A whole language alternative approach for English language acquisition among young Japanese women /

Bibliographic Details
Main Author:	Olson, Judith Elaine Mehr
Other Authors:	Barker, Donald G. (degree committee member.), Florez-Tighe, Viola (degree committee member.), Patterson, Leslie A. (degree committee member.), Wiseman, Donna (degree committee member.)
Format:	Thesis Book
Language:	English
Published:	1991.
Subjects:	English language > Study and teaching (Higher) > Japanese speakers. Second language acquisition. Language experience approach in education. Major curriculum and instruction. Academic theses
Online Access:	Link to OAKTrust copy

Description
Abstract:	In February-March 1990, a group of thirteen Japanese female students from Saitama Women's Junior College in Saitama, Japan, attended a one-month intensive ESL program at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas. The expressed goals of the students were to improve their English conversational skills. The curriculum was based on Whole Language and Natural Approach theories, and authentic discourse was achieved through the use of pen-pal letters, dialogue journals, the staging of the play The Diary of Anne Frank, and regular interaction with native English-speakers. During the program, Whole Language and Natural Approach principles often conflicted with Japanese views of gender, individual expression, and group dynamics. In spite of these cultural differences, the program demonstrated clearly the positive correlation between risk-taking and language acquisition, as well as the usefulness of Whole Language and Natural Approach methods in ESL programs for Japanese students. By qualitative and quantitative measures, the students significantly improved their English-language skills during the one-month program.
Item Description:	Typescript (photocopy). Vita. "Major subject: Curriculum and Instruction."
Physical Description:	ix, 303 leaves ; 29 cm
Bibliography:	Includes bibliographical references.