Style Shifting and Social Network Development During Education Abroad Programs in Japan Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfil
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Style Shifting and Social Network Development during Education Abroad Programs in Japan Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Hiromi Tobaru Graduate Program in East Asian Languages and Literatures The Ohio State University 2019 Dissertation Committee Dr. Mari Noda, Advisor Dr. Xiaobin Jian Dr. Mineharu Nakayama Dr. Charles J. Quinn Copyrighted by Hiromi Tobaru 2019 ii Abstract This dissertation explores ways that home institutions —educational institutions that send their students to affiliated universities— can provide pedagogical support to maximize the learning experience of U.S. undergraduate students during yearlong education abroad (EdA) programs in Japan. The results of this dissertation suggest several features that are key to pre- EdA training. The most crucial is repeated experiential practice on inter-personal negotiations toward co-constructing a meaningful Third Space1 (Jian & Walker, 2017) that entails raising sensitivity to style-shifting strategies. Group, rather than individualized, format better maximizes the opportunities for negotiation. Also useful would be opportunities to hear the experience of students who have just returned from a yearlong EdA in Japan, focusing on their experience (or lack) of network building. The need for repeated practice entails that training occurs over a duration of time, such as a semester. The first phase of this research examined difficulties in building intercultural relationships that American students and local Japanese students experience in a short-term EdA program in Japan. Data collected through interviews and observation suggest that the two groups have gaps in their expectations about speech style when interacting with each other. In particular, 1 An intercultural communicative context where norms or rules of the game do not conform entirely to either first culture or second culture, but will be dynamic and conditioned by shared iii U.S. students struggled in shifting their speech from formal to casual. Based on these findings a pre-departure training regimen was devised for students participating in a yearlong EdA program in Japan. The training focused on style-shifting skills to develop a relationship-building persona in a Japanese college setting. The second phase of the study investigated the outcomes and process of learning in yearlong EdA exchange programs. Of the seven undergraduate students who participated in this phase of the study, four went through the pre-EdA training, while the other three chose not to. Two proficiency tests and a microanalysis of their discourse in terms of style shifting during proficiency interviews were used to assess the outcomes of all participants’ EdA gain. The process of their EdA learning was examined by analyzing their language use logs and interviews about social network development. The effectiveness of the EdA training was measured by comparing the findings of the two groups, i.e. the EdA training group and the non-EdA training group. Findings suggested that the EdA training did not have a great impact on the participants’ outcome of EdA learning as measured by the proficiency tests. However, a closer examination of the learning process revealed that those participants who faced and endeavored to overcome challenges in building their social networks with locals demonstrated more EdA gain than those who did not. These students had to negotiate relationships continuously with interlocutors from the host community. Repeated negotiation experiences may have facilitated these EdA students’ learning of how to communicate effectively in Third Spaces. In the current study, such social ties are called negotiated Third Space. The findings also suggested that the structure of EdA iv programs at host universities (e.g., roles and culture of dorms, school events, language programs, etc.) had the greatest impact on constructing negotiated Third Spaces. In order to maximize EdA learning in Japan, it is crucial to support EdA students’ negotiation skills. EdA students can utilize style shifting as a communication strategy to recognize, negotiate, and co-construct expectations with locals. Such skills also help EdA students develop a relationship-building persona, which enables them to forge intercultural relationships with locals, which in turn maximizes their EdA learning in Japan. In addition, understanding each EdA program from the students’ perspectives is also crucial to maximize EdA learning in general. Home institutions should use the returnees as a resource for those who will participate in the same EdA program. v Dedication This dissertation is dedicated to my parents, Toshinori and Mutsuko Tobaru, my husband, William Ma, and my daughter Miya. vi Acknowledgements I have received support and encouragement from a great number of individuals without whom this dissertation would not be possible. I first would like to express my sincerest gratitude to my advisor, Professor Mari Noda, whom I first met seven years ago at a teacher-training program. Since then I have benefited and learned from her immense knowledge on Japanese language pedagogy, and I am very grateful to have her as my advisor, mentor, and role model. I cannot thank her enough for the guidance and support she has provided me for the last seven years. Without her, I would never have gotten to where I am right now. I am also indebted to the members of my dissertation committee. I am grateful for a number of discussions I had with Professor Mineharu Nakayama on various topics covering from my research to parenting. He also helped me with data collection for the first phase of the research. Professor Xiao-bin Jian who first introduced me to the concept of Third Space and provided me valuable insights on researching and teaching in a study abroad context based on his extensive experience directing study abroad programs. Professor Charles Quinn taught me Japanese language and culture from different perspectives, and I would have never learned those perspectives if I hadn’t taken his classes. My sincere thanks also go to Professor Hiroaki Kawamura for providing continuous vii guidance and support for studying, teaching, and parenting even after graduating from University of Findlay. I also would like to thank the participants in the study. I owe especially Ms. Makiko Itai for helping me with data collection in the first phase of the study. I am also thankful to Ms. Ai Terada, for her continuous support and encouragements as my supervisor as well as mama-tomo. I also would like to express my gratitude to Ms. Yuko Kuwai and Mr. Teppei Kiyosue, who always accommodated my teaching schedule despite my limited availability. My thanks also go to my friends at DEALL for making my time at DEALL stimulating and memorable to me inside and outside of classes, especially Shun Maruyama and Kumiko Takizawa for helping me practice my oral defense, Yeri McClain, Hannah Dahlberg- Dodd, and Lindsey Stirek for being awesome babysitters for my daughter while being in school. Kayo Puthawala for the valuable time we shared talking about raising daughters while being in school. I’d also like to thank Lindsey Stirek and Danielle Rymers, who proofread my dissertation drafts. Finally, my greatest thanks go to my family, especially my parents for providing me unconditional love and support throughout my life, my husband, Will, for being patient during my dissertation writing and my daughter, Miya for being inspiration for my life. viii Vita September 8, 1988……………………………………...Born – Okinawa, Japan 2012…………………………………………………….B.A. Foreign Language Studies, University of Kitakyushu 2014………………………………….…………………M.A. Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages/Bilingual Education, University of Findlay Publications Tobaru, H. (2019). Understanding the Difficulties in Building Intercultural Relationships from Perspectives of American Students and Japanese Students during a Short-term Study Abroad in Japan. Journal of the National Council of Less Commonly Taught Languages. 25(1), pp. 109-131. Tobaru, H. (2014). Socialization and Language Acquisition: Cases of Novice-Level Study Abroad Participants. Himeji Dokkyo University Journal of Teacher Education Research, 24, pp.209-230 Field of Study Major Field: East Asian Languages and Literatures Areas of specialization: Japanese language pedagogy ix Table of Contents Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... iii Dedication ...................................................................................................................................... vi Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................................... vii Vita ................................................................................................................................................. ix Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................ x List of Tables ................................................................................................................................ xv List of Figures .............................................................................................................................. xvi List of Aberrations .....................................................................................................................