This document provides background information on a study conducted in 2006-2007 that examined the beliefs and strategies regarding kanji learning among Filipino learners and teachers of Japanese. It describes the creation of a kanji learning model and the methodology used, which involved questionnaires and interviews. Key findings included differences in beliefs between learners and teachers, as well as differences in their preferred learning/teaching strategies. Recommendations focused on updating the study for current contexts and expanding it to other areas of Japanese language education.

1. A Comparative Study of Kanji Learning Beliefs and
Strategy Usage Among Filipino Learners and
Teachers of the Japanese Language
Presentation by Francesca Ventura

2. BACKGROUND
• Conducted in 2006-2007 as part of the requirements of the Japan
Foundation MA Program
• Purpose was to pinpoint specific problems encountered by Filipino
learners regarding kanji (since this seemed to be a barrier to passing
higher levels of the JLPT) and propose possible solutions to these
problems.
This meant there was a need to grasp the state of various factors
affecting Filipino learners’ kanji learning process, such as their learning
environment, their characteristics as learners, existing socio-cultural
factors and the effects of their current results/output.

3. Review of Related Literature
Beliefs about language learning: Horwitz 1987,De Vera 2002
Language learning strategies:Oxford 1990, Katagiri 2005, Takasaki 2006
Relationship between learners’ beliefs about learning kanji and their use of
kanji learning strategies: Ookita 1995, Nakamura 1997, Chen 2003
Relationship between teachers’ beliefs about learning kanji and their use of
kanji teaching strategies: Shimizu 1999
As there were no studies that examined and compared learners' and
teachers' kanji learning beliefs and strategy usage simultaneously,
the researcher thought that this would be a worthwhile endeavor.

4. Creation of Kanji Learning Model
• A model of the kanji learning process was created to help readers visualize
how different factors influence success in learning and teaching kanji.
• This model was based on models presented in Hayashi (2006) and
Yokoyama (2006) .
• The model helps us point out what areas we can work on to solve existing
challenges in kanji learning and instruction.
• It also gives us an idea of other related directions/fields this study could be
expanded in the future.

5. Factors related to the learning environment
Teaching method, Teaching materials, Number of hours per level, exposure to kanji, etc.
Factors related to the Teacher
Fixed： Age, Sex, Mother tongue, etc.
Variable：Attitude, Motivation, Personality, Training received, Education、Experience as a
teacher, experience as a student, etc.
Factors related to the student
Variable：Attitude, Motivation, Personality,
Experience studying languages, learning style,
etc.
Kanji Learning
Beliefs
Kanji Learning
Strategy Usage
Fixed：Age, Sex, Mother tongue, etc.
Learning Outcomes
Linguistic production
→ Ability to read, write, and
understand kanji
→ Test scores and grades
Emotional outcomes
Social/traditional/cultural Factors
• Language and culture of your country
• Contact with Japanese language and culture
• Attitudes toward Japanese language and culture
• Contact with other languages and cultures
• Attitudes toward other languages and cultures
• Bilingualism/Multilingualism
• Social Class
• Government policy (education policy, etc.)
• Educational system and culture of your country
Kanji
Learning
Beliefs
Kanji
Learning
Strategy
Usage
Kanji Teaching
Strategy
Usage
SLA
Process
Internal Environment of Learner
External Environment of Learner

6. METHODOLOGY
• Questionnaire survey based on Beliefs About
Language Learning Inventory (Horwitz 1987)
to measure strength of beliefs and frequency
of strategy usage using a 5 point Likert scale.
Respondents:
-209 Filipino Japanese language Learners
from 9 institutions
- 25 Filipino Japanese language
instructors from 15 institutions
• Correlational analysis of survey results using
SPSS was also conducted
QUANTITATIVE
PORTION

7. Structure of the Survey
Students’ Version Teachers’ Version
Section
I
Background/characteristics
of Respondents
Background/characteristics of
Respondents
Section
II
Students' beliefs about
learning kanji
Teachers' beliefs about
learning kanji
Section
III
Learning strategies Teaching strategies
Section
IV
Learning strategies
Open
Ended
Questions
→ Supplementary data
→ Comments/opinions of
respondents
→ Supplementary data
→ Comments/opinions of
respondents

8. Beliefs concerning:
① Social, traditional and cultural value of kanji
② Difficulty of kanji
③ Emotional aspect
④ Aptitude
⑤ Effectiveness of kanji
⑥ Role of teachers
⑦ Methods of learning kanji
Belief Domains

9. ① Contextual learning strategies
② Associative learning strategies
③ Cognitive learning strategies
④ Metacognitive learning strategies
⑤ Compensatory learning strategies
① Contextual teaching strategies
② Associative teaching strategies
③ Cognitive teaching strategies
④ Metacognitive teaching strategies
⑤ Gamification
Kanji Learning Strategies Kanji Teaching Strategies
Strategy Domains

10. Analysis of Data
Choice of teaching
strategies
C.A.
Beliefs towards
learning kanji
Teachers
Students
C.A.
CORRELATIONAL
ANALYSIS (C.A.)
Choice of learning
strategies
Choice of learning
strategies
COMPARISON
COMPARISON
COMPARISON
Beliefs towards
learning kanji
C.A.

11. METHODOLOGY
• Open ended questions in the last portion
of the survey where participants were
free to write whatever they wanted to say
related to learning and/or teaching kanji,
and about kanji itself
• Structured individual and group
interviews with students and teachers to
gather in-depth information and insights
and cover areas not included in the
questionnaire
QUALITATIVE
PORTION

12. Comparison of teachers’ and students’ beliefs
towards learning kanji
Students Teachers
① Possess strong beliefs towards
the role of teachers in kanji
instruction: expect their teachers
to play an active role.
② Generally possess a positive
attitude towards learning kanji
★ Most responses were half-
negative and half-positive
③ Students strongly believe in the
usefulness of kanji to achieve
their goals and objectives for
learning Japanese.
① Place great importance on study
methods and are conscious of the
fact that teachers play an important
role in kanji instruction.
② Believe that most Filipino learners
lack the aptitude to learn kanji.
★ Most respondents admitted to
having a negative attitude towards
learning kanji
③ Teachers strongly believe that
students should practice reading
and writing kanji as much as
possible.

13. Comparison of kanji learning strategies employed by
students and teachers
Students Teachers
① Use more strategies for
memorizing the appearance of the
kanji
② Rarely employ dictionaries in their
study of kanji
③ Students who use learning
strategies tend to use multiple
strategies at the same time.
★ Students try to come up with their
own strategies/styles for learning
kanji
① Use strategies for remembering
meaning, appearance and reading
of the kanji
② Use dictionaries quite often
③ Teachers who use learning
strategies tend to use multiple
strategies at the same time.
★ Teachers tend to use more
traditional strategies/styles for
learning kanji

14. Teachers’ teaching strategies vs. Students’ learning strategies
Teachers’ teaching strategies Students’ learning strategies
① Predominant use of cognitive
teaching strategies
② There is a relatively strong
correlation between beliefs
concerning the affective aspects
of learning kanji and the role of
the teacher
① Predominant use of cognitive
learning strategies
② There is a relatively strong
correlation between beliefs
concerning the usefulness of
kanji, affective aspects of
learning kanji and study habits

15. CONCLUSION
• Examining the beliefs and strategy usage of learners and teachers and
seeing how they influence one another is important and it helps teachers
plan better classes.
--> Teachers need to be flexible, not just sticking to teaching methods
they have grown accustomed to, but also listening to the voices of learners and
incorporating new ideas from them.
• Teachers should realize that learners are generally more positive about
learning kanji than they think.
• Learners’ motivation increases when teachers use teaching strategies
that emphasize how kanji is useful in their lives.
• By sharing and incorporating various learning and learning strategies,
teachers can make learning kanji more interesting and enjoyable.

16. RECOMMENDATIONS
• As original survey was conducted 16 years ago and as circumstances have
changed especially by the pandemic (less opportunity to practice writing by
hand, less face to face interaction with teachers, more time for independent
learning, etc.) there is a need to update the existing inventory of beliefs and
strategies that appear in the questionnaire.
• Expansion of study by conducting research on how other factors in the kanji
learning model affect each other
• Exploration of the possibility of conducting similar studies for other
fields/aspects of Japanese language education.

17. References
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18. THANK YOU