A study of learning and teaching of Kanji for nonnative learners of Japanese
Hatasa, Kazumi
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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/23070
Description
Title
A study of learning and teaching of Kanji for nonnative learners of Japanese
Author(s)
Hatasa, Kazumi
Issue Date
1989
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Levin, James A.
Department of Study
Education
Discipline
Education
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
Education, Language and Literature
Language
eng
Abstract
Kanji (Chinese characters) present a serious obstacle of learners of Japanese as a foreign language. Finding an effective and efficient way of teaching them is essential. However, there has not been much research done to investigate how non-native learners of Japanese, in particular English speaking learners, learn these characters.
Three studies were conducted. The first study was an experiment which addressed the question of whether pictographic characters are easier to learn than non-pictographic characters. The second study was a survey asking instructors of introductory Japanese language courses for various information about how existing Japanese programs teach Japanese orthography. The third study was a semester-long classroom experiment to investigate (a) effects of different orders of presenting Kanji, and (b) effects of pre-training which is designed to sensitize students to learning of Kanji.
The first study showed that pictographic characters were in fact easier to learn and retain than non-pictographic characters, and that the use of mental imagery facilitated overall learning. The survey study provided various demographic information about existing programs and instructional methods being used. The third study failed to demonstrate the effects of alternative orders or pre-training. However, after the analysis of each Kanji introduced during the semester, the study showed (a) that Kanji which were more difficult in production were also more difficult in recognition, and (b) that the visual complexity (measured in stroke counts) was more closely associated with difficulty in production than recognition. Further, the study suggested that provided mnemonics could be an effective way to facilitate the learning of Kanji.
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