Beliefs and Expectations of Thai Learners of Japanese in Learning Japanese Writing

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to explore and study Thai learner’s beliefs and
expectations of learning Japanese writing on the subject of content and teaching management
guidelines. Japanese writing course Expectations of learners on their roles and duties and teachers.
91 students were 2nd, 3rd and 4th year students majoring in Japanese at Japanese Department,
Liberal arts college, Rangsit University who are currently studying or have studied Japanese writing in
at least one course. The survey was conducted by splitting the questions into five key areas. and
some of the questions were adapted from the Beliefs about Language Learning Inventory (BALLI)
questionnaire by eliminating and adding some questions in accordance with the context of learning
Japanese writing. The results showed that Most learners believe that Japanese is a difficult language
to learn. Therefore, learning Japanese is different from studying other subjects. Many students
believe that enthusiasm, perseverance and motivation had a greater effect on the effectiveness of
learning Japanese than the factors of gender, age and talent. Most learners have a positive belief in
their motivations and expectations for learning Japanese. That they will be successful in learning
Japanese because their motivation for choosing to study Japanese as a major which come from
particular preference for the Japanese language and culture and their expectation of getting a good
job in the future. In addition, the students also believed strongly that studying Japanese writing is
essential for students majoring in Japanese. But always stick to studying vocabulary, grammar and
also translation from one language to another which causes negative motivation in a lack of
confidence and an obstacle in learning to write. Regarding the students' beliefs about the roles,
duties, and teaching strategies of good Japanese writing teachers. The study found that the learners
paid much attention to the learning atmosphere and teaching strategies of the teachers. Learners
expect teachers to motivate and encourage learners. Teacher should have a sense of humor and
make teaching fun. The results of this research bring useful information that will be used to improve
the teaching and learning of Japanese writing in accordance with the beliefs and expectations of
learners in the future.