The Effects of English Instructional Method Considering Developmental Stages of Children : Focusing on Memory and Intellectual Curiosity

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  • 子どもの発達段階を考慮した英語指導法の効果 : 記憶と知的好奇心に焦点を当てて
  • コドモ ノ ハッタツ ダンカイ オ コウリョ シタ エイゴ シドウホウ ノ コウカ : キオク ト チテキ コウキシン ニ ショウテン オ アテテ

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Abstract

The purpose of this study was to verify the effects of the instructional method underlying the computer-based English teaching materials, Taro and Hanako’s “Let’s Learn English!”（2013） developed by Hasegawa and Ando for elementary school students. In order to complete the study, the new instructional method was compared with another method based on the concept of the new method, referring to one as Type A and the other Type B. Type A was a conventional style practiced by an instructor using hand-made teaching materials and naturally spoken voice. Meanwhile, Type B was a new style performed by an instructor with the help of a projector and a computer loaded with the newly developed teaching materials. After the instruction in Type A and Type B, memory tests and a questionnaire were administered to a total of 32 fifth and sixth graders in a local elementary school. In Type A, a first memory test was conducted 10 minutes after instruction, and then a second test 1 week later. In Type B, the first one was 10 minutes after the instruction, and then the second 2 weeks after. In both Type A and Type B, a questionnaire was given to the students immediately after each class. The results revealed the following: （1） In both cases, there was little decrease in the memory on the five English phrases learned, more than 80% of which were recalled by the students; （2） To the question item “Did you enjoy the class?” the affirmative answer was chosen 91% of the time in Type A, and 89% of the time in Type B; （3） To the question item “Was the class educational?” the affirmative answer was chosen 94% of the time in both Type A and Type B. Accordingly, it was thought that the relevant instructional method underlying the computer-based teaching materials developed considering the developmental stages of children was effective not only for retaining learning matters in the memory, but also for promoting the intellectual curiosity of children, owing to the feeling by the students that the materials were “enjoyable” and “educational.”

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