The Impact of Short-Term Strategy Training in Requests for Clarification in the Japanese Classroom

This study examined whether short-term strategy training would benefit Japanese as a foreign language (JFL) learners’ abilities to resolve communication difficulties using requests for clarification (RC) - strategies to request repetition, clarification, or confirmation. Two groups of high-beginner university JFL students (n=12) participated in two sessions of peer communicative practice, with one of the groups (n=6) receiving RC training prior to the sessions. The effects of the training were measured by the frequency of RC usage during the participant interviews with Japanese native speakers in pre-, post-, and delayed post-tests. A stimulated recall after the post-test was conducted to understand factors of RC use. Test results revealed an increase in the number of RC used and use of different types of RC immediately after the training. Stimulated recall results confirmed that RC were used when encountering comprehension issues and were not used when there was a partial to full understanding.