Learning Japanese Using Marugoto Japanese Online Course Site (Minato)

Abstract

A public university has shifted the Japanese language teaching method from using full textbooks to the application of combining textbook and online platforms. This shift is in lieu of the transition in teaching and learning patterns initiated by the rapid development of IT and the effects of pandemic. What motivates the researchers to embark on this study is that with the change of learning face-to-face to online learning, foreign language instructors need to prepare more interesting online materials to ease online teaching and learning. Generally, this study is aimed to introduce yet another online teaching materials for the teaching and learning of Japanese. Specifically, this study is to explore how the students learned Japanese online with the assistance of Minato, employing quantitative methods. A forty-seven-item questionnaire, with questions related to behaviour (13 items), situational (20 items) and cognitive (14 items) factors was administered, and 37 students participated in the survey. Based on the findings, it had been illustrated that out of 47 item questions; eleven (11) items recorded the highest score of 4.6 mean points. Eight (8) of the highest means are items from Situational Factors and three items from Cognitive Factors. The sub-factors for Situational Factors consist of learning about culture and learning about lifestyle. Out of eight (8) items with the highest means; three (3) items from culture and five items from lifestyle. The subfactors for Cognitive Factors are learning vocabulary, learning pronunciation and learning grammar. Out of three (3) items with the highest means consists of two (2) items from learning vocabulary and one item from learning pronunciation. The lowest mean of 3.5 points is from Cognitive Factors and the item is learning grammar. Therefore, this study has proven that teaching and learning using videos and photos are the most effective methods for learning Japanese culture and lifestyle through an online platform, whilst learning grammar still need teachers-students' face-to-face interactions in class.

Marugoto Japanese Online Course Site (Minato) As Japanese Language Learning Tool among Students

“…Question "The repetition, reading out loud and shadowing activities have helped me to improve my Japanese pronunciation" gets a 4.4 mean score and the lowest point with 4 mean score is item "I feel confident in my Japanese pronunciation skills". This finding is in accordance with the study by Abas et al (2021), where students stated that audios in Minato is a helpful tool for them to learn vocabulary and to pronounce the Japanese word accurately. Activities in Minato seem to give the most scaffolding in terms of language development outside the classroom.…”

“…In addition, there are schools, colleges and universities that have discontinued face-to-face teaching due to the outbreak (Dhawan, 2020), further creating a high demand for online learning tools. Abas et al (2021) mentioned that COVID-19 has triggered educators to equip themselves with various suitable online tools for improving the teaching and learning process. Meanwhile, Paul and Jefferson (2019) explained that traditional classrooms are teachercentred and require passive learning by students.…”

“…This website does not only require students' active participation, but also uses an interactive interface to educate students about Japanese culture and society. According to Abas et al (2021), Minato is a website developed in 2014 as a progressive online Japanese language learning technique, based on Marugoto's textbook.…”

“…Okamoto et al (2021) stated that Minato is an effective self-learning tool when learning Japanese characters, Hiragana and Katakana. Abas et al (2021) discovered that video and picture materials in Minato help students in learning Japanese culture, while audio materials can guide them in learning vocabulary. How Minato when applied as a Japanese online tool would influence students' online learning process?…”

“…The study revealed that various factors have affected the internet corpus learning method and the internet corpus teaching method could have a positive impact on the students' learning performance. Abas et al (2021) on the other hand, conducted research on how students learned Japanese online utilising Minato and found out that teaching and learning using videos and pictures is the most effective ways for students to learn Japanese culture and lifestyle through an online platform. Chan et al (2017) in their study which opted for an anime course in their Japanese language classroom discovered that students like the idea of using anime as a teaching tool.…”