Resumen de Perceptual differences about kanji instruction: Native versus nonnative, and secondary versus postsecondary instructors of Japanese
This study investigated perceptual differences between Japanese language instructors with different ethnolinguistic and professional backgrounds in respect to kanji (i.e., Chinese characters used in Japanese) instruction. A total of 199 teachers of Japanese across the United States completed a 62‐item questionnaire eliciting their attitudes toward kanji and instructional strategies. A principal component analysis identified six attitude factors (Kanji has cultural value; Kanji is useful; Kanji is difficult; Kanji is fun; Kanji has future; and Kanji learning requires special abilities) and seven strategy factors (memory strategies, context‐based strategies, confidence, sound strategies, morphological analysis, metacognitive strategies, and rote memorization). Overall, the instructors appreciated the usefulness of kanji and considered rote memorization, memory, and metacognitive strategies effective. Multivariate analyses, however, revealed the statistically significant effects of native status and school level on the self‐report instructional strategies. Specifically, nonnative instructors rated the effectiveness of sound, memory, and context‐based strategies higher than native counterparts, and that secondary school teachers showed stronger beliefs in the effectiveness of memory strategies than college instructors, who rated rote memorization most effective. In sum, Japanese language instructors in general reflect upon their own kanji instruction from multiple perspectives but show different perceptions that are attributable to their learning and professional experiences.
