Typology and Classification of Target Culture Perception in Foreign Language Learning: A Case of Japanese L2 Learners

Abstract

This study discusses the knowledge about, perceptions of, and interaction with the Japanese culture of Japanese language L2 learners who are majoring in Japanese at the undergraduate level in Turkish universities. The field survey was conducted with 298 undergraduate students in a Japanese Language Programs in early 2019. The data were collected using a structured questionnaire. As a result, it was confirmed that the participants acquire a wide range of academic knowledge about Japanese culture during their undergraduate education, and their perceptions of Japanese culture are based on historical and social facts as well as popular culture. However, the students have little interaction with Japanese culture in daily life. In the light of the data obtained in the research, Japanese cultural perceptions of the Japanese L2 learners were classified into typologies and discussed in terms of knowledge, perceptions, and interaction.