| The purpose of this study was to examine how college students can be supported in learning Japanese and to be exposed to culture by utilizing technological tools (computers, smartphones, and tablets). This study employed an online survey which was developed to elicit findings of five research focuses: college students' comfort levels and their perceptions about using technological devices as learning tools in terms of invested times and changes in their orientation in learning language and culture; kinds of devices, purposes, places, and reasons for their use of technology to learn Japanese; the support obtained through the use of technology to master the five goals of the National Standards; the relationship between the selfassessed mastery levels of the five goals of the National Standards and the use of technology; and students' motivations for using technology focusing on three areas-- language learning, cultural acquisition, and social networking. One hundred seventyeight college students, studying Japanese at the University of Memphis, participated in the study. The Statistical Package for the Social Science was used to analyze the data to address the research questions. The results indicated most students feel comfortable using technology to learn Japanese. Students enjoyed using technology and perceived it as tools to enhance their learning. Technology allows anytime/ anywhere learning exceeding the boundaries of learning environments (homes and classrooms). Students' self-assessed mastery levels of the five goals of the National Standards revealed that the use of technology supported them in mastering proposed outcomes (Comparisons and Communities). The relationship between the National Standards and the four metrics of the use of technology were examined, and correlations were found between the mean of each of the National Standards and the four metrics of technology use. Students' greatest motivation and purpose for using technology were related to language learning, cultural acquisition, and social networking. |
