Developing Japanese CALL courseware for listening comprehension practice

Abstract

CALL (computer assisted language learning) courseware was developed for advanced learners of Japanese, entitled Listening Comprehension: Life in Japan; Dwelling in a Private Apartment. Based on the Three-step Auditory Comprehension Approach (Takefuta, 1997), this courseware consists of three steps: step1 helps learners grasp the outline of the content, step2 assists in a more detailed understanding of the conversation, and step3 leads learners through comprehensive practice exercises. The CD-ROM in which it is packaged requires QuickTime5 and contains movies with two Japanese students (male and female) talking in informal style to help a nonJapanese student. It offers several types of tasks and provides information about the language, culture and learning strategies. The CD-ROM has four courses on the following topics, each divided into three sublessons: (1) looking for, (2) moving into, (3) living in, and (4) moving out of an apartment. The main directions and explanations are given in Japanese, Chinese, Korean or English. 6 native speakers of Japanese and 6 advanced language learners of Japanese who used part of the CD-ROM as well as 14 Japanese language learners who used all the materials and functions of the CD-ROM in a language course specially designed for the CD-ROM reported a positive attitude toward the courseware and agreed it was effective in helping to learn the language.