The Effects of Employing Mindfulness Activities with Japanese High School Students
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THE EFFECTS OF EMPLOYING MINDFULNESS ACTIVITIES WITH JAPANESE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS A Dissertation Submitted to the Temple University Graduate Board In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education By Louis I. Butto May, 2018 Examining Committee Members David Beglar, Advisory Chair, Teaching and Learning Tomoko Nemoto, Teaching and Learning Tamara Swenson, External Member, Osaka Jogakuin University James Elwood, External Member, Meiji University © by Louis I. Butto 2018 All Rights Reserved ii ABSTRACT Learning a foreign language can be challenging. If the learning environment is compulsory, motivation can also contribute to the struggles. Mindfulness, a psychological construct, is a robust topic in the academic literature. Mindfulness is a mindset that views the world from multiple perspectives, reorganizing what is perceived, focusing on the present moment and keeping open to new ideas (Langer, 1997). Moreover, mindfulness is claimed to increase interest and academic outcomes. Therefore, the construct was employed in this research to validate these claims and to contribute to second language education. This study was designed to fill several gaps in the second language acquisition (SLA) literature. First, the construct of mindfulness has not been explored in SLA as a mindset to engage students in learning. Second, the construct of interest has not been investigated in SLA in tandem with mindfulness. Lastly, mindfulness has never been employed with motivated or unmotivated high school students in the compulsory education system in Japan. The following research hypotheses and research question were investigated: (a) The treatment group receiving the mindful tasks will outperform the comparison group receiving normal foreign language instruction on vocabulary learning and reading comprehension measures; (b) The treatment group receiving mindful tasks would be more engaged, interested, and like English more than before. Increased interest will lead to improvements in language performance; and, (c) To what extent do mindful practices iii assist low-achieving proficiency high school students in enhancing their abilities? The participants were students attending a private high school in Japan. Both the treatment and comparison groups included 45 female and 34 male students, respectively, for a total of 79 participants. A Rasch analysis was utilized to confirm the validity and reliability of the mindfulness and interest questionnaires and to transform the raw scores into equal interval measures. MANOVA, ANOVA and Pearson correlation coefficient data were analyzed to ascertain differences between groups and within groups for all tests and constructs measured. The results indicated that mindfulness was not a significant influence on improved outcomes in language performance for the treatment group, although the descriptive statistics did show small gains in the hypothesized direction. The dependent variables included the mindfulness and interest questionnaires, as well as vocabulary and reading comprehension questions. The independent variable was the mindfulness tasks. The dependent variables were vocabulary and reading comprehension measures. The results of the MANOVA were the treatment effect was not significant, F(2,81) = .397, p < .67, η2 = .01. The results of the ANOVA were the treatment effect was not significant, F(1,82) = .82, p < .77, η2 =. 001. There was also no significant correlation between increased mindfulness and increased interest. Out of the six factors, all except for sensitivity to new contexts, showed negative relationships. The only positive relationship was not significant. Lastly, a one-way repeated measures ANOVA showed no improvement for the low-proficiency treatment group, ∧= .30, F(2,18) = 1.30, p < .30, η2 = .13, over time. iv The effect of mindfulness on improved language performance outcomes might have been influenced by the following: shallow levels of processing, lack of clear goals for the participants, unclear task design protocols, working memory issues and environmental restraints. A lack of correlation between increases in mindfulness and interest gains might have been attributable by the compulsory nature of the course, time constraints and the lack of perceived utility of the tasks by the part pants. Lastly, the reason for the lack of improvement for the low-achieving proficiency participants might not be an issue of proficiency, because both the low- and high-achieving participants of the treatment condition did not improve. Overall, these findings suggest that mindfulness is more nuanced and more complex than originally expected. v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to express appreciation to all the people who have supported me directly or indirectly through this trial called a doctoral dissertation. Although my indebtedness to all of them cannot be so easily repaid, I would like to make a start. First, I would like to acknowledge my primary advisor, Dr. David Beglar, whose patience has been tested. The effort and time he expended in reading my numerous drafts, while working with other doctoral students and teaching courses, cannot be imagined. Moreover, he has been my advised and taught me in a number of courses not only in the doctoral program, but also in the master’s degree program. I wish to humbly express my deep gratitude. I also would like to offer my appreciation to the members of my proposal and dissertation defense committees. These include Eton Churchill, Tamara Swenson, and Tomoko Nemoto. Their invaluable insight cannot be underestimated. Their critique showed me where I have been lacking or careless in my writing. Their input inspired growth and continued excellence as a standard at Temple University Japan. I have also had many exceptional professors in the doctoral program. Some of these include Paul Nation, Steven Ross, and Noel Houck. Paul Nation’s long and distinguished background in vocabulary, as well as his jovial character, inspired me much. Dr. Steven Ross’ expertise and high expectations were unparalleled. Dr. Noel Houck’s depth and understanding of the SLA literature, and especially discourse analysis, was impressive. I offer my appreciation to them all. vi There are many students in this study, who shall remain nameless, but who also deserve my gratitude. I thank them for their patience and cooperation. Also, I would like to thank Kyoko Ogawa, a Temple University Japan alumni and my senior in the doctoral program, who offered her invaluable help in editing the questions used in the Mindfulness questionnaire. There were many close friends who I have neglected during this journey. I want to express my appreciation to them for their understanding and patience. Without the support of friends, life would surely be miserable. I wish to offer my gratitude to my mother Nancy, and father Samuel, who gave me life and nurtured me. Words cannot do justice, except that I have come to this point because of you both. Although you are not here, you are always residing deep in my heart. Also, I would like to offer thanks to my wife for her patience and support. Lastly, I would like to express my gratitude to my son Leonardo and daughter Angelina, who have struggled along with me over the years in many ways. I hope the difficult choices I have made in life might in some way, be a guide to their great future. My son on several occasions helped with various translations used in this research. To them, I would like to convey my deep and endless gratitude. vii To my beloved children, Angelina and Leonardo, may you contribute to this world in unimaginably profound ways. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................. vi DEDICATION ................................................................................................................. viii LIST OF TABLES .............................................................................................................xv LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................... xviii CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ...........................................................................................................1 English Pedagogy in Japan ......................................................................................2 Japanese High School Life.......................................................................................4 Statement of the Problem .........................................................................................6 Purposes and Significance of the Study ...................................................................7 Audience for the Study ............................................................................................8 Defining Concepts .................................................................................................10 Mindfulness................................................................................................10 Interest........................................................................................................11 Delimitations ..........................................................................................................11 Organization of the Study ......................................................................................12