Examining a mailing list in an elementary Japanese language class

Abstract

This study examines the possible effects of a mailing list discussion on second/foreign language learning in the form of an explorative case study. Forty-six students in an elementary-level Japanese language class at a Canadian university participated. The study consists of three parts: interaction analysis, content analysis, and a student survey. The first two parts referenced the entire mailing list discussion archive. The number of the messages totaled 298. In order to analyze learner interaction, a map of interaction was designed and Levin, Kim and Riel’s (1990) Intermessage Reference Analysis (IRA) was applied. Content analysis was then carried out on the topics, context-type, and depth of learning process involved in each message. Lastly, a survey was distributed in order to discern participants’ perceptions towards the use of a mailing list for language learning. The results of the interaction and content analysis show how a mailing list discussion can provide a place to reflect on course content, enabling students to increase their linguistic knowledge through an exchange of ideas, thoughts, and opinions via student-centered interactions. The result of the participant survey shows that although the students’ participation in and perceptions towards the mailing discussion is not uniform, 35% of the students perceived the value of a mailing list discussion to be high. Through the examination of three different methods of analysis, the study concludes that there is a good potential for the use of mailing list discussions in second/foreign language learning. However, further research is necessary to determine which factors contribute to the successful use of this medium.