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Nevenka
Nikolić-Hosonaka, PhD, Kanda, Institute of
Foreign Languages Tokyo, Japan
An Aspect
of Intercultural Language Learning:
A Study of Children’s
Changing Perceptions of Old Men through Storytelling |
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Summary:
In the setting of a foreign language learning and teaching in
elementary schools, this study investigates changes in
perceptions of old men among young Japanese, when culturally
different concepts are introduced through narratives. To
determine how young Japanese learners respond to “foreign”
concepts, a set of instructional materials was designed
including stories featuring tricky, adventurous and amorous old
men, and cultural awareness tasks.
To test the effectiveness of these materials, 146 children were
selected as participants. Results indicate that some of their
perceptions expanded to include concepts other than their own.
Qualitative results indicate the learners’ ability to
characterize “Western” old men by using proper utterances of
characters, descriptors of their traits and behaviors. However,
they were not able to personally adjust themselves to different
cultural frames of reference, which, by being a longer process,
may be seen as a mission of elementary school foreign language
program.
This research indicates that teaching culture through stories
could be an appropriate way for children to learn language and
culture. The research further indicates that while gaining
insights into other people’s lives, young learners also
heightened their awareness of their own culture, as shown in
their ability to compare the same concept in two cultures.
Key words:
perceptions, characterization, affective awareness,
cognitive awareness, dialog
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