll in the GE course. Earning 96 credit hours in this course, they are conferred an AA degree and can transfer to one of six MSUS campuses as juniors. Therefore, most of the graduates from MSU-A spend their junior and senior years in the United States.
III. METHOD
The students were given a questionnaire (See Appendix.) and they circled the appropriate letter of the item(s) they chose as their answers.
IV. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
A. Question 1: "Generally speaking, do you think that the GE course is hard?"
This question asks the Japanese students if they feel that the lectures in the GE course are difficult. Twenty-nine students (52.7%) chose item a (Yes.) while the remaining 26 (47.3%) indicated item b (No.). It is not surprising that about half of the subjects answered that the lectures at MSU-A were difficult. In both the United States and Japan, the university level is the highest educational institutional level and what the students learn in lectures is often difficult to understand. This happens whatever language is used as an instructional medium. Rather, the focus should be on what they feel is difficult about the lecture; is it the content of the lecture or the language (English in this case) itself? This is asked in Question 1a.
Among the 29 students who chose item a, 13 (44.8%) chose item b under Question 1a (The language i.e. English used in the lectures is hard.). Nine students (31.0%) circled item c (Both the content and language used in the lectures are hard.). Only 3 (10.3%) chose item a (The content of the lectures is hard.).
In order to understand lectures at the university level, the students need to have a broad knowledge base. This is universal no matter what language is used in the lecture. Therefore, the development of academic language skills is indispensable to survival for those who chose item b.
In addition, it would be a good idea for those who chose item a to read some materials in Japanese whose content is related to what they are learning in the lecture. In the United States, quite a few universities have so called "Asian Collections" in their libraries. Reading materials in their first language would certainly help them to better understand what they are learning. The students, however, should keep in mind that the final grading of each lecture is determined by how well they can keep up in English. A final grade is given, for example, according to how well they have written term papers in English, how fluently they have given presentations in English, and what scores they have gotten on examinations in English.
B. Question 2: "What do you do when you do not understand the lecture?"
This question asks the students what steps they would take when they do not understand the lectures and the English which their teachers use in the classroom. Most definitely, asking questions directly to the teachers would be the best solution. Not many MSU-A students, however, choose this method. It was found that 30 students (53.6%) chose item c (I ask questions to my classmates.). On the contrary, item a (I ask questions to the teacher in class.) and item b (I ask questions to the teacher after class.) were only chosen by 8 students (14.3%) and 11 students (19.6%) respectively. These figures seem to demonstrate the fact that the students rarely use the opportunity to ask questions directly to their teachers.
In order to confirm what they are learning, it is a convenient method to ask questions to classmates and to help other classmates by giving answers to their questions. However, what classmates teach one another is not always the correct answer. Students considering spending their junior and senior years in the United States should develop good communication with their teachers. As a matter of fact, asking questions in class is considered a students' right. Students need to keep in mind that they may ask questions to their teachers whenever questions arise about the lectures they are listening to.
C. Question 3: "Do you often use the office hours provided by teachers?"
Related to question 2, this question refers to how often the students use office hours provided by their teachers. Twenty-three students (41.8%) and 11 students (20.0%) chose item c (No, not so often.) and item d (No, not at all.) respectively. This data demonstrates that more than 60% of the Japanese students do not use these office hours effectively.
The term "office hours" may not be familiar to Japanese university students yet. Every American teacher has such hours and stays in his/her office during a certain period of time in order to answer questions from students who visit his/her office.
In other words, through effective use of office hours, the students can catch up with the class, and can understand what they are learning about more clearly. At American colleges/universities, there are quite a few large classes in which more than 100 students are enrolled. It is very difficult in such large classes for the teachers to match each student's name and face. In such circumstances, using these office hours can offer the students an opportunity to have better communication with their teachers. From the teachers' view, students are usually welcome to ask questions during office hours because it indicates that the students are interested in the teachers' lecture. If students use the office hours frequently, teachers may show a friendly attitude toward the students. In some cases, the teachers would ask the students' names and where they come from, etc. This kind of atmosphere can make students feel relaxed and they can listen to the lectures with less tension, which can help the students understand the material more clearly and deeply. Higuchi (1995) suggested that learners acquire English skills by using them more and more. Compared with American students, many of the Japanese students are handicapped in terms of their understanding of academic English because it is not their native language. It is strongly recommended that they use the office hours provided more often to overcome this handicap, which can become a passport to achieve higher grades in class.
D. Question 4: "What bothers you most about the GE course?"
This question refers to the area of skill which troubles students most when attending the lectures. Twelve students (21.4%) chose item a (lack of listening ability) and 9 (16.1%) chose item b (lack of reading ability and vocabulary) respectively. Those who chose item c (lack of speaking ability) amounted to 11 (19.6%) while those who chose item d (lack of writing ability) were 8 (14.3%). On the contrary, 11 (19.6%) chose item e (I am not bothered at all.).
Listening and reading abilities mentioned in items a and b are passive language skills while speaking and writing abilities which are referred in items c and d are active language skills. Krashen (1987) reported that it was effective to start developing listening and reading abilities first in his input hypothesis. Jimbo (1989) and some other researchers, however, do not agree with this hypothesis. Moreover, it is also doubtful whether this hypothesis is adaptable to those who study in GE courses, not second language learning/acquisition courses. In the author's personal experience, however, improving passive language skills seems to be the first step to understanding the academic English used in GE classes.
Listening ability can be developed by listening to lecture tapes repeatedly after class. In order to understand the content of the textbooks, referring to dictionaries is indispensable.
To improve writing abilities, the students can listen to the tapes and try to spell words they figure out. In regards to the development of speaking ability, using office hours and participating in academic discussions can be good methods for the students. When asked questions by students, teachers often use some related academic terminology in their answers. From the students' point of view, therefore, it can be difficult to listen to and understand what these words mean. In junior and senior years at American universities, however, there are quite a few small classes in which each student is required to give presentations and to participate in class discussions. Therefore, Japanese students should try to improve their active language skills as well.
V. CONCLUSION
Based on the results of a questionnaire given to 55 MSU-A GE students, some methods to ensure academic achievement for Japanese students have been suggested. To make academic work toward any degree successful, Japanese students should be able to have better communication with their teachers. They are also expected to have overall English abilities to understand academic English. Furthermore, making use of office hours is another way toward academic achievement. If students have questions about the lectures they are taking, they should ask their teachers immediately. This attitude to solve problems quickly and voluntarily will help lead them to a successful academic campus life at American universities.
Krashen, et al. (1982) reported that an extroverted person tends to acquire English as a second language faster than one whose personality is introverted. The author observed a very good example of this report while studying in the United States. One Japanese student had the ability to have an academic discussion with native speakers of English in less than one year after his arrival in the United States. The other Japanese student could not reach this level in spite of his two-year stay in the United States. Although this can be interpreted as an individual difference in language acquisition speed, what can be focused upon most is the difference in the personalities of these two students. The former student liked to talk with other people and was described as an outgoing person while the latter tended to hesitate to talk in front of others.
In the Japanese educational system, students face little trouble even though they have a passive learning attitude. On the contrary, in the United States, students are expected to approach learning more actively to ensure academic achievement. Japanese students studying in the United States should keep this difference in their minds to make their campus life fruitful.
References
Higuchi, Tadahiko (ed.) (1995). Kosei, Souzousei wo Hikidasu Eigo Jugyou (The English Lessons Which Draw Students' Personality and Creativity). Tokyo: Kenkyuusha Publishing.
Jimbo, Hisatake (1989). Krashen no Gengo Shuutoku Riron no Shomondai (Some Issues on Krashen's Language Acquisition Theories). Waseda Shougaku, 333, pp.189-207.
Krashen, S. (1987). Principles and Practice in Second Language Acquisition. London: Prentice-Hall International.
Krashen, S., Dulay, H., & Burt, M. (1982). Language Two. New York: Oxford University Press.
Krashen, S. & Terrell, T. (1983). The Natural Approach: Language Acquisition in the Classroom. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Alemany Press.
Morinaga, Masaharu (1996). Eigoka Kyouiku wo Kaeru 6-shou (Six Chapters That Can Change the English Education of Japan). Tokyo: Taishukan.
Terrell, T. (1977). A Natural Approach to Second Language Acquisition. Modern
Language Journal, 61, pp. 325-336.
The Questionnaire Given to MSU-A GE Students and its Results
I would appreciate it very much if you could kindly respond to the following questions. The results of this questionnaire will be used strictly for my research. Those who will answer the questions are full-time GE students and are native speakers of Japanese. Circle the alphabet of the items you choose as your answer. Do not consult anybody while answering. Thank you very much for your cooperation in advance.
Question 1: Generally speaking, do you think that the GE course is hard?