Linguistic Environment in Japanese Speaking Classroom

Cut Erra Rismorlita, Emzir, Yumna Rasyid

Education Language Postgraduate Program, Universitas Negeri Jakarta, Indonesia

Keywords: Linguistic Environment, Japanese, Speaking

Abstract: The aim of the study was to get deeply the development of a linguistic environment in Japanese speaking

classroom at senior high school. The research method used qualitative using direct observation. The process

of collecting data used documentation, video record, field note, and the interview. The results indicated that

the taxonomy of the linguistic environment in Japanese learning consists of three taxonomies. The first was

inside the classroom pattern that referred to the cross-culture understanding. The second was native speaker

teacher position that referred to the habituation of Japanese speaking in daily life. The third was outside

classroom pattern that referred to the Japan club activity, study tour program, Japan culture practice, and

Japanese competition like a Japanese speech contest (Nihongo Bentontaikai)

1 INTRODUCTION

Developing of Japanese education in Indonesia has

some phases. The first phase is the colonial phase

which is the development phase of Japanese

language education. Thesecond phase is informal

education that refers to the learning process in non-

formal institutions. The third phase is the influence

of early economic development. In this phase, the

formal Japanese language education process is

developed from the secondary school level to

university level. In the third phase, there is a great

interest from students in learning Japanese.

Moreover, the rapid development of Japan industry

and technology requires competitors and workers to

have good Japanese language skills (Danasasmita,

2012).

The survey results from the Japan Foundation

Tokyo showed the number of Japanese language

students in Indonesia in 2012 was 872,406 students

spread across 2,346 institutions with a total of 4,538

teachers, this number had increased by 21.8% from

2009 data. Initial data in 2009 were 716,353 students

in 1,988 institutions, with a total of 4,089 teachers,

but in 2015 it declined slightly due to the

government's 2013 curriculum policy on foreign

language subjects other than English including the

specialization of local content subjects,

thereforethere were several secondary schools which

excluded Japanese.

The results of research from Oshima and Harvey

in New Zealand showed a decrease in the number of

Japanese students at the secondary school and

university levels. The cause of the decrease in the

number of Japanese students in schools or

universities is due to the level of difficulty in

mastering Japanese, especially for academic

material. In addition, the process of learning

Japanese in non-formal educational institutions is

easier to manage than formal education(Oshima&

Harvey, 2017). So, it was concluded that many

students were interested in learning Japanese in

Indonesia. However, behind this condition, it is

known that the process of learning Japanese in

Indonesia still has various problems. These are; 1)

the number of learners and instructors are not

balanced, 2) Japanese language skills are still low

and Japanese learners do not have the opportunity to

speak Japan. Other things are the lack of

infrastructure, textbooks, Japanese language

methodologies, lack of Japanese cultural

understanding.

Another problem in Japanese speaking learning

is the unfavourable condition of the language

environment. Students rarely used Japanese to

communicate with friends on campus. This means

that students find it difficult to use Japanese in their

daily lives. While the language is part of culture,

language embedded in culture, language and culture

cannot be separated from language teaching

Rismorlita, C., Emzir, . and Rasyid, Y.

Linguistic Environment in Japanese Speaking Classroom.

DOI: 10.5220/0008994501090114

In Proceedings of the International Conference on Education, Language and Society (ICELS 2019), pages 109-114

ISBN: 978-989-758-405-3

109

(Atamna, 2008). Li and Umemoto (2010) state that

when we learn a language, we cannot be separated

from the language culture. Although they learn

Japanese but are rarely used. This is because

Japanese is a foreign language that is not used as a

language of daily communication. Thus, it gave an

impact on Japanese students’ ability. Students still

have difficulty to speak as formal in Japanese

Speaking as one of the four language skills has a

very important role in communication. Speaking

means actively expressing ideas or messages. In

conveying the message, the information conveyed

must be easily understood by others so that

communication can occur smoothly. Takamizawa

explained that the most important abilities in

communicating using foreign languages are: (1)

Competence (言語能力) which includes grammar

knowledge, vocabulary, and composition of

discourse; (2) Performance ( 言語運用) which

includes the ability to understand, pronounce,

operate, choose and nonverbal; (3) Strategy (交渉技

術能力) which includes adjustment and persuasion

(Hajime, 2012).

In other words, it can be said that speaking skill

is a skill to communicate ideas, and thoughts

verbally. To facilitate this skill, it needs to be

supported by communicative abilities.

Communication skills are not just "skills to

communicate verbally in the target language", but

more than it. A good communicative ability is

"knowledge of the forms of language and the

meaning of those forms, and the ability to use them

when and to whom to use these forms naturally"

(Dahidi, 2008). The forms of language that are very

influential toward Japanese speaking skills are

speech, vocabulary, structure, and understanding of

the cultural factors of the target language.

This is different from the conditions in Japan

itself, the results of research from Minoura

concluded that the Japanese learning process has

been focused toward aspects of student attendance at

school, the pattern of teacher-student interaction in

the daily learning process has been rated as less than

optimal. Because teachers often feel tired of

interacting with students both in the classroom or

outside the classroom (Anderson-Levitt, 2012).

Kobayashi (2016a) in his research explained that

language groups can improve students' ability to

communicate because students can help each other

improve their speaking skills through drama, debate,

discussion or practice public speaking. Inomata

(2008) concluded that regardless of the arrangement

inside or outside the school, school values are

dominant that they constantly regulate all EFL

learning. School values are shared and reproduced

by the school-based discourse community.

Meanwhile, Mertin (2014) concluded that concluded

that culture influences students in the process of

acquiring target languages.

Therefore, speaking learning requires an

appropriate language environment that is relevant

with students’ needs. Teachers must not only pay

attention to the inside aspect but also outside aspect

in the classroom. This understanding can lead to the

establishment of an appropriate learning

environment system. Language environment

influences the process of language communication.

Thus, the language environment for language

acquisition and mastery is very important. Related to

the role of the environment in language acquisition,

Ellis (1988) suggests that the environment in terms

of language acquisition is classified into two,

namely the formal environment and the informal

environment. This is confirmed by Krashen (2006)

which states that there are two types of language

environments, namely artificial and natural.

Artificial environments are formal environments

with learning situations in the classroom, while

natural environments are informal environments that

occur naturally without being formed. According to

Eddy (2011) in a natural environment students can

fully immerse themselves in the target language by

listening to native speakers, shopping in public

places such as shops or restaurants. They talk to

their friends, watch television, listen to the radio, or

even read road signs and food labels and other

products. This is different from the formal

environment in which the language learning process

takes place in the classroom, by giving formal

instructions about the rules of language and their

use. Milburn (2004) adds place position, not only as

a concept of geographical or physical closeness, but

the way members build a sense of place as a shared

location (as actual space or metaphor for community

boundaries) remains the main concern. Because the

increasingly lack of closeness between the groups

requires a form of mediated communication so that

the linguistic environment continues to be needed

and is useful to help identify how members use local

knowledge and to understand what is happening

around them. The main way this is done is through

communication.

Thus, the purpose of this study is to examine

more deeply the linguistic environment of the

Japanese speaking learning process.

ICELS 2019 - International Conference on Education, Language, and Society

110

2 METHODS

This study used a qualitative approach using direct

observation. A researcher who conducts qualitative

research is usually oriented towards existing

theories. In qualitative research, the theory is limited

to the notion of a systematic statement relating to a

set of prepositions derived from data and retested

empirically. Data and sources of data in this study

were in the form of descriptive data which includes

decomposed data.

The process of collecting data used interviews,

observation, and documentation. The informant is

Japanese teacher, native speaker teacher and

students from Senior High School 75 Jakarta. In

addition, the supporting documents are syllabus,

photos, videos, and student work. In accordance

with the research methods and procedures chosen,

data analysis was carried out directly with the

researchers.

J. Moleong defines data analysis as the process

of organizing and sorting data into patterns,

categories, and basic units so that themes can be

found and working hypotheses can be formulated as

suggested by the data (J. Moleong, 2004). Emzir

(2007) says that in qualitative research, data analysis

tends to (1) consist of text analysis (2) involving the

development of description and themes, and (3)

contains a broader statement of the finding meaning.

The procedure for analyzing the data of this study

uses the Spradley data analysis model (Spradley,

1980), namely: 1) domain analysis 2) taxonomic

analysis 3) component analysis and 4) theme

analysis.

3 RESULT AND DISCUSSION

The interview results concluded that the language

environment was well developed in the Japanese

learning process. Some of activities developed

include reading competitions, Shiratori

competitions, Japanese cultural festivals, and

presentations. In addition, poster design became one

of the targets for creating Japanese language

learning in accordance with the Japan atmosphere.

These activities can build habits using

Japanese.Language learning will be more effective if

a linguistic environment is created that supports

students to express themselves and be creative. In

Japanese speaking skills, it is necessary to strive for

a language environment. The difficulty of Japanese

learning in Indonesia is the lack of a supportive

language environment. If we learn Japanese, but our

environment speaks Indonesian, it is very difficult to

use it. If we learn Japanese in Japan, we probable

must speak Japanese. Japanese language learning

curriculum development in schools is done through

face-to-face learning activities, interacting directly

with the Japanese learning environment. The Japan

Nation Tourism Organization Sakura Network

program sent 18 students to Japan in early March

2017 for 1 week, they can see directly how Japan, its

environment, its people, its youth, its culture etc. It

is expected that this program will continue every

year so that students have the opportunity to use

Japanese which has been taught at school. The goal

is to be used in the real world.

There are many Japanese language learning

activities outside the classroom through Japan Club

which are greatly assisted by the teachers. Japan

Club members are students who are interested in

Japanese. Students are interested in learning

Japanese and joining Japanese clubs is because they

like anime, want to go to Japan, like Japanese

fashion, and love Japan. Japan Club's routine

activities can improve Japanese language skills

including watching Japanese films, remembering

Japanese songs, getting acquainted and chatting with

Japanese friends. In March 2017 several Japanese

language club members at State Senior High School

75 Jakarta attended training in Japan with Ms Marta.

This activity shows that students can use

Japanese language directly. In addition, students can

also speak with Japanese people, thus they can

improve their Japanese speaking skill.

Extracurricular activities in Japan Club schools are

guided by Japanese teachers who are sometimes

assisted by senior/senpai. Interest of learning

Japanese for alumni at State Senior High School 75

Jakarta is always increasing every year. Among

them, some have even worked in Japan or become

Japanese language teachers. In addition, students

practice teaching skills since 2009 at Jakarta State

University and Jakarta Muhammadiyah University.

They were sometimes also participating in Japan

Club activities by sharing experiences, exchanging

information about Japan, watching Japanese films or

dramas, introducing Japanese culture and others.

The existence of native speaker teachers also greatly

helps Japan Club activities. Students ask questions

about Japan, practice Japanese, and learn about

Japanese culture.

Linguistic Environment in Japanese Speaking Classroom

111

Students are free to use the Japanese language

with anyone both in class and outside the class. The

teacher usually uses the Japanese language everyday

like greeting (aisatsu) or asking for news (o

genkidesuka) when they meet teachers, native

speakers, and internship students. If there are

students who are wrong in saying or wrong in

pronunciation directly correct at that time. In

principle, they were using Indonesian at the

beginning, however over time, in Japanese

conversations, students could explain, talk to each

other, and answer. When in the classroom, the

teacher always introduced the theme of learning by

showing the real conditions of Japan through

images, photos, videos, or explanations directly from

native speaker teachers, so that there is an

intercultural understanding.

From the results of observations and interviews

conducted by researchers, it was found that the

development of the linguistic environment at State

Senior High School 75 Jakarta was good in

supporting Japanese learning.The important things

related to the development of the language

environment are: fostering a positive attitude toward

language, motivating students to speak, holding

activities to improve language skills, and language

discipline

In growing the positive attitude of students in

Japanese, it can be seen from the students' views

about Japanese. They assume that Japanese is one of

the most wonderful foreign languages in the world

besides English and other foreign languages. They

are aware that Japanese is very important to add

insight into technological, learning opportunities in

Japan with scholarships, and also work in Japanese

companies in Indonesia and in Japan.

In motivating students of State Senior High

School 75 Jakarta, teachers often use Japanese.

Especially for students who are highly motivated

towards Japanese. Besides that, he exemplifies

himself as a role model, for example, native speaker

teachers who ask a lot of questions. Initially, many

asked questions about Indonesia, then after having

confidence, they began to explain in Japanese and

Indonesian. The teacher also sometimes gives some

subject matter using a singing system to make it

easier to remember the subject matter. Teachers

often motivate with various games that make

students interested in learning Japanese.

In conducting activities to improve language

skills, teachers often speak Japanese. The process of

learning Japanese culture is done directly, such as

cooking Japanese food, writing calligraphy (shodo),

making bento etc. Then it includes linguistic

competition students in the Japanese cultural festival

(bunkasai), Japanese speech contest

(Nihongobenrontaikai), magazine competition, quiz,

shiritori, etc. The first objective is to build student

interest in always trying to learn Japanese. Secondly,

students' awareness of Japanese language skills of

other students outside their school is better. Many

other students from different schools have very good

Japanese language skills. This can help students to

practice speaking. They can exchange information,

talk about Japanese culture, have friends who like to

speak Japanese. Before participating in a language

competition, teachers and native speakers train

students, although it is not every time due to

busyness and many other study hours.

According to teachers at State Senior High

School 75 Jakarta that it is important to uphold the

discipline of language because there are no rules

regarding the use of Japanese in schools, but

sometimes the teacher asks students to speak

Japanese if they ask permission to do something or

ask for help. From the observations of researchers,

the culture of using Japanese is not only done by

Japanese language teachers in the classroom but

teachers in interacting outside the classroom also use

Japanese so that the language environment becomes

maximal. Overall the teacher is able to arouse the

interest of students to speak Japanese with the topic

of conversation that concerns themselves and the

surrounding environment. Thus learning to speak

Japanese is presented in a more real context and can

be used in everyday life.

Here is linguistic environment that has been

developed to increase students’ Japanese speaking

skills at State Senior High School 75 Jakarta.

Figure 1: Linguistic Environment at State Senior High School 75 Jakarta

ICELS 2019 - International Conference on Education, Language, and Society

112

A good linguistic environment provides

opportunities for students and teachers to practice

speaking. Thus, students can feel how the

conversation in Japanese. So that it can be used for

everyday conversation. Several factors that support

this linguistic environment are: 1) Japan Nation

Tourism Organization Sakura Network program

dispatches 18 students to Japan in early March 2017

for 1 week, see firsthand how Japan, its

environment, its people, young people, culture etc.,

2) There are lots of Japanese language learning

activities outside the classroom through Japan Club,

which is greatly assisted by teachers. Japan Club

members are students who are interested in

Japanese. Japan Club routine activities can improve

Japanese language skills including watching

Japanese films, remembering Japanese songs,

getting acquainted and chatting with Japanese

friends, 3) The existence of native speaker teachers,

students ask questions about Japan, practice

Japanese, and learn about Japanese culture.

Inan (2012) stated that classroom interaction

patterns and their significance and contribution to

learners’ level of proficiency have been one of the

most important issues in EFL settings with the

increasing concern for socio-cultural theories of

education, represented by Lev Vygotsky. The

findings of this study suggest that the common

interactional pattern in the classrooms is IRE

(Initiate, Response and Evaluation), native speaker

teachers of English are more tolerant than non-native

speaker teachers of English in terms of error

correction and alternative questions technique is the

most common scaffolding technique used by both

groups of teachers. 4) Students can communicate in

Japanese freely in the classroom and outside the

classroom. 5) Learning themes are given in

accordance with the real conditions in Japan through

pictures, photos, videos or native speakers so that

the learning process provides a clear understanding

of Japanese culture, 6) The process of learning

Japanese culture is done through direct practices of

Japanese culture, such as cooking Japanese food,

writing calligraphy (shodo), making bento and

others. It means that the context of the Japanese

language has the main role in speaking practice.

The preliminary study concluded that there were

three categories in foreign language learning,

including a focus on pragmatic student learning in

the target language community, formal classroom

environments where pragmatics were not the target

of teaching, and contexts that were digitally

mediated where communication took place in a

virtual environment (Taguchi, 2015).7). Examples of

activities in a linguistic environment are involving

students in language competitions at Japanese

cultural festivals (bunkasai), Japanese speech

contests (Nihongobenrontaikai), magazine

competitions, quizzes, shiritori, and others

It can be concluded that the culture of using

Japanese is not only done by Japanese language

teachers in the classroom, but also it used in

interacting process outside the classroom so that the

language environment becomes maximal. Overall

the teacher is able to arouse the interest of students

to speak Japanese with the topic of conversation that

concerns themselves and the surrounding

environment. Thus, learning to speak Japanese is

served in a more real context and can be used in

everyday life. This is in line with Li and Umemoto

(2010) that in foreign language learning, the rules of

grammar and vocabulary are explicit knowledge,

which is transferred from the teacher to students in

the classroom. However, language cannot be used

only in such explicit contexts. Implicit knowledge,

such as the way the language is used, or the implicit

meaning according to time, place and situation is

also needed (Li & Umemoto, 2010). Thus, many

policies were issued to support the Japanese learning

environment so that learning activities became more

leverage. Unfortunately, the literature says very little

to help us understand why students speak their L1

outside the classroom. Analyze identified a variety

of sociocultural, linguistic, individual, and

psychological factors that affect students' language

use outside the classroom. The article concludes

with the discussion of recommendations regarding

the development of language use plans and self-

regulation as a means of facilitating language

development (Shvidko, Evans, &Hartshorn, 2015).

4 CONCLUSIONS

The things that support this linguistic environment

are Japan Club, the existence of native speaker

teachers, habituation of students using Japanese

starting from small things they want to do inside and

outside the classroom, study tour programs to Japan,

intercultural understanding through learning

activities, direct practice of Japanese culture

(bunkataiken), participating in various competitions

in Japanese cultural festivals (bunkasai), Japanese

speech contests (Nihongobenrontaikai), competition

mading, quiz, shiritori and others.

Linguistic Environment in Japanese Speaking Classroom

113

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I thank all my students have been subjecting of my

research and all people have given their help to me.

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