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Research Note 

Secondary School Student Responses 
to Learning the Japanese Language at a 

Distance in New Zealand 

THE Japanese language has an important 
place in the New Zealand secondary school 
curriculum for many students and an 
important source of instruction in this subject 
is the New Zealand Correspondence School. 
Students in secondary schools throughout 
New Zealand are able to obtain instruction in 
the Japanese language through the 
Correspondence School if their own school is 
unable to provide them with a teacher in this 
subject. 

A recent study by a native speaker of Japanese 
based on interviews with selected students 
(N=14) of this language in four Wellington 
secondary schools who were studying the 
language from the New Zealand 
Correspondence School (Otsuka, 1996) found 
a range of positive as well as n egative issues 
affecting learners. 

POSITIVE OUTCOMES OF LEARNING 
students reported that they had few 
distractions when learning Japanese from the 
New Zealand Correspondence School during 
the school day. Many noted that learning 
Japanese through the Correspondence School 
provided them with some flexibility, if 
required, as to when and where they could 
learn this subject although study time for 
Japanese was scheduled by each of their 
schools as part of their daily timetables. The 
experience of learning from the 

SETSUO OTSUKA AND KEN STEVENS 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

VICTORIA UNIVERSITY OF WELLINGTON 

Correspondence School provides students 
with an introduction to learning at a distance 
and, accordingly, to flexible and independent 
learning. It was noted by the students during 
interviews that flexible and independent 
learning was valuable experience in preparing 
for tertiary education at a later date. 

Students reported that their tutor from the 
Correspondence School was particularly 
attentive and provided them with detailed 
comments on their work. There was 
widespread agreement that a close 
relationship between individual learners in 
schools in Wellington region and the teacher 
of Japanese at the correspondence School had 
developed, although this was very much a 
relationship at a distance. It was widely 
assumed by students that because the teacher 
at the Correspondence School did not have 
any classroom teaching he or she was able to 
devote a considerable amount of time to 
distance students in various schools . 

Many students believed that there was more 
. 'objectivity' in the teaching of an academic 
subject at a distance because the 
Correspondence School teacher did not know 
them 'face to face'. The teacher-student 
relationship was therefore based on the quality 
of student's completed assignment work in the 
Japanese language. Many of the students who 
were studying the Japanese language at a 

Joumal a/Distance Leam ing. Vol 3. N o I. 1997 (c) Distance Edu ca ti o n Associati on of New Zeal an d 

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distance therefore believed that they were 
taught by a very 'professional' person who 
was able to provide objective attention to their 
progress with the language. 

There was widespread acknowledgement by 
the Wellington students that as well as being 
able to learn Japanese to some extent at their 
own pace, the requirement to submit 
assignments to the Correspondence School at 
regular intervals was a constant motivation. 

NEGATIVE ASPECTS OF LEARNING 
the Japanese Language at a Distance The 
students reported a number of negative 
aspects in learning the Japanese language at a 
distance while attending a secondary school 
each day. Many noted that it is particularly 
difficult to understand the spoken Japanese 
language without actually seeing the 
speaker's facial expression or body language. 
Much time was reported to be spent listening 
to the Japanese language on audiotapes and 
this produced another problem - the speed 
with which the language on tape was usually 
spoken by native speakers. 

A further problem in learning the Japanese 
language at a distance that was noted by 
students was the lack of peer interaction. 
Students learning the Japanese language in 
their various schools were handed the lessons 
from the New Zealand Correspondence 
School by one of their regular teachers (of 
another subject) and placed in a room in which 
to work on the assignments. Because students 
proceeded at their own pace with each lesson 
and therefore largely worked independently 
of one another, a distinct lack of peer 
interaction ensued. This led to many 
secondary school students who were learning 
the Japanese language from the 
Correspondence School under supervised 
conditions developing feelings of isolation and 
a longing for peer contact and support. Some 
students reported feeling lonely as well as 
isolated and wished that they had a teacher at 
hand in their own school to whom they could 
direct questions as they arose with 
assignments. 

Most students reported experiencing some 
difficulty with Japanese and pointed out its 
complexity and difference from the English 
language in pronunciation, word order, lack 
of definite and indefinite articles, lack of 
plurals, a different verb system, the use of 
characters and in many other ways. Some 
students noted during interviews that there 
were many possible answers to a particular 
question in the tex tbook that was used which 
led to considerable confusion and frustration. 
Many of the students who were interviewed 
believed that they did not have enough 
opportunity to speak the Japanese language 
to feel as though they were gaining mastery 
of it. 

RECOMMENDATIONS FROM SEC-
ONDARY SCHOOL Students learning the 
Japanese Language at a distance First, 
Students should, if possible, ha ve frequent face 
to face contact with their teacher when 
learning a subject, particularly a foreign 
language, at a distance. Some of the students 
who participated in this study had never 
actually spoken with their tutor at the 
Correspondence School even though all 
students lived in the Wellington area. Almost 
all students said that they needed a lot of 
assistance to do well in this subject which was 
generally acknowledged to be difficult. To 
offset the widespread feeling of 
discouragement reported by many students in 
this study, regular telephone conversations 
with their Correspondence School teacher of 
language were recommended. This would in 
future ensure that confusion with points of 
grammar which arise from time to time are 
not able to prevent students making progress 
with the subject. 

Second, many written explanations of 
Japanese grammar were found to be difficult 
to understand. It is recommended that the 
visual aspect of written materials be further 
developed with the inclusion of more 
drawings and pictures. This would make the 
textual material more attractive and perhaps 
assist in motivating students. 

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Third, a major problem facing New Zealand 
students of the Japanese language is adjusting 
their ears to the speed of the language as it is 
spoken . Students recommend the 
development of Japanese language tapes that 
could be listened to at various speeds to assist 
students learn how to pronounce words and 
expressions. 

TELELEARNING AND THE JAPANESE 
LANGUAGE There are a number of ways 
in which languages are now taught including 
the use of audiographic technologies and the 
use of videos . The New Zealand 
Correspondence School in 1996 (after this 
study was complet2d) is experiencing with 
interactive television and this has the potential 
to provide new ways of teaching and learning 
foreign languages at a distance. Many of the 
issues raised by distance students of the 
Japanese language in this study may be 
addressed by this new interactive technology. 

The Correspondence School has recently 
ins talled an upgraded telephone system and 
students now have more opportunities to 
contact their teacher to discuss problems as 
they arise. Increased use of the telephone to 
link students of Japanese from various 
locations with their teacher is in future likely 
to reduce feelings of isolation. This will also 
encourage the Japanese language to be spoken 
for at least part of a teacher-pupil exchange. 

Telephone contact between teacher and 
distance students on a regular basis can in 
future be expected to have positive outcomes 
for both teaching and learning. 

POLICY IMPLICATIONS The teaching of 
the Japanese language to secondary school 
students in New Zealand present particular 
difficulties when delivered by tradition al 
correspondence methods. However, students 
in a range of Wellington secondary schools 
reported a variety of advantages as well as 
problems in learning this way. Many of the 
problems that were encountered in studying 
this language at a distance are likely to be 
alleviated through the introduction of an 
interactive television programme. This may 
give distance students and their teacher the 
feeling that they are actually participating in 
a class when learning Japanese in future. The 
feelings of isolation and loneliness that some 
students reported in this study can be expected 
to be overcome through the application of new 
technology to provide more direct and 
immediate communication between teacher 
and learner. 

REFERENCE 

OTSUKA, S 1996: Japan ese Language Learning in 
Distance Education , Faculty of Ed ucation, Victoria 
University of Wellington. (unpublished research 
paper). 

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