Language Classroom Content & Pedagogy Junior/Senior High School Research-Oriented Short Presentation
JHS Online Communication to Enhance Willingness to Communicate
An online international exchange program was implemented to enhance students’ willingness to communicate (WTC) as an extracurricular activity in a public junior high school. Discussion and reflection after each one of three sessions revealed how the nine students viewed academic English and what they want to learn in school. In order to support the qualitative data, the WTC questionnaire was distributed and analyzed to capture the changes in three sessions.
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Yuki Otsuki received her MA in English Education from the Global Japanese Study Department at Meiji University in Japan. She has continued studying in the doctoral program focusing on elementary school English education, communication strategies and interactions. Currently, she puts her skills to use on a part-time basis in elementary and middle schools. She is also an instructor for in-service teacher training and a part-time lecturer for undergraduate students in elementary education courses.
Introduction
The new course of study was implemented in elementary school in 2020 and junior high school (JHS) in 2021. The goal of it is to develop communication skills through collaboration between elementary schools and JHSs. However, the overload of JHS teachers cannot be ignored. Here, I suggest exploring the possibility of implementing authentic communicative activities at a public JHS with less load on the teachers. I and my coworker organized an online telecollaboration program as an extracurricular activity. 9 JHS students in Tokyo and 10 Norwegian students in grade 7 interacted through zoom.
Research
WTC questionnaire was distributed three times during the program from November 2020 to January 2021. Students' reflection notes were collected after each zoom session. Additionally, a focus group interview was conducted.
Result
The students were initially apprehensive about the exchange activities, but overall WTC levels improved moderately. From the first two reflections regarding the impressions of the extracurricular activities, the "affective aspect: anxiety and enjoyment" was expressed many times. At the same time, the aim of "improve their English skills" was marked multiple times. After sharing the three reflections and trajectories, three factors that influenced the WTC emerged: the type of task, relationship with peers, and support system. In addition, the interview revealed that the students felt that the "English" they were learning in the classroom was not "normal." (their word choice). It was found that they consider English as a rote work to get a grade as a subject rather than as a language they use to communicate with their friends.