The Transformation of Japanese Learners' Taigu Consciousness Arising from Introspection and Consideration of the Perspectives of Others

<p>Japanese learners may undergo a transformation in their awareness of "situations" (human relationships and contexts) through communication in various contact situations. In this study, cases were examined in which advanced Chinese learners experienced a "sense of failure" while speaking Japanese in contact situations involving requests . The study revealed the transformation of the learners' Taigu consciousness after they experienced failure in these contact situations and became introspective about communication as well as the perspectives of "others" not directly involved in the contact situations. Four advanced Japanese learners who are Chinese were interviewed and asked about instances where they had experienced a "sense of failure." The resulting data were analyzed. To elucidate the transformation of consciousness arising from each learner’s introspection, and that person’s perspective of "others," interviews were conducted using interpretation between the learner's native language (Chinese) and the target language (Japanese). Three key points became obvious from the results: (1) Learners can deepen their understanding of communication through introspection, but there are limitations, and negative emotions may arise. (2) Learners who have experienced a "sense of failure" in contact situations can deepen their understanding of communication by learning about the perspectives of others, freeing themselves from personal feelings of discouragement. (3) The method of incorporating interpretation between the learners' native language and Japanese, as presented in this study, is effective in eliciting and deepening learners' Taigu consciousness. In future Taigu communication education, as a learning method, it may be valuable for learners to engage with others to reevaluate their own experiences. Specifically, Japanese learners can bring experiences from their language life into classroom activities and resolve their concerns by learning about the perspectives of others. For this process, not only dialogue activities in Japanese but also methods involving written communication and translation into the learner’s native language may be effective.</p>