Research Projects
Purposes of the Learning Materials Navigator
According to a survey of a total of 11,681 students we conducted in 26 colleges that use the 3 Step System Listening Courseware, there were cases where learning materials were not effectively used. When we analyzed the reasons for this, it was inferred that the learning materials were not being selected appropriately. There are previous research papers that state that learning outcomes and efficiency deteriorate when learning materials are unsuitable as compared to when they are suitable. For example, Takefuta & Suiko (2005) report that whether or not the student is interested in the learning materials exerts a great amount of influence on the improvement of their English listening ability and their desire to continue studying. Also, Doi, et al. (2001) assigned 1,426 students one of 6 varieties of the 3 Step System Listening Courseware learning materials after considering their TOEIC scores. When they did this, they reported that the TOEIC score of the students increased by an average of about 100 points when the difficulty of the learning material corresponded to the ability of the student, whereas when it was too easy or too difficult their score only increased by approximately 50 points.
It is clear from these studies that it is difficult to produce good learning outcomes if the learning materials do not match the level of proficiency and interest of the learner. Good results cannot be guaranteed if the teaching staff in charge of the class assign students learning materials based on their previous experience or if the students select them based only on their interests. Based on this background, the Learning Materials Navigator was developed in response to voices requesting the development of a diagnostic system to select learning materials that makes the most of the students’ latent learning ability and maximizes the results the learning material is able to generate.
土肥充，竹蓋幸生，竹蓋順子（2001）．「三ラウンド・システムに基づいた英語CALL教材の開発とその試用」，『2001年日本教育工学会第17回全国大会講演論文集』，809-810.
Takefuta, J., Takefuta, Y., & Yonaha, N. (2008). “Evaluation of the Relative Contribution of Various Elements in the CALL System of Teaching English as a Foreign Language,” The 8th IEEE International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies Proceedings, 418-422.
竹蓋幸生，水光雅則編著（2005）．『これからの大学英語教育―CALLを活かした指導システムの構』岩波書店
