Paper short abstract:

In the videoconferencing for Japanese language learning and cross-cultural understanding, differences in knowledge and learning of the Japanese language and culture can hinder dialogue when the class is working together. This paper discusses how to make a community more participatory and democratic.

Paper long abstract:

This presentation analyzes the progress of cross-cultural understanding and understanding of others in video conferencing (VC) and the dialogue in class communities. VC is an ICT-based learning activity that has been carried out between Kanazawa University in Japan and Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University in Turkey since 2011. It has been executed not only as a cross-cultural exchange using Japanese, which is the target language for Turkish Japanese language learners but also as an activity leading to "deep learning" (Matsushita 2015), that makes them think about themselves and the others. The practice of VC in 2019 was positioned in the class, and 15 Japanese students and 32 Turkish students were divided into 3 groups, and 4 meetings (Every other week for 45 minutes) and forums on the web (LMS) were utilized, and continuous exchange of dialogue and text message was carried out for about 2 months. The students set themes such as "Marriage" "Education" and "Religion" and discussed the situation in each other's countries and what they thought about it.

The analysis of class discussions and questionnaires showed that some participants were interested not only in cross-cultural awareness such as country and ethnicity but also in themselves and in the opinions and ideas of the participants in the partner country. From this, it became clear that it was "deep learning" that reached not only the country and culture but also the individual level of self and others. On the other hand, we found that some of the participants were hesitant to speak or gave up because they were more concerned about the Japanese language skills and knowledge of other participants in their own community (class) rather than about the other country. In VC, cross-cultural understanding through contact with other communities (countries, ethnicities, etc.) tends to be the focus, but there are also many internal problems of the community (class) when engaging in activities as a unit, as well as the individuality and self-direction of participants. Therefore, we would like to discuss how to design learning activities in VC to make it a democratic place where individual students can easily speak.

Paper short abstract:

Focused on the speech of female Italian exchange students studying in Japan, this research aimed to clarify the improvement of their plurilingual and pluricultural competence, as well as examine ideal conditions for lifelong career building in the process.

Paper long abstract:

Focused on the speech of female Italian exchange students studying in Japan, this research aimed to clarify the improvement of their plurilingual and pluricultural competence, as well as examine ideal conditions for lifelong career building in the process.

Many European exchange students in higher education institutions in Japan have existing plurilingual and pluricultural experiences, so Japanese language and sociocultural experiences represent a foray into yet another culture. Conversely, Chinese students, the majority of exchange students, and English-speaking exchange students usually arrive in Japan with only one other linguistic and cultural experience. Even with prior cultural experiences, female Italian exchange students are not always comfortable with the challenges of Japan. Nonetheless, some build their career potential by improving plurilingual and pluricultural competence here.

This study focused on six subjects, all female Italian exchange students at high intermediate or advanced levels of Japanese, who had already decided their career path after graduation. Narrative interviews (2-4 hours) were conducted about each exchange student's life and future career Then, in order to visualize each subject's conceptual structure about exchange student life and career, character code data was converted from the interview content and was analyzed using Modified Grounded Theory Approach (M-GTA). Finally, from each subject's conceptual structure and narrative data, improvement in plurilingual and pluricultural competence, as well as building a lifelong career based on the results, were analyzed.

Through increased language acquisition, interpersonal exchange and sociocultural experiences, in addition to conflict and loss of self-efficacy, these students managed to develop deeper "self-awareness and other consciousness." They also accepted support from empathetic Italians and Japanese, i.e., familiar people, as cross-cultural translators. This research showed these students internalizing Japanese language and Japanese sociocultural elements, thereby improving plurilingual and pluricultural competence by making successful distinctions among various identities, which indicates flexible adaptability, They also produced original work that crossed sociocultural boundaries between the homeland and Japan, which resulted in lifelong career building.

It is the author's belief that the results of this research may be able to contribute to fostering the type of plurilingual and pluricultural competence that leads to lifelong career building.

Paper short abstract:

In this study, the publisher carried out an interview investigation of OPI for running in response to the request (I want to know the Japanese speaking ability of their own) of the foreign learner who settled down in the Japanese A area from Welfare Linguistics (the welfare linguistics)-like point of view.

Paper long abstract:

In this study, the publisher carried out an interview investigation of OPI for running in response to the request (I want to know the Japanese speaking ability of their own) of the foreign learner who settled down in the Japanese A area from Welfare Linguistics (the welfare linguistics)-like point of view.

In this presentation, while the letter of the interview is based on data in this longitudinal study list, the publisher focus on a learner (learner A) from Korea which made trial and error in interval of Japanese (Japanese culture) and Korean (Korean culture) mainly.

She (learner A) visits Japan in 50 generations, and it is going to be a quarter of century (25 years) during the stay in Japan period. Her age became in its 70s now. About Japanese as the second language that she has learned, she began to transform until now from the acquisition process to a process of the wear (extinction). the publisher wants to refer to the feedback information after result and OPI of the interview about her language life.

In addition, the publisher wants to examine "what kind of support and care will be necessary for the learner in future in the old age of the learner who lived in interval of plural languages, culture?" based on the data which I collected so far.