Kenji Kitao and S. Kathleen Kitao
PREFACE
This book brings together papers that we have written related to language
teaching over the past twenty-five years. Most of them were written during the
past ten years. They represent the development of our interests in the language
teaching field.
This collection of papers is divided into five sections. The first section
is "Background." The paper "Teaching English in Japan" describes the situation
in English education in Japan, including reasons people study English, the
history of English teaching in Japan, and English teaching in various settings.
The second section is "Theory, Research and Practice." In the first paper,
"Reading and Evaluating Quantitative Research," the basic principles of
quantitative research are explained. The purpose of this paper is to help
language teachers understand research design so that they can evaluate the
validity of the research that they read.
In "Transformational Generative Grammar and Language Teaching,"
transformational generative grammar is contrasted with structural linguistics,
and suggestions are made for integrating the principles of transformational
generative grammar into language teaching methodology. In "Process and Social
Aspects of Writing: Theory and Classroom Application," written with Namie
Saeki, process and product approaches to composition are contrasted, and secret
friend journals, an activity that makes use of the process aspects of writing,
is introduced. In "Difficulty in English Pronunciation for Japanese People,"
pronunication problems are studied.
The third section is "Teaching Reading." In "Difficulties Japanese Have
in Reading English," problems encountered by Japanese reading English are
focused on and suggestions are made for how the teaching of reading in Japan
could be improved. In "A Study of Trends of College English Reading Textbooks
in Japan: An Analysis of College English Reading Textbooks for 1985," written
with Shinsuke Yoshida, Haruyo Yoshida, Kinji Kawamura, and Makoto Kurata,
reading textbooks published in 1985 were examined and characteristics were
identified. In "Independent Reading in English--Use of Graded Readers in the
Library English as a Second Language Corner--," written with Masayo Yamamoto
and Hiroshi Shimatani, an independent reading program is described and the
results of a study is reported. In "Getting Students to Read Actively,"
characteristics of materials, activities, and ways of managing reading classes
that encourage to participate actively are described. "Teaching English t!
hrough Newspapers" is about ways of using newspapers in an English reading
class. It includes ways of teaching about the organization of a newspaper,
about what is on the front page, about how news articles are organized, and so
on.
The fourth section is "Teaching Culture." In "Teaching Culture in Foreign
Language Instruction in the United States," the history of teaching culture in
language courses is reviewed and various aspects of teaching culture are
examined, including techniques that have been developed and the benefits of
teaching culture. In "Teaching American Culture: Content, Methods, and
Techniques," what to teach about American culture is suggested. Study-abroad
programs are discussed, along with how students are prepared for them and how
orientation programs could be improved. In "Developing Reading Materials for
Teaching American Culture in English Courses," reasons for teaching culture
are discussed and suggestions are made for how materials for teaching about
American culture can be developed.
The next section is "Using Technology in Language Teaching." In
"Administration of Language Laboratories in Colleges," the results of major
studies on the use of language laboratories are summarized, and administration,
types of facilities, attached facilities, the use of language laboratories,
and so on, are discussed. In "The History of Language Laboratories--Origin
and Establishment--," language laboratories are discussed from the invention
of the phonograph in 1877, which made the first language laboratories possible,
through the passage of the National Defense Education Act in 1958. In
"Combining Slide Presentations with Reading and Listening," materials which
use slides and an audio tape program to teach about culture are described.
"Using Authentic Video Materials in the Language Classroom" is about the
advantages and disadvantages of using video in the classroom and how teachers
can make support materials for authentic video.
The last section is "Using Computers in Language Teaching." "Developing
English CBI Programs at Doshisha University" describes how computers are used
in language classes at Doshisha University, and "Effects of English CBI at
Doshisha University" describes reading courses. In "Individualizing English
Instruction Using Computers," justifications for individualized instruction
are discussed, along with ways that computers can be used. Finally, in
"Students' Evaluation of CAI English Classes," the results of a study based
on students' reports and responses to questionnaires about CAI classes are
detailed.
We published another book, Intercultural Communication: Between Japan and
the United States, in the fall of 1989. That was a collection of papers on
communication we had worked on for twenty years. It was well received and the
second printing is circulating now.
The following papers were originally published in other places, and we
have either revised them to bring them up to date or have revised them
slightly without updating them, as the notes of those papers specify.
1. Teaching English in Japan (1985)
In K. Kitao, K. Nozawa, Y. Oda, T.N. Robb, M. Sugimori, and M. Yamamoto
(Eds.), TEFL in Japan: Jushu Nen Kinen Ronbunshu [TEFL in Japan: JALT
10th Anniversary Collected Papers]. Kyoto: Japan Association of Language
Teachers.
ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. 265 741
2. Reading and Evaluating Quantitative Research (1994)
Bulletin of the Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies of Culture,
Doshisha Women's College, 11.
ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. 333 755
4. Process and Social Aspects of Writing: Theory and Classroom
Application (1992)
Doshisha Women's College Annual Reports of Studies, 43.
ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. 369 288
6. Difficulties Japanese Have in Reading English (1987)
In K. Kitao and S. K. Kitao (Eds.), Intercultural Communication:
Between Japan and the United States. Tokyo: Eichosha.
ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. 278 214
7. Japanese College Students' English Reading Ability
ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. 278 214
8. A Study of Trends of College English Reading Textbooks in Japan: An Analysis
of College English Reading Textbooks for 1985 (1988)
Doshisha Literature, No. 33.
ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. 278 257
9. Independent Reading in English--Use of Graded Readers in the Library English
as a Second Language Corner-- (1990) Reading in a Foreign Language, 6.
ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. 328 074
10. Getting Students to Read Actively (1994)
Doshisha Studies in English, No. 63
ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. (in press)
11. Teaching English through Newspapers (1995)
Doshisha Literature, No. 38
ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. (in press)
12. Teaching Culture in Foreign Language Instruction in the United States (1991)
Doshisha Studies in English, 52-53.
ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. 330 214
15. Developing Reading Materials for Teaching American Culture in English
Courses (1982)
Supplement to English Teaching (The College English Teachers
Association of Korea), 24.
ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. 224 286
16. Administration of Language Laboratories in Colleges (1994)
ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. 224 286
18. Motivating Students to Learn English by Combining Slide Presentations with
Reading and Listening (1990)
Speech Communication Education, 3.
ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. 268 780
19. Using Authentic Video Materials in the Language Classroom (1985)
Cross Currents, 12.
20. Introduction to CAI English Classes (1994)
Foreign Language Education in Japan and Korea: Prospects for the 21st
Century [Proceedings of the 2nd Japan-Korea International Symposium]
ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. (in press)
21. Developing English CBI Programs at Doshisha University (1992)
Doshisha Business Review, 43
ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. 348 876
22. Individualizing English Instruction Using Computers (1994)
Doshisha Studies in English, 62.
23. Students' Evaluation of CAI English Classes (1995)
Doshisha Studies in English, No. 64
ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. (in press)
* * * * * * *
We would like to express our appreciation to the people who over the years
have helped us with the original papers that are included in this book and also
to the participants in our studies. In particular, we would like to thank Mr.
Lee Vogt of Kansai University, Sabrina Elizabeth Welch of Doshisha Women's
College, and Winston Welch of Osaka Kogyo University for reading the manuscript
and making valuable suggestions.
We also wish to thank Mr. Shozo Doki, president of Eichosha, for publishing
this book, because it is not easy to publish an academic book written in
English. Finally, we would like to thank our editor, Ms. Chiyo Izumi, for her
good work in editing this book.
Kenji Kitao, Ph.D.
S. Kathleen Kitao, Ph.D.
Kyoto, Japan
December, 1994
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