Japanese students’ utilization of courseware in a blended learning environment

Abstract

This paper outlines research conducted into what Japanese undergraduate students think about utilization of commercial online courseware in a blended language learning course; I also demonstrate apparent benefits and problems with introducing courseware in Japanese educational settings. A brief introduction of the concepts of CALL and availability of ICT in Japan is provided, followed by a short description of English language teaching in Japanese educational settings. The present study and its results are then explained. The findings show that different students had different opinions of the effectiveness of the courseware – less than half of them appreciated the benefits of the courseware, while the rest raised computer-related problems with learning English through it. It is crucial for teachers to determine how to construct face-to-face learning environments in order to accommodate students’ different demands and requests in blended learning classrooms.