Computer assisted group project activities in a beginners’ Japanese foreign language class

This study examined the implementation of computer assisted group project activities in a beginners’ Japanese foreign language course. Questions to be investigated were whether or not the implementation of the activities facilitated the beginners’ learning and what other factors affected their learning through the project. Data on (a) the learners’ motivation toward Japanese learning and language learning using the computer, (b) their perceptions of their achievement, and (c) their reflections on the project-based activities, were collected by questionnaire surveys and through the subjects’ journals and reports. The analysis of the participants’ feedback demonstrated that the computer assisted group project activities were overall received positively and provided some, if not all, learners with an alternative approach for learning Japanese as a foreign language. Generally the more smoothly the group work went, the more the learners appear to have achieved through the activities. Three factors appeared to be crucial for the success of the activities: (1) self-directed learning; (2) group dynamics; and, (3) computer-related skills. These outcomes are rather encouraging for the use of projectbased activities as part of the course syllabus.