Mark Chang and Dr. Masakazu Watabe, Asian and Near Eastern Languages
In America, online courses have grown in popularity over the past few years throughout universities nationwide. These courses will continue to complement, or even replace, traditional courses taught in the classroom due to their flexibility and convenience to both students and teachers. Pencil and paper will one day be e-History.
In Japan, a country well known for cutting edge technology, students do not seem to be as proficient or dependent on computers as American students. Though they are often seen everywhere using cell phones to e-mail friends, surf the Internet, and play games, Japanese students still do much of their school work by hand. Why is Japan, a forefront pioneer in technology, still using the old-fashioned pencil and paper?
The goal behind this research was to determine the cause of the gap between students and computers in Japan, and construct a solution that could potentially bridge the gap for Japanese students coming to America to study. I came up with the following five possible reasons why Japanese students seem to be behind American students in computer proficiency, and sought, in my research, to find evidence supporting or dispelling them:
1. Students focus their attention on studying and preparing for entrance exams, so they do not have time for computers. As a result, either a) students learn about computers later in life, or b) teachers and schools have not integrated the use of computers in the classroom.
2. In smaller-sized countries, there may not be enough room for computers.
3. Students do not see the importance of computers, especially over cell phones. Some think computers are used for entertainment rather than productivity.
4. Countries or families facing tough economic conditions cannot afford computers.
5. Businesses do not look for computer proficiency when hiring, so students are not motivated to learn them.
While preparing the survey, I realized that it would be difficult to single out Japanese students, mainly because they are well integrated with other students in classes and in the community. In addition, the potential gap that affects Japanese students could affect all international students. I expanded the scope of the project to include international students in the survey, hoping to find a solution that could benefit all students.
Students from BYU Provo and the BYU English Language Center were given a one-page, double-sided survey, asking questions related to the theories. Conducting the survey online was another option considered, but I wanted a more diverse sample of responses, especially from those who do not use the computer. Students from America, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, South America, Europe, and other parts of the world, responded to the survey. More females responded than males internationally, while the opposite is true for American students.
Because international students usually studied in their home country before coming to America, their average age is significantly higher than American students. However, focused only on respondents from age 18 to 24, international and Japanese students still learned computers nearly three to five years later than American students, who began learning around age 9.
Students worldwide primarily learned about computers from school. However, America showed to teach computers in schools much earlier. Parents were a strong influence among American students when learning about computers; internationally, students responded that second to school, they learned by themselves and through friends.
Over 90% of Americans owned computers at home, 10% higher than international and Japanese students. American, Japanese and international students held the same reasons for not owning a computer at home: they could not afford one, or it was not important. The percentage of those who owned a computer at school decreased among all students because schools have plenty of computer labs, and/or students cannot afford one yet. Even though fewer students own a computer at school than at home, they use their computer more frequently at school. After entering college, for a majority of students, their confidence in their computer ability either increased or did not change. Internationally, though, a small percentage of students felt a decrease in computer ability; that percentage was significantly higher among Japanese students. Although the size or population density of a country did not seem to be an issue according to the responses, some Japanese students stated that they did not need a computer because they had a cell phone that could access the Internet. Japanese students were the only group where a majority believed cell phones could replace computers. The majority of international and American students did not believe, but the percentage that did believe was higher among international students. This trend possibly shows a growing need in small, densely populated areas for Internet-enabled cell phones.
Although many schools did not teach Internet and e-mail skills, nearly 95% of all students responded that they possessed those skills. Word processing and typing were the two most popular skills taught by schools. However, students wish they could have learned more graphics and photo editing, presentations, Internet, and web design skills. Becoming familiar with different keystrokes for typing and word processing, learning basic computer terms, and preparing simple presentations and web pages in English, can greatly benefit students learning English while simultaneously increasing their computer skills. Both American and international students thought that a course that taught such skills would benefit students coming to study in America, largely because it levels the playing field by ensuring that all students have the basic skills necessary to be competitive and marketable in the job market.
Through this research I have gained a greater knowledge of different cultures and each of their views toward technology. With these findings we can help bridge the gap between students and computers, not only in Japan and internationally, but in America as well