Japanese in the College Classroom: The Impact of Teaching with Games Incorporating the Multiple Intelligences Theory

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether games incorporating the Multiple Intelligences theory facilitated the acquisition of Japanese oral proficiency for college Japanese students, and to evaluate the games' impact on Japanese language instruction. Participants in this study were selected from the total population of the twenty-six college students enrolled in the elementary Japanese language class at a small private liberal arts· college in Kenosha, Wisconsin during the 2000-2002 academic years. The subject of the experiment were two control groups and one experimental group. Quantitative data included the students' Multiple Intelligences surveys, the students' classroom activities surveys (in the experimental group), and the data from assessments of the students' oral proficiency on the skit performances. Qualitative data consisted of the Multiple Intelligence weekly logs.