Katakana Instruction for Thai Learners: A Case Study of Vocational College Students

Abstract

The  objective  of  this  research  was  to  study  the  achievement  and effectiveness of learning Katakana on the part of Thai high school students when using the association method and active learning, which promotes active involvement, and to  study the aspect of  motivation and its  effectiveness in  the learning process. The sample group was a  group of  freshmen from Saowapa Vocational College (Vocational Certificate Program) that had selected Japanese studies as  their elective subject and had no  background knowledge of  any of  the Japanese characters (Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji). The control group of  40    students was taught Katakana characters by  using Katakana flashcards solely, while the experimental group of the same number was taught by means of the association method, and the students were urged to  actively participate throughout the session. The methods employed in  this research can be apportioned into 4  parts: 1)  a  pre-course test and a  post-course test; 2)  a Katakana alphabet test after a  period of  one month; 3)  a  questionnaire on the students’ opinions and expectations from Japanese language study; and, 4)  an  interview with the sample group regarding their perception of the classes as well as their views on the association method and their active involvement. The research findings indicated the effectiveness of the association method when applied to the teaching and learning of the Katakana characters as  the result of   both the post-course test and the test after one month of the students in the experimental group was significantly higher than that of the students in  the control group. The findings also implied that the employment of   the association method, along with the promotion of  active involvement, helped to   motivate the students in the learning process.