| Although Japanese educators have recently recognized the importance of student-centered collaborative activities in teaching English, the teacher-centered classroom persists in Japan. This study focused on the extent to which a 6-week collaborative language learning activity that incorporated students' choices affected 34 Japanese EFL university students' attitudes toward student input and collaborative learning.; Students were divided into small groups. Each group chose a topic for a 10- to 15-minute class presentation and provided an article, article summary, and vocabulary list. Students reflected on individual presentations in an action log, and reflections on each class were recorded in a teacher's log. Before and after the project, students completed a questionnaire quantifying their perceptions regarding collaborative learning and their language learning success; at the end of the project, they also answered open-ended questions on their collaborative learning experience.; Findings indicate that the collaborative learning experience and input into the curriculum made students aware that having choices can be helpful and significantly increased their view of the importance of what they do in the classroom. The activity appeared to have a positive impact on some students' views regarding not only the importance of the teacher but also of their fellow students within the classroom, moving them in the direction of appreciation of a more balanced learning community. However, students still viewed the teacher as relatively more important than their classmates. The study also suggests that students increased in their appreciation of learning inside the classroom rather than outside of the classroom. The results also indicate that although students wanted the freedom to pursue their individual interests, they were not yet prepared to experience fully autonomous learning. Future research needs to explore ways to combine collaborative learning and instructor assistance in the Japanese context. |
