Sample records for japanese language version

  1. Subarashii: Encounters in Japanese Spoken Language Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bernstein, Jared; Najmi, Amir; Ehsani, Farzad

    1999-01-01

    Describes Subarashii, an experimental computer-based interactive spoken-language education system designed to understand what a student is saying in Japanese and respond in a meaningful way in spoken Japanese. Implementation of a preprototype version of the Subarashii system identified strengths and limitations of continuous speech recognition…

  2. Official Japanese Version of the Movement Disorder Society-Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale: validation against the original English version.

    PubMed

    Kashihara, Kenichi; Kondo, Tomoyoshi; Mizuno, Yoshikuni; Kikuchi, Seiji; Kuno, Sadako; Hasegawa, Kazuko; Hattori, Nobutaka; Mochizuki, Hideki; Mori, Hideo; Murata, Miho; Nomoto, Masahiro; Takahashi, Ryosuke; Takeda, Atsushi; Tsuboi, Yoshio; Ugawa, Yoshikazu; Yamanmoto, Mitsutoshi; Yokochi, Fusako; Yoshii, Fumihito; Stebbins, Glenn T; Tilley, Barbara C; Luo, Sheng; Wang, Lu; LaPelle, Nancy R; Goetz, Christopher G

    2014-09-01

    The Movement Disorder Society (MDS)-sponsored revision of the Unified Parkinson's Disease (PD) Rating Scale (UPDRS) (MDS-UPDRS) has been developed and is now available in English. Part of the overall program includes the establishment of official non-English translations of the MDS-UPDRS. We present the process for completing the official Japanese translation of the MDS-UPDRS with clinimetric testing results. In this trial, the MDS-UPDRS was translated into Japanese, underwent cognitive pre-testing, and the translation was modified after taking the results into account. The final translation was approved as Official Working Draft of the MDS-UPDRS Japanese version and tested in 365 native-Japanese-speaking patients with PD. Confirmatory analyses were used to determine whether the factor structure for the English-language MDS-UPDRS could be confirmed in data collected using the Official Working Draft of the Japanese translation. As a secondary analysis, we used exploratory factor analyses to examine the underlying factor structure without the constraint of a pre-specified factor organization. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that Comparative Fit Index for all Parts of the MDS-UPDRS exceeded the minimal standard of 0.90 relative to the English version and therefore Japanese translation met the pre-specified criterion to be designated called an OFFICIAL MDS TRANSLATION. Secondary analyses revealed some differences between the English-language MDS-UPDRS and the Japanese translation, however, these differences were considered to be within an acceptable range. The Japanese version of the MDS-UPDRS met the criterion as an Official MDS Translation and is now available for use (www.movementdisorders.org).

  3. A FACETS Analysis of Rater Bias in Measuring Japanese Second Language Writing Performance.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kondo-Brown, Kimi

    2002-01-01

    Using FACETS, investigates how judgments of trained teacher raters are biased toward certain types of candidates and certain criteria in assessing Japanese second language writing. Explores the potential for using a modified version of a rating scale for norm-referenced decisions about Japanese second language writing ability. (Author/VWL)

  4. A Japanese version of the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale: translation and equivalence assessment.

    PubMed

    Mimura, Chizu; Griffiths, Peter

    2007-05-01

    A Japanese version of the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) was developed through the forward-backward translation procedure. Married couples consisting of a native English speaker and a native Japanese speaker acted as translators to enhance the representativeness of language in the target population. Multiple translations were produced, and a panel of reviewers identified problems in conceptual and semantic equivalence between the original scale and the translated version. The Japanese version was altered accordingly with reference to alternate Japanese forms from the original English to Japanese translations. The altered translation was again retranslated into English, and problematic differences were checked. This forward-backward process was repeated until satisfactory agreement had been attained. The RSES was administered to 222 native English speakers, and the developed Japanese version (RSES-J) was administered to 1320 native Japanese speakers. Factor analysis revealed nearly identical factor structure and structural coefficients of the items between two sets of data. Target rotation confirmed the factorial agreement of the two scales in different cultural groups. High Cronbach's alpha coefficients supported the reliability of test scores on both versions. The equivalence between the RSES and the RSES-J was supported in this study. It is suggested that the RSES and the RSES-J are potential tools for comparative cross-cultural studies.

  5. Reliability and Validity of a Japanese-language and Culturally Adapted Version of the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society Scoring System for the Lower Extremity.

    PubMed

    Iwata, Shintaro; Uehara, Kosuke; Ogura, Koichi; Akiyama, Toru; Shinoda, Yusuke; Yonemoto, Tsukasa; Kawai, Akira

    2016-09-01

    The Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (MSTS) scoring system is a widely used functional evaluation tool for patients treated for musculoskeletal tumors. Although the MSTS scoring system has been validated in English and Brazilian Portuguese, a Japanese version of the MSTS scoring system has not yet been validated. We sought to determine whether a Japanese-language translation of the MSTS scoring system for the lower extremity had (1) sufficient reliability and internal consistency, (2) adequate construct validity, and (3) reasonable criterion validity compared with the Toronto Extremity Salvage Score (TESS) and SF-36 using psychometric analysis. The Japanese version of the MSTS scoring system was developed using accepted guidelines, which included translation of the English version of the MSTS into Japanese by five native Japanese bilingual musculoskeletal oncology surgeons and integrated into one document. One hundred patients with a diagnosis of intermediate or malignant bone or soft tissue tumors located in the lower extremity and who had undergone tumor resection with or without reconstruction or amputation participated in this study. Reliability was evaluated by test-retest analysis, and internal consistency was established by Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Construct validity was evaluated using the principal factor analysis and Akaike information criterion network. Criterion validity was evaluated by comparing the MSTS scoring system with the TESS and SF-36. Test-retest analysis showed a high intraclass correlation coefficient (0.92; 95% CI, 0.88-0.95), indicating high reliability of the Japanese version of the MSTS scoring system, although a considerable ceiling effect was observed, with 23 patients (23%) given the maximum score. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.87 (95% CI, 0.82-0.90), suggesting a high level of internal consistency. Factor analysis revealed that all items had high loading values and communalities; we identified a central role for the items

  6. Validation of a Japanese version of the Scoliosis Research Society-22 Patient Questionnaire among idiopathic scoliosis patients in Japan.

    PubMed

    Hashimoto, Hideki; Sase, Takeshi; Arai, Yasuhisa; Maruyama, Toru; Isobe, Keijirou; Shouno, Yasuhiro

    2007-02-15

    A cross-sectional observational study to determine the response distribution, internal consistency, and construct, concurrent, and discriminative validities of The Scoliosis Research Society-22 (SRS-22) Patient Questionnaire translated into Japanese as compared with the other language versions. To validate the Japanese version of SRS22. The SRS-22 was translated into several languages but yet not into Japanese. The Japanese SRS-22 and Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36 were simultaneously administered to 114 adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients. Exploratory factor analysis revealed a 4-factor structure, though several items were not loaded as theoretically expected. The originally constructed Japanese SRS-22 subscales and the English version showed similar response distribution. Internal consistency was fair but lower than that of the English version. The concurrent validity of the translated version, except for the self-image subscale, was supported using Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36 subscales as a reference. The function scale differed significantly by curve angle magnitude and treatment status. The self-image score was the highest in patients under observation when curve angle was < 40 degrees, while postsurgical patients marked the highest scores when the angle > or = 40 degrees, respectively. The Japanese SRS-22 is valid and may be useful for clinical evaluation of Japanese scoliosis patients, though the self-image subscale may need further assessment.

  7. A Validation Study of the Japanese Version of the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination-Revised

    PubMed Central

    dos Santos Kawata, Kelssy Hitomi; Hashimoto, Ryusaku; Nishio, Yoshiyuki; Hayashi, Atsuko; Ogawa, Nanayo; Kanno, Shigenori; Hiraoka, Kotaro; Yokoi, Kayoko; Iizuka, Osamu; Mori, Etsuro

    2012-01-01

    The aim of this study was to validate the Japanese version of the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination-Revised (ACE-R) [Mori: Japanese Edition of Hodges JR's Cognitive Assessment for Clinicians, 2010] designed to detect dementia, and to compare its diagnostic accuracy with that of the Mini-Mental State Examination. The ACE-R was administered to 85 healthy individuals and 126 patients with dementia. The reliability assessment revealed a strong correlation in both groups. The internal consistency was excellent (α-coefficient = 0.88). Correlation with the Clinical Dementia Rating sum of boxes score was significant (rs = −0.61, p < 0.001). The area under the curve was 0.98 for the ACE-R and 0.96 for the Mini-Mental State Examination. The cut-off score of 80 showed a sensitivity of 94% and a specificity of 94%. Like the original ACE-R and the versions designed for other languages, the Japanese version of the ACE-R is a reliable and valid test for the detection of dementia. PMID:22619659

  8. From English to Chinese, Japanese, and Russian: extending research visibility with language translations of a conference slide presentation.

    PubMed

    Hoffecker, Lilian; Abbey, Dana

    2017-01-01

    The research demonstrates that a conference slide presentation translated into non-English languages reaches significantly larger and different audiences than an English presentation alone. The slides of a presentation from the Medical Library Association annual meeting were translated from English to Chinese, Japanese, and Russian and posted along with the English version to SlideShare, an open slide-hosting website. View counts, traffic sources, and geographic origins of the traffic for each language version were tracked over a twenty-two-month period. Total view counts for all 4 language versions amounted to 3,357 views, with the Chinese version accounting for 71% of the total views. The trends in view counts over time for the Japanese, Russian, and English versions were similar, with high interest at the beginning and a rapid drop and low level of viewing activity thereafter. The pattern of view counts for the Chinese version departed considerably from the other language versions, with very low activity at the beginning but a sharp rise 10 months later. This increase in activity was related to access to the presentations via a Taiwanese website that embedded the SlideShare website code. Language translation can be a difficult and time-consuming task. However, translation of a conference slide presentation with limited text is an achievable activity and engages an international audience for information that is often not noticed or lost. Although English is by far the primary language of science and other disciplines, it is not necessarily the first or preferred language of global researchers. By offering appropriate language versions, the authors of presentations can expand the reach of their work.

  9. Numeral Incorporation in Japanese Sign Language

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ktejik, Mish

    2013-01-01

    This article explores the morphological process of numeral incorporation in Japanese Sign Language. Numeral incorporation is defined and the available research on numeral incorporation in signed language is discussed. The numeral signs in Japanese Sign Language are then introduced and followed by an explanation of the numeral morphemes which are…

  10. [Development of a Japanese version of the TALE scale].

    PubMed

    Ochiai, Tsutomu; Oguchi, Takashi

    2013-12-01

    The Thinking About Life Experiences (TALE) Scale (Bluck & Alea, 2011) has three subscales that assess the self, social, and directive functions of autobiographical memory. This study constructs a Japanese version of the TALE Scale and examines its reliability and validity. Fifteen items that assess the three functions of autobiographical memory were translated into Japanese. We conducted an online investigation with 600 men and women between 20-59 years of age. In Study 1, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis identified that the three-factor structure of the Japanese version of the TALE Scale was the same as the original TALE Scale. Sufficient internal consistency of the scale was found, and the construct validity of the scale was supported by correlation analysis. Study 2 confirmed that the test-retest reliabilities of the three subscales were sufficient. Thus, this Japanese version of the TALE Scale is useful to assess autobiographical memory functions in Japan.

  11. Japanese-English language equivalence of the Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument among Japanese-Americans.

    PubMed

    Gibbons, Laura E; McCurry, Susan; Rhoads, Kristoffer; Masaki, Kamal; White, Lon; Borenstein, Amy R; Larson, Eric B; Crane, Paul K

    2009-02-01

    The Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument (CASI) was designed for use in cross-cultural studies of Japanese and Japanese-American elderly in Japan and the U.S.A. The measurement equivalence in Japanese and English had not been confirmed in prior studies. We analyzed the 40 CASI items for differential item functioning (DIF) related to test language, as well as self-reported proficiency with written Japanese, age, and educational attainment in two large epidemiologic studies of Japanese-American elderly: the Kame Project (n=1708) and the Honolulu-Asia Aging Study (HAAS; n = 3148). DIF was present if the demographic groups differed in the probability of success on an item, after controlling for their underlying cognitive functioning ability. While seven CASI items had DIF related to language of testing in Kame (registration of one item; recall of one item; similes; judgment; repeating a phrase; reading and performing a command; and following a three-step instruction), the impact of DIF on participants' scores was minimal. Mean scores for Japanese and English speakers in Kame changed by <0.1 SD after accounting for DIF related to test language. In HAAS, insufficient numbers of participants were tested in Japanese to assess DIF related to test language. In both studies, DIF related to written Japanese proficiency, age, and educational attainment had minimal impact. To the extent that DIF could be assessed, the CASI appeared to meet the goal of measuring cognitive function equivalently in Japanese and English. Stratified data collection would be needed to confirm this conclusion. DIF assessment should be used in other studies with multiple language groups to confirm that measures function equivalently or, if not, form scores that account for DIF.

  12. Hotel Employees' Japanese Language Experiences: Implications and Suggestions.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Makita-Discekici, Yasuko

    1998-01-01

    Analyzes the Japanese language learning experiences of 13 hotel employees in Guam. Results of the study present implications and suggestions for a Japanese language program for the hotel industry. The project began as a result of hotel employees frustrations when they were unable to communicate effectively with their Japanese guests. (Auth/JL)

  13. [Cross-cultural validated adaptation of dysfunctional voiding symptom score (DVSS) to Japanese language and cognitive linguistics in questionnaire for pediatric patients].

    PubMed

    Imamura, Masaaki; Usui, Tomoko; Johnin, Kazuyoshi; Yoshimura, Koji; Farhat, Walid; Kanematsu, Akihiro; Ogawa, Osamu

    2014-07-01

    Validated questionnaire for evaluation of pediatric lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) is of a great need. We performed cross-cultural validated adaptation of Dysfunctional Voiding Symptom Score (DVSS) to Japanese language, and assessed whether children understand and respond to questionnaire correctly, using cognitive linguistic approach. We translated DVSS into two Japanese versions according to a standard validation methodology: translation, synthesis, back-translation, expert review, and pre-testing. One version was written in adult language for parents, and the other was written in child language for children. Pre-testing was done with 5 to 15-year-old patients visiting us, having normal intelligence. A specialist in cognitive linguistics observed the response by children and parents to DVSS as an interviewer. When a child could not understand a question without adding or paraphrasing the question by the parents, it was defined as 'misidentification'. We performed pretesting with 2 trial versions of DVSS before having the final version. The pre-testing for the first trial version was done for 32 patients (male to female ratio was 19 : 13). The pre-testing for the second trial version was done for 11 patients (male to female ratio was 8 : 3). In DVSS in child language, misidentification was consistently observed for representation of time or frequency. We completed the formal validated translation by amending the problems raised in the pre-testing. The cross-cultural validated adaptation of DVSS to child and adult Japanese was completed. Since temporal perception is not fully developed in children, caution should be taken for using the terms related with time or frequency in the questionnaires for children.

  14. The development of fears of compassion scale Japanese version

    PubMed Central

    Asano, Kenichi; Tsuchiya, Masao; Ishimura, Ikuo; Lin, Shuzhen; Matsumoto, Yuki; Miyata, Haruko; Kotera, Yasuhiro; Shimizu, Eiji; Gilbert, Paul

    2017-01-01

    Objectives Cultivation of compassion is a useful way to treat mental problems, but some individuals show resistance. Fears of compassion can be an obstacle for clinicians when providing psychotherapy, and for clients when engaging in interpersonal relationships. Despite its importance, a Japanese version of fears of compassion scales (for others, from others, and for self) has not yet been developed. This study developed a Japanese version of the Fears of Compassion Scales and tested its reliability and validity. Design This study used a cross-sectional design, and a self-report procedure for collecting data. Methods A total of 485 students (121 males and 364 females) answered self-report questionnaires, including the draft Fears of Compassion Scales—Japanese version. Results There were distinctive factor structures for fear of compassion from others, and for self. The fear of compassion from others scale consisted of concern about compassion from others and avoidance of compassion from others. All scales had good internal consistency, test-retest reliability, face validity, and construct validity. Discrimination and difficulty were also calculated. Conclusions These results indicate that the Fears of Compassion Scales—Japanese version is a well-constructed and useful measure to assess fears of compassion and the existence of cultural differences in fears of compassion. PMID:29023461

  15. The development of fears of compassion scale Japanese version.

    PubMed

    Asano, Kenichi; Tsuchiya, Masao; Ishimura, Ikuo; Lin, Shuzhen; Matsumoto, Yuki; Miyata, Haruko; Kotera, Yasuhiro; Shimizu, Eiji; Gilbert, Paul

    2017-01-01

    Cultivation of compassion is a useful way to treat mental problems, but some individuals show resistance. Fears of compassion can be an obstacle for clinicians when providing psychotherapy, and for clients when engaging in interpersonal relationships. Despite its importance, a Japanese version of fears of compassion scales (for others, from others, and for self) has not yet been developed. This study developed a Japanese version of the Fears of Compassion Scales and tested its reliability and validity. This study used a cross-sectional design, and a self-report procedure for collecting data. A total of 485 students (121 males and 364 females) answered self-report questionnaires, including the draft Fears of Compassion Scales-Japanese version. There were distinctive factor structures for fear of compassion from others, and for self. The fear of compassion from others scale consisted of concern about compassion from others and avoidance of compassion from others. All scales had good internal consistency, test-retest reliability, face validity, and construct validity. Discrimination and difficulty were also calculated. These results indicate that the Fears of Compassion Scales-Japanese version is a well-constructed and useful measure to assess fears of compassion and the existence of cultural differences in fears of compassion.

  16. Reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the Resilience Scale and its short version.

    PubMed

    Nishi, Daisuke; Uehara, Ritei; Kondo, Maki; Matsuoka, Yutaka

    2010-11-17

    The clinical relevance of resilience has received considerable attention in recent years. The aim of this study is to demonstrate the reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the Resilience Scale (RS) and short version of the RS (RS-14). The original English version of RS was translated to Japanese and the Japanese version was confirmed by back-translation. Participants were 430 nursing and university psychology students. The RS, Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), Social Support Questionnaire (SSQ), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS) were administered. Internal consistency, convergent validity and factor loadings were assessed at initial assessment. Test-retest reliability was assessed using data collected from 107 students at 3 months after baseline. Mean score on the RS was 111.19. Cronbach's alpha coefficients for the RS and RS-14 were 0.90 and 0.88, respectively. The test-retest correlation coefficients for the RS and RS-14 were 0.83 and 0.84, respectively. Both the RS and RS-14 were negatively correlated with the CES-D and SDS, and positively correlated with the RSES, SSQ and PSS (all p < 0.05), although the correlation between the RS and CES-D was somewhat lower than that in previous studies. Factor analyses indicated a one-factor solution for RS-14, but as for RS, the result was not consistent with previous studies. This study demonstrates that the Japanese version of RS has psychometric properties with high degrees of internal consistency, high test-retest reliability, and relatively low concurrent validity. RS-14 was equivalent to the RS in internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and concurrent validity. Low scores on the RS, a positive correlation between the RS and perceived stress, and a relatively low correlation between the RS and depressive symptoms in this study suggest that validity of the Japanese version of the RS might be relatively low

  17. Unlocking Australia's Language Potential. Profiles of 9 Key Languages in Australia. Volume 7: Japanese.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Marriott, Helen; And Others

    The report on the status of Japanese language teaching in Australia gives a broad view of Japanese study and discusses current educational issues in some detail. An introductory chapter offers a brief overview of the history, objectives, and issues of Japanese language instruction in Australia. The second chapter details features of instructional…

  18. Assessing Japanese Language Needs for Business and Professional Use.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Saito, Yoshiko

    A study is reported that aimed to: (1) assess perceived needs of Japanese language by students and business faculty; (2) assess Japanese language needs of business professionals who work with Japan; (3) determine what language abilities and levels of proficiency are desired; and (4) identify perceived problem areas and ways that they are handled…

  19. Validation of the Japanese Version of the Body Vigilance Scale.

    PubMed

    Saigo, Tatsuo; Takebayashi, Yoshitake; Tayama, Jun; Bernick, Peter J; Schmidt, Norman B; Shirabe, Susumu; Sakano, Yuji

    2016-06-01

    The Body Vigilance Scale is a self-report measure of attention to bodily sensations. The measure was translated into Japanese and its reliability, validity, and factor structure were verified. Participants comprised 286 university students (age: 19 ± 1 years). All participants were administered the scale, along with several indices of anxiety (i.e., Anxiety Sensitivity Index, Short Health Anxiety Inventory Illness Likelihood Scale, Social Interaction Anxiety Scale, and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale). The Japanese version of the Body Vigilance Scale exhibited a unidimensional factor structure and strong internal consistency. Construct validity was demonstrated by significant correlations with the above measures. Results suggest that the Japanese version of the scale is a reliable, valid tool for measuring body vigilance in Japanese university students. © The Author(s) 2016.

  20. Are Australian Fans of Anime and Manga Motivated to Learn Japanese Language?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Armour, William S.; Iida, Sumiko

    2016-01-01

    Recent research into Japanese as a foreign language education has strongly emphasized the link between Japanese popular culture and learning Japanese. However, these studies have only targeted Japanese language learners in formal education contexts and have largely ignored those who are not studying Japanese or studying Japanese informally. This…

  1. Reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the Organizational Justice Questionnaire.

    PubMed

    Inoue, Akiomi; Kawakami, Norito; Tsutsumi, Akizumi; Shimazu, Akihito; Tsuchiya, Masao; Ishizaki, Masao; Tabata, Masaji; Akiyama, Miki; Kitazume, Akiko; Kuroda, Mitsuyo; Kivimäki, Mika

    2009-01-01

    Previous European studies reporting low procedural justice and low interactional justice were associated with increased health problems have used a modified version of the Moorman's Organizational Justice Questionnaire (OJQ, Elovainio et al., 2002) to assess organizational justice. We translated the modified OJQ into the Japanese language and examined the internal consistency reliability, and factor-based and construct validity of this measure. A back-translation procedure confirmed that the translation was appropriate, pending a minor revision. A total of 185 men and 58 women at a manufacturing factory in Japan were surveyed using a mailed questionnaire including the OJQ and other job stressors. Cronbach alpha coefficients of the two OJQ subscales were high (0.85-0.94) for both sexes. The hypothesized two factors (i.e., procedural justice and interactional justice) were extracted by the factor analysis for men; for women, procedural justice was further split into two separate dimensions supporting a three- rather than two-factor structure. Convergent validity was supported by expected correlations of the OJQ with job control, supervisor support, effort-reward imbalance, and job future ambiguity in particular among the men. The present study shows that the Japanese version of the OJQ has acceptable levels of reliability and validity at least for male employees.

  2. [Schizophrenia Cognition Rating Scale Japanese version (SCoRS-J) as a co-primary measure assessing cognitive function in schizophrenia].

    PubMed

    Kaneda, Yasuhiro; Ueoka, Yoshinori; Sumiyoshi, Tomiki; Yasui-Furukori, Norio; Ito, Toru; Higuchi, Yuko; Suzuki, Michio; Ohmori, Tetsuro

    2011-11-01

    The assessment of cognitive function is important for patients with schizophrenia because cognitive impairment is a core feature of the disease, and is a major determinant of functional outcome. To implement a practical assessment tool, we previously developed the Japanese-language version of the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia that objectively measures cognitive domains relevant to outcome. Meanwhile, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration took the position that a drug to improve coghition should show changes on an additional measure (a co-primary), in addition to an accepted consensus cognitive performance measure that is considered functionally meaningful. Thus, four potential co-primary measures, two measures of functional capacity and two interview-based measures of cognition, were evaluated for psychometric properties and validity. The Schizophrenia Cognition Rating Scale (SCoRS) is one of the interview-based measures of cognition. It consists of 20 questions to measure attention, memory, reasoning and problem solving, working memory, language production, and motor skills, which are related to day-to-day functioning. University of California at San Diego Performance-Based Skills Assessment (UPSA) is one of the measures of functional capacity. For its clinical application, we developed the Japanese-language version of the SCoRS (SCoRS-J) and UPSA (UPSA-J) through back-translation into English.

  3. Papers in Linguistics. Volume 16. Studies in Japanese Language Use and Studies in the Languages of the USSR.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Miyagawa, Shigeru, Ed.; And Others

    1983-01-01

    A volume combining two special issues of "Papers in Linguistics" contains 10 papers concerning Japanese language use and 12 concerning languages of the U.S.S.R. The papers on Japanese include: "Intrusion in Japanese Conversation,""Japanese Use of English Loans,""Some Discourse Principles and Lengthy Sentences in…

  4. Psychometric properties of the Japanese version of the Social Phobia Inventory.

    PubMed

    Nagata, Toshihiko; Nakajima, Takenori; Teo, Alan R; Yamada, Hisashi; Yoshimura, Chiho

    2013-04-01

    The aim of the current study was to study the psychometric properties of the Japanese version of the Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN-J) among Japanese subjects with social anxiety disorder (SAD). The sample consisted of 86 subjects with SAD and 86 controls. Diagnosis was based on a modified version of the Structured Clinical Interview for the DSM-IV. In addition to the SPIN-J, clinician-administered and self-rating scales, including the Japanese versions of the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale, the Social Phobia Scale, and the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale, were used. The SPIN-J showed adequate internal consistency (0.82-0.96) for the total and subscales. Correlations between the SPIN-J and the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale, the Social Phobia Scale, and the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale ranged from 0.83 to 0.89 and indicated adequate concurrent validity. A cut-off point of 22 between subjects with SAD and controls showed a sensitivity of 96.5% and specificity of 87.2%, indicating robust discriminant validity. The SPIN-J showed adequate reliability and validity for use as a screening tool for social anxiety disorder in Japanese clinical settings. © 2013 The Authors. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences © 2013 Japanese Society of Psychiatry and Neurology.

  5. Construction and reliability of the Japanese version of the Adolescent Egocentrism-Sociocentrism (AES) scale and its preliminary application in the Japanese university students.

    PubMed

    Yamamoto, Mayumi; Tomotake, Masahito; Ohmori, Tetsuro

    2008-08-01

    In recent years, the problem of interpersonal relationships has been reported to be associated with various adolescent psychiatric problems. Egocentrism is one factor related to the problem of interpersonal relationships. The Adolescent Egocentrism-Sociocentrism (AES) scale is used to assess egocentrism in Western countries, but no such scale has been developed in Japan. The purpose of our current study was to develop the Japanese version of the AES scale and investigate the relationship between the egocentrism assessed by the AES scale and the self-consciousness assessed by the Japanese version of the self-consciousness scale. The original version of the AES scale was first translated into Japanese using the forward-backward method and examined for factorial reliability and validity. The results demonstrated that the Japanese version of the AES scale shows adequate factorial reliability and validity, but different from the original version the "egocentrism personal fable" subscale which measures the feeling that oneself is special and unique was not extracted in the Japanese version. We found a moderate correlation between the non-social focuses of the AES scale and the public self-consciousness subscale of the self-consciousness scale. This correlation suggests that a strong attention of others' view on oneself results in the avoidance of others. The Japanese version of the AES scale can examine egocentrism adequately together with sociocentrism and non-social focuses. As this scale is self-reporting and easy to complete, it may have practical utility in a clinical setting.

  6. Detailed analysis of the Japanese version of the Rapid Dementia Screening Test, revised version.

    PubMed

    Moriyama, Yasushi; Yoshino, Aihide; Muramatsu, Taro; Mimura, Masaru

    2017-11-01

    The number-transcoding task on the Japanese version of the Rapid Dementia Screening Test (RDST-J) requires mutual conversion between Arabic and Chinese numerals (209 to , 4054 to , to 681, to 2027). In this task, question and answer styles of Chinese numerals are written horizontally. We investigated the impact of changing the task so that Chinese numerals are written vertically. Subjects were 211 patients with very mild to severe Alzheimer's disease and 42 normal controls. Mini-Mental State Examination scores ranged from 26 to 12, and Clinical Dementia Rating scores ranged from 0.5 to 3. Scores of all four subtasks of the transcoding task significantly improved in the revised version compared with the original version. The sensitivity and specificity of total scores ≥9 on the RDST-J original and revised versions for discriminating between controls and subjects with Clinical Dementia Rating scores of 0.5 were 63.8% and 76.6% on the original and 60.1% and 85.8% on revised version. The revised RDST-J total score had low sensitivity and high specificity compared with the original RDST-J for discriminating subjects with Clinical Dementia Rating scores of 0.5 from controls. © 2017 Japanese Psychogeriatric Society.

  7. The Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness (ISMI) scale: validation of the Japanese version.

    PubMed

    Tanabe, Yosuke; Hayashi, Kunihiko; Ideno, Yuki

    2016-04-29

    The present study investigated the reliability and validity of a Japanese version of the Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness (ISMI) scale, designed to assess internalized stigma experienced by people with mental illness. A survey was conducted with 173 outpatients with mental illness who attended psychiatric clinics on a regular basis. A retest was conducted with 51 participants to evaluate the scale's psychometric properties. The alpha coefficient for the overall internal consistency was 0.91, and the coefficients of the individual ISMI subscales ranged from 0.57 to 0.81. The test-retest reliability was r = 0.85 (n = 51, P < 0.01). In terms of criterion-related validity, the Japanese version of the ISMI scale was significantly correlated with the Beck Depression Inventory (r = 0.61, P < 0.01), the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (r = -0.53, P < 0.01), and the Empowerment Scale (r = -0.52, P < 0.01). In addition, factor analyses of the ISMI items demonstrated a four-factor solution for the alienation, stereotype endorsement, discrimination experience, and social withdrawal subscales, with the stigma resistance items excluded. The Japanese version of the ISMI scale demonstrated similar reliability and validity to the original English version. Therefore, the Japanese version of the ISMI scale may be an effective and valid tool to measure internalized stigma among Japanese people who have a mental illness.

  8. Development and validation of the Japanese version of cognitive flexibility scale.

    PubMed

    Oshiro, Keiko; Nagaoka, Sawako; Shimizu, Eiji

    2016-05-17

    Various instruments have been developed to assess cognitive flexibility, which is an important construct in psychology. Among these, the self-report cognitive flexibility scale (CFS) is particularly popular for use with English speakers; however, there is not yet a Japanese version of this scale. This study reports on the development of a Japanese version of the cognitive flexibility scale (CFS-J), and the assessment of its internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and validities. We used the standard translation-back-translation process to develop the Japanese wording of the items and tested these using a sample of 335 eligible participants who did not have a mental illness, were aged 18 years or older, and lived in the suburbs of Tokyo. Participants included office workers, public servants, and college students; 71.6 % were women and 64.8 % were students. The translated scale's internal consistency reliability was assessed by calculating Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's omega, and test-retest reliability was assessed with 107 eligible participants via intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) and Spearman's correlation of coefficient. Exploratory factory analysis (EFA) and correlations with other scales were used to examine the factor-based and concurrent validities of the CFS-J. Results indicated that the CFS-J has good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.847, McDonald's omega = 0.871) and acceptable test-retest reliability (Spearman's = 0.687, ICC = 0.689). EFA provided evidence that the CFS-J has a one-factor structure and factor loadings were generally appropriate. The total CFS-J score was significantly and positively correlated with the cognitive flexibility inventory-Japanese version and its two subscales, along with the cognitive control scale and the positive subscale of the short Japanese version of the automatic thought questionnaire-revised (ATQ-R); further, it had a significantly negative correlation with the negative subscale

  9. Verification of reliability and validity of a Japanese version of the Rathus Assertiveness Schedule.

    PubMed

    Suzuki, Eiko; Kanoya, Yuka; Katsuki, Takeshi; Sato, Chifumi

    2007-07-01

    To verify the reliability and validity of a Japanese version of the Rathus Assertiveness Schedule in novice nurses to contribute to nursing management. An adequate scale is needed to measure the assertiveness and the effect of assertion training for Japanese nurses and to compare them with those in other countries. Rathus Assertiveness Schedule was adapted to Japanese with back-translation and its validity was examined in 989 novice nurses. The Japanese version showed a high coefficient of reliability in a split-half reliability test (r=0.76; P<0.01). The coefficient of reliability of Cronbach's alpha was high (r=0.84; P<0.01) indicating high internal consistency. The similarity with the concept of stress coping was shown. We extracted eight principal factors using factor analysis with varimax rotation. Elements of these factors were similar to those of the original Rathus Assertiveness Schedule. The Japanese version of Rathus Assertiveness Schedule was verified.

  10. Intercultural Orientations as Japanese Language Learners' Motivation in Mainland China

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lv, Leining; Gao, Xuesong; Teo, Timothy

    2017-01-01

    This article reports on a study that investigated how 665 Japanese language learners, who had started learning Japanese at different times in the last 3 decades, had been motivated to learn Japanese in China. Analysis of the survey data revealed that the participants displayed similar intercultural orientations when learning Japanese despite the…

  11. Development of a Japanese version of the emotional skills and competence questionnaire.

    PubMed

    Toyota, Hiroshi; Morita, Taisuke; Taksic, Vladimir

    2007-10-01

    The present study described development of a Japanese version of the Emotional Skills and Competence Questionnaire and examined the relations of scores with those on Big Five scales of personality and self-esteem scales. The participants were 615 undergraduates. Factor analysis led to the shortened version of 24 items in three subscales. Although Cronbach alphas were low for the subscale, Manage and Regulate Emotion, values were satisfactory for the other two subscales, Express and Label Emotion and Perceive and Understand Emotion. Total scores of this version were positively correlated with score for self-esteem, Extraversion, and Openness but negatively correlated with scores on Neuroticism. This shorter Japanese versions shows suitable internal consistency and content validity, but other reliabilities and validities must be examined precisely.

  12. [Reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the Thinking Style Inventory].

    PubMed

    Ochiai, Jun; Maie, Yuko; Wada, Yuichi

    2016-06-01

    This study examined the internal and external validity of the Japanese version of the Thinking Styles Inventory (TSI: Hiruma, 2000), which was originally developed by Sternberg and Wagner (1991) based on the framework of Sternberg's (1988) theory of mental self-government. The term "thinking style" refers to the concept that individuals differ in how they organize, direct, and manage their own thinking activities. We administered the Japanese version of the TSI to Japanese participants (N = 655: Age range 20-84 years). The results of item analysis, reliability analysis, and factor analysis, were consistent with the general ideas of the theory. In addition, there were significant relationships between certain thinking styles and 3 participant characteristics: age, gender, and working arrangement. Furthermore, some thinking styles were positively correlated with social skill. Implications of these results for the nature of Japanese thinking styles are discussed.

  13. Acoustic Sources of Accent in Second Language Japanese Speech.

    PubMed

    Idemaru, Kaori; Wei, Peipei; Gubbins, Lucy

    2018-05-01

    This study reports an exploratory analysis of the acoustic characteristics of second language (L2) speech which give rise to the perception of a foreign accent. Japanese speech samples were collected from American English and Mandarin Chinese speakers ( n = 16 in each group) studying Japanese. The L2 participants and native speakers ( n = 10) provided speech samples modeling after six short sentences. Segmental (vowels and stops) and prosodic features (rhythm, tone, and fluency) were examined. Native Japanese listeners ( n = 10) rated the samples with regard to degrees of foreign accent. The analyses predicting accent ratings based on the acoustic measurements indicated that one of the prosodic features in particular, tone (defined as high and low patterns of pitch accent and intonation in this study), plays an important role in robustly predicting accent rating in L2 Japanese across the two first language (L1) backgrounds. These results were consistent with the prediction based on phonological and phonetic comparisons between Japanese and English, as well as Japanese and Mandarin Chinese. The results also revealed L1-specific predictors of perceived accent in Japanese. The findings of this study contribute to the growing literature that examines sources of perceived foreign accent.

  14. Compulsory "Foreign Language Activities" in Japanese Primary Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hashimoto, Kayoko

    2011-01-01

    From 2011, the new curriculum for introducing English to Japanese primary schools will be fully implemented in the form of "foreign language activities". This innovation forms part of the government's plan to cultivate "Japanese with English abilities", a development based on the awareness, particularly in the business sector,…

  15. Language Policy in Japanese Ethnic Churches in Canada and the Legitimization of Church Member Identities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Barrett, Tyler

    2017-01-01

    This paper is aimed at understanding the language policy of Japanese ethnic churches and the legitimization of church member identities in the midst of dominant languages in Canada. While church members often construct Japanese ethnic Christian churches with 'grassroots' language policies that seem to legitimize their Japanese language and…

  16. "Those Anime Students": Foreign Language Literacy Development through Japanese Popular Culture

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fukunaga, Natsuki

    2006-01-01

    Using multiliteracies and sociocultural perspectives on language and literacy learning, this article describes three Japanese as a foreign language (JFL) students' literacy development through involvement with Japanese popular culture. As part of a larger qualitative ethnographic study, the author interviewed JFL learners who have a particular…

  17. Contributions of the Study of Japanese as a Second language to our General Understanding of Second Language Acquisition and the Definition of Second Language Acquisition Research.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wakabayashi, Shigenori

    2003-01-01

    Reviews three books on the acquisition of Japanese as a second language: "Second Language Acquisition Process in the Classroom" by A.S. Ohta;"The Acquisition of Grammar by Learners of Japanese" (English translation of title), by H. Noda, K. Sakoda, K. Shibuya, and N. Kobayashi; and "The Acquisition of Japanese as a Second Language," B. K. Kanno,…

  18. Japanese Language School: Aid or Hindrance to the Americanization of Japanese Americans in Hawaii?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shoho, Alan R.

    A study examined the experiences of 60 Japanese immigrants to Hawaii (Niseis), aged 61-80, who attended Japanese-language schools as children. Using a case study oral history approach, the study gathered oral testimonies through semi-structured interviews. Historical documents were also used as primary sources of information about the schools.…

  19. [Developing the Japanese version of the Adult Attachment Style Scale (ECR)].

    PubMed

    Nakao, Tatsuma; Kato, Kazuo

    2004-06-01

    This study attempted to adapt into Japanese the Adult Attachment Style Scale (ECR: Experiences in Close Relationships inventory) that was constructed by Brennan, Clark, and Shaver (1998), based on 14 existing scales. Of 387 respondents, 231 who reported having been or are currently involved in romantic relationships were employed for final analysis. We examined validities of the Japanese version of ECR in the two ways: (1) Examining the correlations between "Anxiety" and Self-esteem scale by Rosenberg (1965) which were theoretically related to Self-view, and the correlations between "Avoidance" and Other-view scale by Kato (1999b) which were theoretically related to Other-view; (2) whether or not ECR represents the features of four attachment styles as classified by Relationship Questionnaire (RQ; Bartholomew & Horowitz, 1991). The results supported our expectations. This Japanese version of ECR was demonstrated to have adequate psychometric properties in validity and reliability.

  20. Standing Strong: Maloney Interdistrict Magnet School Japanese Language and Culture Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Haxhi, Jessica; Yamashita-Iverson, Kazumi

    2009-01-01

    Maloney Interdistrict Magnet School (MIMS) is the only elementary school in Waterbury that has a world language program and is one of only two elementary Japanese programs in Connecticut. In the past 15 years, more than 1500 students have participated in its Japanese Language and Culture (JLC) Program in grades Prekindergarten through 5th. The JLC…

  1. The Use of Anime in Teaching Japanese as a Foreign Language

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Han, Chan Yee; Ling, Wong Ngan

    2017-01-01

    The study of popular culture is now becoming an emerging research area within education. While many studies have confirmed that students' interest in anime has driven much of enrolment in Japanese language courses, the impact of using anime as a teaching tool has not been studied thoroughly in the teaching Japanese as a Foreign Language (JFL)…

  2. Translation and Initial Validation of the Japanese Version of the Self-Beliefs Related to Social Anxiety Scale.

    PubMed

    Maeda, Shunta; Shimada, Hironori; Sato, Tomoya; Tashiro, Kyoko; Tanaka, Yuki

    2017-04-01

    Cognitive models of social anxiety posit that there are several types of maladaptive beliefs responsible for persistent social anxiety. Although these beliefs are theoretically important, currently there is no validated measure of these beliefs in Japan. In the present study, we translated into Japanese a well-validated measure of these beliefs, the Self-Beliefs Related to Social Anxiety (SBSA) Scale. The psychometric properties of the scale were also examined in two nonclinical samples ( ns = 401 and 30). Using confirmatory factor analysis, the Japanese version of the SBSA was found to have a correlated three-factor structure that consisted of "conditional beliefs," "unconditional beliefs," and "high standard beliefs." In addition, the Japanese version of the SBSA and its subscales demonstrated good internal consistency reliability and test-retest reliability. The Japanese version of the SBSA also demonstrated good convergent and divergent validity. Future applications of the Japanese version of the SBSA are discussed.

  3. The Effectiveness of a Japanese Language Course on Cross-Cultural Competence.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Miyamoto, Yumi; Rasmussen, Roger

    1998-01-01

    A quasi-experimental research design was employed to measure the effectiveness of a Japanese language and culture course entitled "Japanese for the Business Community." The study analyzed seven cross-cultural competence attributes in interactions with Japanese people in business settings. (Auth/JL)

  4. Reliability and Validity of the Japanese Version of the Kinesthetic and Visual Imagery Questionnaire (KVIQ)

    PubMed Central

    Nakano, Hideki; Kodama, Takayuki; Ukai, Kazumasa; Kawahara, Satoru; Horikawa, Shiori; Murata, Shin

    2018-01-01

    In this study, we aimed to (1) translate the English version of the Kinesthetic and Visual Imagery Questionnaire (KVIQ), which assesses motor imagery ability, into Japanese, and (2) investigate the reliability and validity of the Japanese KVIQ. We enrolled 28 healthy adults in this study. We used Cronbach’s alpha coefficients to assess reliability reflected by the internal consistency. Additionally, we assessed validity reflected by the criterion-related validity between the Japanese KVIQ and the Japanese version of the Movement Imagery Questionnaire-Revised (MIQ-R) with Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for the KVIQ-20 were 0.88 (Visual) and 0.91 (Kinesthetic), which indicates high reliability. There was a significant positive correlation between the Japanese KVIQ-20 (Total) and the Japanese MIQ-R (Total) (r = 0.86, p < 0.01). Our results suggest that the Japanese KVIQ is an assessment that is a reliable and valid index of motor imagery ability. PMID:29724042

  5. Reliability and Validity of the Japanese Version of the Kinesthetic and Visual Imagery Questionnaire (KVIQ).

    PubMed

    Nakano, Hideki; Kodama, Takayuki; Ukai, Kazumasa; Kawahara, Satoru; Horikawa, Shiori; Murata, Shin

    2018-05-02

    In this study, we aimed to (1) translate the English version of the Kinesthetic and Visual Imagery Questionnaire (KVIQ), which assesses motor imagery ability, into Japanese, and (2) investigate the reliability and validity of the Japanese KVIQ. We enrolled 28 healthy adults in this study. We used Cronbach’s alpha coefficients to assess reliability reflected by the internal consistency. Additionally, we assessed validity reflected by the criterion-related validity between the Japanese KVIQ and the Japanese version of the Movement Imagery Questionnaire-Revised (MIQ-R) with Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for the KVIQ-20 were 0.88 (Visual) and 0.91 (Kinesthetic), which indicates high reliability. There was a significant positive correlation between the Japanese KVIQ-20 (Total) and the Japanese MIQ-R (Total) (r = 0.86, p < 0.01). Our results suggest that the Japanese KVIQ is an assessment that is a reliable and valid index of motor imagery ability.

  6. [An attempt to construct a Japanese version of the Implicit Positive and Negative Affect Test (IPANAT)].

    PubMed

    Shimoda, Shunsuke; Okubo, Nobutoshi; Kobayashi, Mai; Sato, Shigetaka; Kitamura, Hideya

    2014-08-01

    The Implicit Positive and Negative Affect Test (IPANAT) is an instrument for the indirect assessment of positive and negative affect. A Japanese version of the IPANAT was developed and its reliability and validity were examined. In Study 1, factor analysis identified two independent factors that could be interpreted as implicit positive and negative affect, which corresponded to the original version. The Japanese IPANAT also had sufficient internal consistency and acceptable test-retest reliability. In Study 2, we demonstrated that the Japanese IPANAT was associated with explicit state affect (e.g., PANAS), extraversion, and neuroticism, which indicated its adequate construct validity. In Study 3, we examined the extent to which the Japanese IPANAT was sensitive to changes in affect by assessing a set of IPANAT items after the presentation of positive, negative, or neutral photographs. The results indicated that the Japanese IPANAT was sufficiently sensitive to changes in affect resulting from affective stimuli. Taken together, these studies suggest that the Japanese version of the IPANAT is a useful instrument for the indirect assessment of positive and negative affect.

  7. [Linguistic validation of Japanese version of Prolapse/Urinary Incontinence Sexual Questionnaire, IUGA-Revised (PISQ-IR)].

    PubMed

    Tomoe, Hikaru; Inoue, Miyabi; Kimoto, Yasusuke; Nagao, Koichi; Homma, Yukio; Takahashi, Satoru; Kobayashi, Mia; Ikeda, Shunya

    2014-07-01

    To translate the Prolapse/Urinary Incontinence Sexual Questionnaire, IUGA-Revised (PISQ-IR) into Japanese and evaluate the linguistic validation of the translated PISQ-IR. The translation and evaluation of PISQ-IR were performed through 3 steps: forward translation based on 2 urologists and discussed by another 4 urologists, 1 pharmacoeconomist and 1 nurse; the community review process consists of conducting one-on-one cognitive interviews with 20 patients by a professional interviewer; backward translation by a native English speaker, which was negotiated with the PISQ-IR Working Group comprised original authors in International Urogynecological Association (IUGA). The PISQ-IR Working Group generally approved our translation and had 2 major concerns in the Japanese version; 1) "disagree" in every sentence of English version was not translated into Japanese, and 2) the Japanese expression in "sexual desire" should be more emotional. The former concern was approved by explaining that Japanese does not have the word which is the equivalent of "disagree", and "don't agree" is always used instead of "disagree". The latter concern was compromised by switching to a translation using emotional words. The Japanese version of PISQ-IR was translated in a linguistically valid manner. It would be equivalent to the original English questionnaire. It may provide a tool to assess sexual function for Japanese women with prolapse, urinary incontinence and/or fecal incontinence in an internationally harmonized fashion.

  8. Japanese Language and Culture: 9-Year Program Classroom Assessment Materials, Grade 4

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alberta Education, 2008

    2008-01-01

    This document is designed to provide assessment materials for specific Grade 4 outcomes in the Japanese Language and Culture Nine-year Program, Grades 4-5-6. The assessment materials are designed for the beginner level in the context of teaching for communicative competence. Grade 4 learning outcomes from the Japanese Language and Culture…

  9. Silence in the Second Language Classrooms of Japanese Universities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    King, Jim

    2013-01-01

    Japanese language learners' proclivity for silence has been alluded to by various writers (e.g. Anderson 1993; Korst 1997; Greer 2000) and is supported by plenty of anecdotal evidence, but large-scale, empirical studies aimed at measuring the extent of macro-level silence within Japanese university L2 classrooms are notably lacking. This article…

  10. The Ideology of Interculturality in Japanese Language-in-Education Policy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Liddicoat, Anthony J.

    2007-01-01

    Language learning is frequently justified as a vehicle for promoting intercultural communication and understanding, and language-in-education policies have increasingly come to reflect this preoccupation in their rhetoric. This paper will examine the ways in which concepts relating to interculturality are constructed in Japanese language policy…

  11. The Reliability and Validity of the Japanese Version of the Stroke Impact Scale Version 3.0.

    PubMed

    Ochi, Mitsuhiro; Ohashi, Hiroshi; Hachisuka, Kenji; Saeki, Satoru

    It is important to evaluate body functions and structures, activity, and participation in stroke rehabilitation. The Stroke Impact Scale (SIS), a new stroke-specific self-report measure that was developed by Duncan et al, is widely used to measure multidimensional consequences about health-related quality of life. The SIS version 3.0 includes 9 domains (strength, hand function, activity of daily living and instrumental activity of daily living, mobility, communication, emotion, memory and thinking, participation, and recovery). Patients are asked to make a percentage rating of their recovery since their stroke on a visual analog scale of 0 to 100 for the stroke recovery domain. Each item in the 8 domains other than stroke recovery are scored in a range of 1 to 5 as a raw score and calculated using the manual to a final score. We developed a Japanese version of the SIS version 3.0 and assessed its reliability and validity in 32 chronic stroke survivors. The internal consistency (Cronbach's α < 0.70) was satisfactory. The test-retest reliability (ICC, 0.86 to 0.96) was also satisfactory. Regarding convergent validity, a significant correlation (Spearman's correlation coefficient, P < 0.05) was found between the SIS physical domain score and Brunnstrom stage (r, 0.49 to 0.53) and short form 8 (r = 0.82). The Japanese version of the SIS version 3.0 is valid, reliable, and clinically useful for stroke survivors.

  12. Verification of the reliability and validity of a Japanese version of the Quality of Life in Childhood Epilepsy Questionnaire (QOLCE-J).

    PubMed

    Moriguchi, Eri; Ito, Mikiko; Nagai, Toshisaburo

    2015-11-01

    A Japanese version of the Quality of Life in Childhood Epilepsy Questionnaire (QOLCE-J) was developed using international guidelines as a QOL scale for childhood epilepsy; its reliability and validity were examined, focusing on Japanese pediatric epilepsy patients applicability. A pilot test questionnaire survey was conducted; involving parents of pediatric epilepsy patients aged 4-15 undergoing outpatient treatment. 278 responses were obtained and analyzed. Internal consistency for the 16 QOLCE-J subscales, except for , was sufficient, and a high overall coefficient α was obtained. The intraclass correlation coefficient was also high, supporting the test-retest reliability of this version. Associations among the subscales, high correlations of r>0.7 were observed among , , and <language>, representing cognitive and behavioral aspects, and among these and . In contrast, correlations among others were moderate or weaker. Furthermore, correlations of r>0.35 were observed among the subscales of the SDQ (Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire) used as an external criterion and the QOLCE-J, confirming the criterion validity of the study version. Analysis of associations between the total QOLCE-J score and pathology of epilepsy, found significant correlation with age of onset and frequency of seizures, ADL, and antiepileptics side effects' symptoms. QOLCE has mostly been used in treatment resistant pediatric patients, the influence of interictal period presently observed, like antiepileptic side effects' symptoms; suggest usefulness for pediatric patients with seizures under control. The QOLCE-J with sufficient reliability and validity may be applicable as a QOL scale for Japanese children with epilepsy. Copyright © 2015 The Japanese Society of Child Neurology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Screening for major depressive episodes in Japanese patients with epilepsy: validation and translation of the Japanese version of Neurological Disorders Depression Inventory for Epilepsy (NDDI-E).

    PubMed

    Tadokoro, Yukari; Oshima, Tomohiro; Fukuchi, Toshihiko; Kanner, Andres M; Kanemoto, Kousuke

    2012-09-01

    We validated and translated into Japanese the English version of the screening instrument Neurological Disorders Depression Inventory for Epilepsy (NDDI-E) to identify major depressive episodes in patients with epilepsy. A total of 159 Japanese subjects with epilepsy underwent a psychiatric structured interview with the Japanese version of the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I.-J) followed by completion of the Japanese version of NDDI-E (NDDI-E-J). Twelve participants met the M.I.N.I.-J criteria of current major depressive episode. Participants had no difficulties completing the NDDI-E-J. Its Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.83 and a cut-off score greater than 16 provided a sensitivity of 0.92, a specificity of 0.89, and a negative predictive value of 0.99. The NDDI-E-J appears to be useful for primary care clinicians to screen for major depressive episodes in epilepsy patients. Routine use of this brief and self-administered instrument in busy clinical settings will likely improve management of depression in Japanese individuals with epilepsy. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Integrating Language and Content: Challenges in a Japanese Supplementary School in Victoria

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Okumura, Shinji; Obara, Yumi

    2017-01-01

    The Melbourne International School of Japanese (MISJ) is a supplementary Saturday school which offers Japanese language and mathematics taught in Japanese from kindergarten to senior secondary level. Classes are scheduled on Saturdays from 9am to 3pm and approximately half of the program is dedicated to mathematics. While mathematics education…

  15. [The alteration of Japanese anatomical terminology in the early Showa period and the Japanese language reform campaign].

    PubMed

    Sawai, Tadashi; Sakai, Tatsuo

    2010-03-01

    In the second decade of the Showa period, great changes were made in the Japanese anatomical terms. It has been proposed that the presentation of JNA (Jenaer nomina anatomica) was one of the factors leading to the change. The Japanese language reform campaign, however, played an important role. The party kokugoaigo doumei and its successor kokugo kyokai required concise and unified technical terms. The anatomical nomenclature committee of the Japanese Association of Anatomists worked to satisfy this requirement. The committee consulted with nomenclature committees of other medical associations and took account of their opinions. The anatomical nomenclature committee abandoned the literal translation from Latin to Japanese and shaped a succinct Japanese terminology. Modern Japanese anatomical terms are based on this terminology.

  16. Reliability and Validity of Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised, Japanese Version

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tsuchiya, Kenji J.; Matsumoto, Kaori; Yagi, Atsuko; Inada, Naoko; Kuroda, Miho; Inokuchi, Eiko; Koyama, Tomonori; Kamio, Yoko; Tsujii, Masatsugu; Sakai, Saeko; Mohri, Ikuko; Taniike, Masako; Iwanaga, Ryoichiro; Ogasahara, Kei; Miyachi, Taishi; Nakajima, Shunji; Tani, Iori; Ohnishi, Masafumi; Inoue, Masahiko; Nomura, Kazuyo; Hagiwara, Taku; Uchiyama, Tokio; Ichikawa, Hironobu; Kobayashi, Shuji; Miyamoto, Ken; Nakamura, Kazuhiko; Suzuki, Katsuaki; Mori, Norio; Takei, Nori

    2013-01-01

    To examine the inter-rater reliability of Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised, Japanese Version (ADI-R-JV), the authors recruited 51 individuals aged 3-19 years, interviewed by two independent raters. Subsequently, to assess the discriminant and diagnostic validity of ADI-R-JV, the authors investigated 317 individuals aged 2-19 years, who were…

  17. [Briefs of Japanese acupuncture-moxibustion works of Chinese translation version in modern times].

    PubMed

    Liu, Kechen; Zhang, Shujian

    2017-05-12

    The authors collected 25 Japanese acupuncture-moxibustion works of Chinese translation version in modern times (1912-1960) and investigated them from 3 aspects, named the study on the mechanisms of acupuncture and moxibustion, the explanation of basic theory and clinical treatment with acupuncture and moxibustion. Generally speaking, Japanese acupuncture-moxibustion works of Chinese translation version explained the mechanisms of acupuncture and moxibustion in terms of the theory of western medicine rather than traditional one. It proposed the study on the phenomenon of meridian and collateral, which absorbed the anatomic knowledge of western medicine in the discussion on meridians, collaterals and acupoints; introduced diagnostic methods and techniques of acupuncture and moxibustion and adopted the classification of western medicine system and the diseases in western medicine to discuss the treatment with acupuncture and moxibustion. All of these reflect the academic characteristics of acupuncture and moxibustion in Japan at those times and the position of Chinese scholars, by which the Japanese medical works were introduced for the academic innovation.

  18. Air Writing as a Technique for the Acquisition of Sino-japanese Characters by Second Language Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Thomas, Margaret

    2015-01-01

    This article calls attention to a facet of the expertise of second language (L2) learners of Japanese at the intersection of language, memory, gesture, and the psycholinguistics of a logographic writing system. Previous research has shown that adult L2 learners of Japanese living in Japan (similarly to native speakers of Japanese) often…

  19. 21 CFR 290.6 - Spanish-language version of required warning.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 4 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Spanish-language version of required warning. 290... (CONTINUED) DRUGS: GENERAL CONTROLLED DRUGS General Provisions § 290.6 Spanish-language version of required... of this drug to any person other than the patient for whom it was prescribed.” The Spanish version of...

  20. Modelling the Perceived Value of Compulsory English Language Education in Undergraduate Non-Language Majors of Japanese Nationality

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rivers, Damian J.

    2012-01-01

    Adopting mixed methods of data collection and analysis, the current study models the "perceived value of compulsory English language education" in a sample of 138 undergraduate non-language majors of Japanese nationality at a national university in Japan. During the orientation period of a compulsory 15-week English language programme,…

  1. The reliability and validity of a Japanese version of symptom checklist 90 revised

    PubMed Central

    Tomioka, Mitsunao; Shimura, Midori; Hidaka, Mikio; Kubo, Chiharu

    2008-01-01

    Objective To examine the validity and reliability of a Japanese version of the Symptom Checklist 90 Revised (SCL-90-R (J)). Methods The English SCL-90-R was translated to Japanese and the Japanese version confirmed by back-translation. To determine the factor validity and internal consistency of the nine primary subscales, 460 people from the community completed SCL-90-R(J). Test-retest reliability was examined for 104 outpatients and 124 healthy undergraduate students. The convergent-discriminant validity was determined for 80 inpatients who replied to both SCL-90-R(J) and the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI). Results The correlation coefficients between the nine primary subscales and items were .26 to .78. Cronbach's alpha coefficients were from .76 (Phobic Anxiety) to .86 (Interpersonal Sensitivity). Pearson's correlation coefficients between test-retest scores were from .81 (Psychoticism) to .90 (Somatization) for the outpatients and were from .64 (Phobic Anxiety) to .78 (Paranoid Ideation) for the students. Each of the nine primary subscales correlated well with their corresponding constructs in the MMPI. Conclusion We confirmed the validity and reliability of SCL-90-R(J) for the measurement of individual distress. The nine primary subscales were consistent with the items of the original English version. PMID:18957078

  2. Language, Culture and Ethnicity: Interplay of Ideologies within a Japanese Community in Brazil

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sakuma, Tomoko

    2011-01-01

    This dissertation is a sociolinguistic study of the ideologies about language, culture and ethnicity among Japanese immigrants and descendants in Brazil (hereafter, Nikkeis) who gather at a local Japanese cultural association, searching for what it means to be "Japanese" in Brazil. This study focuses on how linguistic behaviors are…

  3. Pedagogical Perspectives on Gendered Speech Styles in the Teaching and Learning of Japanese as a Foreign Language

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bohn, Mariko Tajima

    2015-01-01

    This study examines student perspectives on gender differences in Japanese speech. Expanding on a small-scale survey by Siegal & Okamoto (2003) that investigated the views of eleven Japanese-language college teachers, this study analyzes 238 questionnaire responses from 220 Japanese-language students at four universities and a US government…

  4. The Japanese version of the Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire: Examination of the reliability, validity, and scale structure.

    PubMed

    Suetsugu, Yoshiko; Honjo, Shuji; Ikeda, Mari; Kamibeppu, Kiyoko

    2015-07-01

    The purpose of this study was to develop the Japanese version of the Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire (PBQ) to gather data on Japanese mothers for comparison with other cultures and to examine the scale structure of the PBQ among Japanese mothers. We administered the PBQ to a cross-section of 244 mothers 4 weeks after delivery and again 2 weeks later to 199 mothers as a retest to examine reliability. We used exploratory factor analysis to evaluate the factor structure of the PBQ. Correlations with the Mother-to-Infant Bonding Scale (MIBS), the Maternal Attachment Inventory (MAI), Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), and sociodemographic variables were calculated for validation. The 14-item version of the PBQ extracted by exploratory analysis consisted of four factors: 'impaired bonding', 'rejection and anger', 'anxiety about care', and 'lack of affection'. We found significant correlations of the total scores of the PBQ and the 14-item version of the PBQ positively with the MIBS and negatively with the MAI. Moderate significant correlations with total scores were also found with the EPDS. Total scores for primiparous and depressed mothers were higher than those for multiparous mothers and mothers without depression. The results of this study demonstrated the reliability and validity of the PBQ and the 14-item version of the PBQ in Japanese mothers 4 weeks after delivery. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  5. Endorsements on Teaching Certificates: K-12 Japanese in Washington Language Endorsements.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Toma, Yumi

    1994-01-01

    This article from a quarterly newsletter discusses the requirements necessary to obtain an endorsement on a Washington Teaching Certificate (WTC) to teach Japanese as a Second Language in K-12 public schools in the state. Candidates are required to have 24 quarter hours (16 semester hours) in Japanese writing/composition, conversation, reading, or…

  6. Development of the Portuguese version of the modified Japanese Orthopaedic Association Score: cross-cultural adaptation, reliability, validity and responsiveness.

    PubMed

    Augusto, Mateus Tomaz; Diniz, Juliete Melo; Rolemberg Dantas, Fernando Luiz; Fernandes de Oliveira, Matheus; Rotta, José Marcus; Botelho, Ricardo Vieira

    2018-06-01

    Spondylotic cervical myelopathy (SCM) is a common cause of spinal-related disability in the elderly. The assessment of this disability is a challenging task and depends on the subjective evaluation of the investigator. As a widespread used scale, the modified scale of the Japanese Association of Orthopedics (mJOA) should be translated and culturally adapted in the Brazilian Portuguese language (mJOA-Br) to provide its clinical and research use. This study aims to do translation, transcultural adaptation and validation of the mJOA, into Brazilian Portuguese language. Following the transcultural adaptation model described by Guillemin et al., the scale as translated into Brazilian Portuguese and back-translated to English. Afterwards, questionnaires were applied in consecutive patients with SCM and compared to a control group (without SCM). The final scale was compared to the Brazilian version of Neck Disability Index for validation. Sixty patients were submitted to the translated version of mJOA. There was strong correlation between mJOA-Br scores and NDI scores to evaluate SCM symptoms (R=-0.75). mJOA-Br was considered a valid and reliable tool to evaluate SCM patients. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Japanese Elementary School Teachers and English Language Anxiety

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Machida, Tomohisa

    2016-01-01

    "Foreign language activities" (English) officially began in Japanese elementary schools in April 2011. Since that starting date, and despite insufficient knowledge and preparation, classroom teachers have been required to instruct in English. They also have been required to team-teach with native-English-speaking assistant language…

  8. "Foreign Language Activities" in Japanese Elementary Schools: Negotiating Teacher Roles and Identities within a New Language Education Policy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Horii, Sachiko Yokoi

    2012-01-01

    In 2008, a new language education policy called "Gaikokugo Katsudou" [Foreign Language Activities] was issued by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sport, Science, and Technology (MEXT) in Japan. Effective 2011, foreign language education became mandatory in all Japanese public elementary schools for the first time. With this dramatic…

  9. CLIPS - C LANGUAGE INTEGRATED PRODUCTION SYSTEM (MACINTOSH VERSION)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Culbert, C.

    1994-01-01

    The C Language Integrated Production System, CLIPS, is a shell for developing expert systems. It is designed to allow artificial intelligence research, development, and delivery on conventional computers. The primary design goals for CLIPS are portability, efficiency, and functionality. For these reasons, the program is written in C. CLIPS meets or outperforms most micro- and minicomputer based artificial intelligence tools. CLIPS is a forward chaining rule-based language. The program contains an inference engine and a language syntax that provide a framework for the construction of an expert system. It also includes tools for debugging an application. CLIPS is based on the Rete algorithm, which enables very efficient pattern matching. The collection of conditions and actions to be taken if the conditions are met is constructed into a rule network. As facts are asserted either prior to or during a session, CLIPS pattern-matches the number of fields. Wildcards and variables are supported for both single and multiple fields. CLIPS syntax allows the inclusion of externally defined functions (outside functions which are written in a language other than CLIPS). CLIPS itself can be embedded in a program such that the expert system is available as a simple subroutine call. Advanced features found in CLIPS version 4.3 include an integrated microEMACS editor, the ability to generate C source code from a CLIPS rule base to produce a dedicated executable, binary load and save capabilities for CLIPS rule bases, and the utility program CRSV (Cross-Reference, Style, and Verification) designed to facilitate the development and maintenance of large rule bases. Five machine versions are available. Each machine version includes the source and the executable for that machine. The UNIX version includes the source and binaries for IBM RS/6000, Sun3 series, and Sun4 series computers. The UNIX, DEC VAX, and DEC RISC Workstation versions are line oriented. The PC version and the Macintosh

  10. Syntactic Complexity Measures and Their Relation to Oral Proficiency in Japanese as a Foreign Language

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Iwashita, Noriko

    2006-01-01

    The study reported in this article is a part of a large-scale study investigating syntactic complexity in second language (L2) oral data in commonly taught foreign languages (English, German, Japanese, and Spanish; Ortega, Iwashita, Rabie, & Norris, in preparation). In this article, preliminary findings of the analysis of the Japanese data are…

  11. Moving beyond Communicative Language Teaching: A Situated Pedagogy for Japanese EFL Classrooms

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lochland, Paul W.

    2013-01-01

    This article questions the appropriateness of communicative language teaching (CLT) in classrooms teaching English as a foreign language (EFL) to Japanese students. The four main criticisms of CLT are the ambiguity of its description, the benefits of CLT for language learning, the amalgamation of CLT methods with local classroom practices, and the…

  12. Reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the Community Integration Measure for community-dwelling people with schizophrenia.

    PubMed

    Shioda, Ai; Tadaka, Etsuko; Okochi, Ayako

    2017-01-01

    Community integration is an essential right for people with schizophrenia that affects their well-being and quality of life, but no valid instrument exists to measure it in Japan. The aim of the present study is to develop and evaluate the reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the Community Integration Measure (CIM) for people with schizophrenia. The Japanese version of the CIM was developed as a self-administered questionnaire based on the original version of the CIM, which was developed by McColl et al. This study of the Japanese CIM had a cross-sectional design. Construct validity was determined using a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and data from 291 community-dwelling people with schizophrenia in Japan. Internal consistency was calculated using Cronbach's alpha. The Lubben Social Network Scale (LSNS-6), the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE) and the UCLA Loneliness Scale, version 3 (UCLALS) were administered to assess the criterion-related validity of the Japanese version of the CIM. The participants were 263 people with schizophrenia who provided valid responses. The Cronbach's alpha was 0.87, and CFA identified one domain with ten items that demonstrated the following values: goodness of fit index = 0.924, adjusted goodness of fit index = 0.881, comparative fit index = 0.925, and root mean square error of approximation = 0.085. The correlation coefficients were 0.43 (p < 0.001) with the LSNS-6, 0.42 (p < 0.001) with the RSE, and -0.57 (p < 0.001) with the UCLALS. The Japanese version of the CIM demonstrated adequate reliability and validity for assessing community integration for people with schizophrenia in Japan.

  13. Language Use in the Context of Double Minority: The Case of Japanese-Catalan/Spanish Families in Catalonia

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fukuda, Makiko

    2017-01-01

    This study explores language use in Japanese-Catalan/Spanish families in Catalonia with a special attention to Japanese. In a community such as Catalonia wherein two languages of different status are in conflict within its own territory, the ability of families to maintain a socially "weaker" language and transmit yet another language…

  14. Japanese Language Proficiency, Social Networking, and Language Use during Study Abroad: Learners' Perspectives

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dewey, Dan P.; Bown, Jennifer; Eggett, Dennis

    2012-01-01

    This study examines the self-perceived speaking proficiency development of 204 learners of Japanese who studied abroad in Japan and analyzes connections between self-reported social network development, language use, and speaking development. Learners perceived that they gained the most in areas associated with the intermediate and advanced levels…

  15. 21 CFR 290.6 - Spanish-language version of required warning.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 4 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Spanish-language version of required warning. 290.6 Section 290.6 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) DRUGS: GENERAL CONTROLLED DRUGS General Provisions § 290.6 Spanish-language version of required...

  16. Cross-language perception of Japanese vowel length contrasts: comparison of listeners from different first language backgrounds.

    PubMed

    Tsukada, Kimiko; Hirata, Yukari; Roengpitya, Rungpat

    2014-06-01

    The purpose of this research was to compare the perception of Japanese vowel length contrasts by 4 groups of listeners who differed in their familiarity with length contrasts in their first language (L1; i.e., American English, Italian, Japanese, and Thai). Of the 3 nonnative groups, native Thai listeners were expected to outperform American English and Italian listeners, because vowel length is contrastive in their L1. Native Italian listeners were expected to demonstrate a higher level of accuracy for length contrasts than American English listeners, because the former are familiar with consonant (but not vowel) length contrasts (i.e., singleton vs. geminate) in their L1. A 2-alternative forced-choice AXB discrimination test that included 125 trials was administered to all the participants, and the listeners' discrimination accuracy (d') was reported. As expected, Japanese listeners were more accurate than all 3 nonnative groups in their discrimination of Japanese vowel length contrasts. The 3 nonnative groups did not differ from one another in their discrimination accuracy despite varying experience with length contrasts in their L1. Only Thai listeners were more accurate in their length discrimination when the target vowel was long than when it was short. Being familiar with vowel length contrasts in L1 may affect the listeners' cross-language perception, but it does not guarantee that their L1 experience automatically results in efficient processing of length contrasts in unfamiliar languages. The extent of success may be related to how length contrasts are phonetically implemented in listeners' L1.

  17. [Quality of life in patients with Japanese cedar pollinosis: using the SF-8 health status questionnaire (Japanese version)].

    PubMed

    Fujii, Tsukasa; Ogino, Satoshi; Arimoto, Hiroe; Irifune, Morihiro; Iwata, Nobuko; Ookawachi, Ichiro; Kikumori, Hiroshi; Seo, Ritsu; Takeda, Mariko; Tamaki, Akiko; Baba, Kenji; Nose, Michihiro

    2006-10-01

    The number of patients with Japanese cedar pollinosis (JCP) is increasing, and now, has extended up to about 15% of the Japanese. It is reported that the QOL is an important outcome in the JCP treatment. This study aimed to evaluate the QOL in patients with JCP by means of the SF-8 Health Survey (Japanese Version), a new, even shorter generic health survey. 411 patients with JCP who visited 10 ENT clinics in Osaka from March 14 to March 26 (peak pollen season) were questioned, and 204 patients without any treatments in this season were engaged in this study as subjects. In this study, the QOL scores were evaluated using the SF-8. This is an 8-item version of the SF-36 that yields a comparable 8-dimension health profile and comparable estimates of summary scores for the physical and mental components of health. The QOL score depressed in the patients with JCP compared with healthy subjects (Japanese national norms). Both Mental Component Score (MCS) and Physical Component Score (PCS) scores decreased more in females than in males. In females, MCS were significantly lower than national norms. The older the patients were, the lower PCS scores were showed. The severity of nasal symptoms influenced the PCS scores. These results showed the tendency similar to the early studies using SF-36 questionnaire. The sensitivity of SF-8 in the individual is not better than that of other specific QOL questionnaires, but SF-8 can be answered in a short time compared with other questionnaires including SF-36. We suggested that SF-8 become a useful questionnaire in the future.

  18. Language specificity in the perception of voiceless sibilant fricatives in Japanese and English: Implications for cross-language differences in speech-sound development

    PubMed Central

    Li, Fangfang; Munson, Benjamin; Edwards, Jan; Yoneyama, Kiyoko; Hall, Kathleen

    2011-01-01

    Both English and Japanese have two voiceless sibilant fricatives, an anterior fricative ∕s∕ contrasting with a more posterior fricative ∕∫∕. When children acquire sibilant fricatives, English children typically substitute [s] for ∕∫∕, whereas Japanese children typically substitute [∫] for ∕∫∕. This study examined English- and Japanese-speaking adults’ perception of children’s productions of voiceless sibilant fricatives to investigate whether the apparent asymmetry in the acquisition of voiceless sibilant fricatives reported previously in the two languages was due in part to how adults perceive children’s speech. The results of this study show that adult speakers of English and Japanese weighed acoustic parameters differently when identifying fricatives produced by children and that these differences explain, in part, the apparent cross-language asymmetry in fricative acquisition. This study shows that generalizations about universal and language-specific patterns in speech-sound development cannot be determined without considering all sources of variation including speech perception. PMID:21361456

  19. Extensive Reading for Second Language Learners of Japanese in Higher Education: Graded Readers and Beyond

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nakano, Teiko

    2016-01-01

    This paper reports on the implementation of Japanese extensive reading with international students studying at a Japanese university using graded readers (GRs). GRs chosen for the present study were simplified versions of original Japanese literature and were used to support students in acquiring a top-down reading strategy, a wide range of…

  20. The Language Continuum: Narrative Discourse Skills in English-Japanese Bilingual Children.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Minami, Masahiko

    In this research, using the "Frog, Where Are You?" picture book, 40 bilingual children age 6-12 years were asked to narrate the story in two languages, English and Japanese. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses were performed in order to study the relationship between the use of the two languages. The results generally suggest that…

  1. Students' Choice of Language and Initial Motivation for Studying Japanese at the University of Jyväskylä Language Centre

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Takala, Pauliina

    2015-01-01

    Elective language courses, particularly those starting from the beginner level, constitute their own special group within the communication and language course offerings of universities. The elementary courses of less commonly taught languages (LCTL), such as Japanese, provide students with the opportunity to acquire, among other benefits, a…

  2. 21 CFR 201.16 - Drugs; Spanish-language version of certain required statements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 4 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Drugs; Spanish-language version of certain...; Spanish-language version of certain required statements. An increasing number of medications restricted to... where Spanish is the predominant language. Such labeling is authorized under § 201.15(c). One required...

  3. Argumentation Text Construction by Japanese as a Foreign Language Writers: A Dynamic View of Transfer

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rinnert, Carol; Kobauashi, Hiroe; Katayama, Akemi

    2015-01-01

    This study takes a dynamic view of transfer as reusing and reshaping previous knowledge in new writing contexts to investigate how novice Japanese as a foreign language (JFL) writers draw on knowledge across languages to construct L1 and L2 texts. We analyzed L1 English and L2 Japanese argumentation essays by the same JFL writers (N = 19) and L1…

  4. Learning Styles and the Japanese University Second Language Student.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rausch, Anthony S.

    This study investigated learning styles and learning strategies among Japanese university students whose majors are directly related to English. Data were gathered in a survey of 365 students in English literature, language, or linguistics courses at two universities. The survey included questions about study outside class time, study using…

  5. CLIPS - C LANGUAGE INTEGRATED PRODUCTION SYSTEM (IBM PC VERSION)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Riley, G.

    1994-01-01

    The C Language Integrated Production System, CLIPS, is a shell for developing expert systems. It is designed to allow artificial intelligence research, development, and delivery on conventional computers. The primary design goals for CLIPS are portability, efficiency, and functionality. For these reasons, the program is written in C. CLIPS meets or outperforms most micro- and minicomputer based artificial intelligence tools. CLIPS is a forward chaining rule-based language. The program contains an inference engine and a language syntax that provide a framework for the construction of an expert system. It also includes tools for debugging an application. CLIPS is based on the Rete algorithm, which enables very efficient pattern matching. The collection of conditions and actions to be taken if the conditions are met is constructed into a rule network. As facts are asserted either prior to or during a session, CLIPS pattern-matches the number of fields. Wildcards and variables are supported for both single and multiple fields. CLIPS syntax allows the inclusion of externally defined functions (outside functions which are written in a language other than CLIPS). CLIPS itself can be embedded in a program such that the expert system is available as a simple subroutine call. Advanced features found in CLIPS version 4.3 include an integrated microEMACS editor, the ability to generate C source code from a CLIPS rule base to produce a dedicated executable, binary load and save capabilities for CLIPS rule bases, and the utility program CRSV (Cross-Reference, Style, and Verification) designed to facilitate the development and maintenance of large rule bases. Five machine versions are available. Each machine version includes the source and the executable for that machine. The UNIX version includes the source and binaries for IBM RS/6000, Sun3 series, and Sun4 series computers. The UNIX, DEC VAX, and DEC RISC Workstation versions are line oriented. The PC version and the Macintosh

  6. Invariance levels across language versions of the PISA 2009 reading comprehension tests in Spain.

    PubMed

    Elosua Oliden, Paula; Mujika Lizaso, Josu

    2013-01-01

    The PISA project provides the basis for studying curriculum design and for comparing factors associated with school effectiveness. These studies are only valid if the different language versions are equivalent to each other. In Spain, the application of PISA in autonomous regions with their own languages means that equivalency must also be extended to the Spanish, Galician, Catalan and Basque versions of the test. The aim of this work was to analyse the equivalence among the four language versions of the Reading Comprehension Test (PISA 2009). After defining the testlet as the unit of analysis, equivalence among the language versions was analysed using two invariance testing procedures: multiple-group mean and covariance structure analyses for ordinal data and ordinal logistic regression. The procedures yielded concordant results supporting metric equivalence across all four language versions: Spanish, Basque, Galician and Catalan. The equivalence supports the estimated reading literacy score comparability among the language versions used in Spain.

  7. The property of the Japanese version of the Recovery Knowledge Inventory (RKI) among mental health service providers: a cross sectional study.

    PubMed

    Chiba, Rie; Umeda, Maki; Goto, Kyohei; Miyamoto, Yuki; Yamaguchi, Sosei; Kawakami, Norito

    2017-01-01

    The Recovery Knowledge Inventory (RKI) is one of the influential scales to assess knowledge and attitude toward recovery-oriented practices among mental health service providers. In the present study, we aimed to develop a Japanese version of RKI and examine the validity and reliability. We translated RKI into Japanese by reference to the guidelines for translating and adapting psychometric scales. A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted with mental health service providers. Of a total of 475 eligible professionals, we used data from the 299 participants without missing value for the analyses (valid response rate = 62.9%). The questionnaire included Japanese RKI, Recovery Attitudes Questionnaire, The positive attitudes scale, and Japanese-language version of the Social Distance Scale. To examine the factorial validity of RKI, explanatory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis was employed. Convergent validity was assessed by calculating Pearson's correlation coefficients between the total RKI score and the scores for the other three scales. We also calculated Cronbach's α coefficients for the total score and for each domain of RKI to assess internal consistency reliability. The participants' mean age was 40.4 years and 30.4% were men. 20-item RKI did not provide any adequate or interpretable factor solutions at any number of factors by EFAs. Thus four items (#1, 4, 5, and 13) were subsequently eliminated in stages, then 16-item RKI was employed as a consequence for further analyses. EFA with four factor structures yielded marginally interpretable constitution. Each factor represented the knowledge regarding psychiatric symptoms and recovery; knowledge about the recovery process; the understanding of what is important for recovery; and the understanding of the challenges and responsibility in recovery, respectively. Subsequent CFA suggested good fit to the data. Good convergent validity and understandable internal consistency reliability

  8. 21 CFR 801.16 - Medical devices; Spanish-language version of certain required statements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Medical devices; Spanish-language version of....16 Medical devices; Spanish-language version of certain required statements. If devices restricted to... Spanish is the predominant language, such labeling is authorized under § 801.15(c). ...

  9. Japanese version of cutaneous body image scale: translation and validation.

    PubMed

    Higaki, Yuko; Watanabe, Ikuko; Masaki, Tomoko; Kamo, Toshiko; Kawashima, Makoto; Satoh, Toshihiko; Saitoh, Shiroh; Nohara, Michiko; Gupta, Madhulika A

    2009-09-01

    Cutaneous body image, defined as the individual's mental perception of the appearance of their skin, hair and nails, is an important psychodermatological element in skin diseases. To measure individuals' cutaneous body image, a practical and accurate instrument is necessary. In this study, we translated the Cutaneous Body Image Scale (CBIS), a 7-item instrument originally created by Gupta et al. in 2004, into Japanese using a forward- and back-translation method and evaluated the reliability and validity of the instrument by psychometric tests. A total of 298 healthy adults (64 men and 234 women, aged 28.9 +/- 9.9 years) and 165 dermatology patients (56.7% eczema/dermatitis, 9.8% acne, 7.5% alopecia, 6.9% psoriasis, 19.1% skin tumor/fleck/other) (30 men and 135 women, aged 37.9 +/- 15.2 years) responded to the Japanese version of the CBIS. The internal-consistency reliability of the instrument was high (Cronbach's alpha, healthy adults 0.88, patients 0.84). The CBIS measure demonstrates good test-retest reliability (healthy adults gamma = 0.92, P < 0.0001; patients gamma = 0.79, P < 0.001). Compared to the healthy adults (4.11 +/- 1.80), the CBIS scores among dermatology patients (3.18 +/- 1.69, P = 0.000) were significantly low. The CBIS scores showed moderate correlation with the "emotions" and "global" scores of Skindex-16 in healthy adults (gamma = -0.397 and -0.373, respectively) and in patients (gamma = -0.431 and -0.38, respectively). A stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that an emotional aspect of skin-condition related quality of life was the best predictor of cutaneous body image in both healthy adults and patients (beta = -0.31 and -0.41, respectively) followed by "body dissatisfaction" (beta = -0.17, and -0.23, respectively). Adjusted R(2) was 0.246 in healthy adults and 0.264 in patients. These were consistent with the results from the original the CBIS. These results suggest that the Japanese version of the CBIS is a reliable and valid

  10. [Reliability of the Japanese version of the Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (SARA)].

    PubMed

    Sato, Kazunori; Yabe, Ichiro; Soma, Hiroyuki; Yasui, Kenichi; Ito, Mizuki; Shimohata, Takayoshi; Onodera, Osamu; Nakashima, Kenji; Sobue, Gen; Nishizawa, Masatoyo; Sasaki, Hidenao

    2009-05-01

    The International Cooperative Ataxia Rating Scale (ICARS) is widely used as a scale for the assessment of the severity of cerebellar ataxia. However, this scale comprises several items; thus, making the application of this scale is not sufficiently practical to perform daily assessment of ataxic patients. A new rating scale--Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (SARA)--was shown to provide highly reliable assessments; further, the scores on SARA correlated with the ICARS score and the Barthel index. After obtaining the permission, original SARA was translated into Japanese. To examine the reliability and internal consistency of the Japanese version of the SARA for the assessment of cerebellar ataxia in 66 patients with spinocerebellar degeneration. Intraclass coefficients (ICC) were observed to be greater than 0.8 except in the case of the inter-rater "finger chase" and "fast alternating hand movement" tests. The Japanese version of SARA is highly reliable and very useful for the assessment of cerebellar ataxia on a daily basis.

  11. Becoming a Japanese Language Learner, User, and Teacher: Revelations From Life History Research

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Armour, William S.

    2004-01-01

    This article discusses how Sarah Lamond, a Japanese language teacher in Sydney, Australia has juggled three of her identities: second language (L2) learner, L2 user, and L2 teacher. Data come from four interviews used to create an edited life history. These data are used to draw attention to the relationship between L2 learner and language user.…

  12. Japanese version of the Family Dermatology Life Quality Index: Translation and validation.

    PubMed

    Higaki, Yuko; Tanaka, Masaru; Futei, Yuko; Kamo, Toshiko; Basra, Mohammad Khurshid Azam; Finlay, Andrew Yule

    2017-08-01

    Skin conditions affect the quality of life (QoL) of patients and their family. To assess family members' QoL, a questionnaire uniquely designed for family members is necessary. We translated the Family Dermatology Life Quality Index (FDLQI), originally created and validated by Basra et al., into Japanese, and evaluated its reliability and validity. For psychometric evaluations, 150 dermatology patients and their family members were included. The Japanese version of the FDLQI showed high test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.95) and internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.86). FDLQI scores significantly correlated with DLQI scores (r = 0.58, P < 0.01, Spearman's rho) and global question (GQ) which measured the patient's skin condition on a visual analog scale (r = 0.36, P < 0.01). Family members of patients with inflammatory skin diseases showed higher FDLQI scores than those with isolated lesions, but the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.062, Mann-Whitney U-test). Responsiveness to change was demonstrated in a group in which the patient's skin condition was assessed as improved (n = 37, r = 0.46, P < 0.01) but not in that in which it became worse. The difference of the change between the two groups was statistically significant (P < 0.01). Additionally, the change in FDLQI scores and GQ were significantly correlated (r = 0.40, P < 0.01). Exploratory factor analysis suggested essential unidimensionality of the instrument. We showed acceptable validity and responsiveness of this Japanese version of FDLQI. Further clinical epidemiological studies are required to confirm this. © 2017 Japanese Dermatological Association.

  13. Persistence in Japanese Language Study and Learners' Cultural/Linguistic Backgrounds

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Matsumoto, Masanori

    2009-01-01

    Motivational characteristics of students learning Japanese as a foreign language at universities in Australia were investigated to find out what affecting factors are closely related to their intentions for continuing/discontinuing their study. The results showed that students' cultural/linguistic backgrounds have a significant impact on their…

  14. Assessment of Japanese stimulant control law offenders using the Addiction Severity Index--Japanese version: comparison with patients in treatment settings.

    PubMed

    Watanabe, Takashi; Ogai, Yasukazu; Koga, Takehiro; Senoo, Eiichi; Nakamura, Kazuhiko; Mori, Norio; Ikeda, Kazutaka

    2009-12-01

    The present study assessed problems in Japanese prisoners (inmates) who abused methamphetamine. Fifty-two male inmates were assessed in 2005-2007 using the Addiction Severity Index-Japanese version and compared with 55 male methamphetamine abusers in hospitals and recovery centers. The chi(2) and Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon tests showed that the inmates had a significantly lower education level, more frequently had full-time jobs, had more experience living with a sexual partner, and more frequently had a history of juvenile delinquency and criminal records than patients. Although psychiatric symptoms, such as depression, anxiety, and hallucinations, were not common among inmates, suicidal behavior and trouble controlling violence were common in both groups.

  15. The Study on Reading Strategy of Students Learning Japanese as a Second Language.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Toriyama, Kyoko

    A study investigated whether a classification scheme for learning strategies used in ESL (English-as-a-Second-Language) instruction is applicable to strategies used in learning Japanese as a second language. Four metacognitive strategies were examined (directed attention, selective attention, self-monitoring, self-management). Subjects were 30…

  16. Student Preconceptions of Japanese Language Learning in 1989 and 2004

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hayashi, Atsuko

    2009-01-01

    This study compares student preconceptions and expectations of Japanese language learning from studies conducted in 1989 and 2004. Over the years, student interests and pedagogical approaches have changed. However, the changes do not reflect on the student preconceptions and expectations. They still believe in traditional approaches to language…

  17. Japanese Language and Culture 10-20-30: Guide to Implementation.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alberta Learning, Edmonton (Canada). Curriculum Standards Branch.

    This teacher's guide provides an innovative program of studies for teaching Japanese at the secondary level, featuring a content-based curriculum, an integrated approach, results (outcomes)-based orientation, and the use of language for effective interaction. This guide provides teachers with suggestions for designing and planning a Japanese…

  18. 21 CFR 201.16 - Drugs; Spanish-language version of certain required statements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 4 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Drugs; Spanish-language version of certain...; Spanish-language version of certain required statements. An increasing number of medications restricted to prescription use only are being labeled solely in Spanish for distribution in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico...

  19. Foreign Language Curricula in Japanese High Schools: A Case Study in Miyagi Prefecture

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ball, Daniel

    2007-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine the foreign language curricula in Japanese high schools for the purpose of gaining insight into alternative views of foreign language education. Teachers, administrators, and staff at two high schools in Miyagi Prefecture were interviewed. Teachers were asked about testing, placement procedures, standards,…

  20. Digital Gaming and Language Learning: Autonomy and Community

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chik, Alice

    2014-01-01

    The relationship between digital game play and second language (L2) learning is a particularly tricky issue in East Asia. Though there is an emerging presence of Chinese online games, many more young people are playing the English- or Japanese-language versions of the most popular commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) video games. In other words, most…

  1. Heritage Language Acquisition and Maintenance: Home Literacy Practices of Japanese-Speaking Families in Canada

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nomura, Takako; Caidi, Nadia

    2013-01-01

    Introduction: In this study, we examine the case of Japanese-speaking families in Canada and their experiences with teaching a heritage language at home, along with the uses and perceived usefulness of public library resources, collections, and services in the process. Methods: We interviewed fourteen mothers who speak Japanese to their children.…

  2. Validating the Japanese translation of the Force and Motion Conceptual Evaluation and comparing performance levels of American and Japanese students

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ishimoto, Michi; Thornton, Ronald K.; Sokoloff, David R.

    2014-12-01

    This study assesses the Japanese translation of the Force and Motion Conceptual Evaluation (FMCE). Researchers are often interested in comparing the conceptual ideas of students with different cultural backgrounds. The FMCE has been useful in identifying the concepts of English-speaking students from different backgrounds. To identify effectively the conceptual ideas of Japanese students and to compare them to those of their English-speaking counterparts, more work is required. Because of differences between the Japanese and English languages, and between the Japanese and American educational systems, it is important to assess the Japanese translation of the FMCE, a conceptual evaluation originally developed in English for American students. To assess its appropriateness, we examined the performance of a large sample of students on the translated version of the FMCE and then compared the results to those of English-speaking students. The data comprise the pretest results of 1095 students, most of whom were first-year students at a midlevel engineering school between 2003 and 2012. Basic statistics and the classical test theory indices of the translated FMCE indicate that its reliability and discrimination are appropriate to assess Japanese students' concepts about force and motion. In general, the preconcepts of Japanese students assessed with the Japanese translation of the FMCE are quite similar to those of American students assessed with the FMCE, thereby supporting the validity of the translated version. However, our findings do show (1) that only a small percentage of Japanese students grasped Newtonian concepts and (2) that the percentage of Japanese students who used two different concept models together to answer some questions seems to be higher than that of American students.

  3. Assessment of Japanese Stimulant Control Law Offenders Using the Addiction Severity Index—Japanese Version: Comparison with Patients in Treatment Settings

    PubMed Central

    Watanabe, Takashi; Ogai, Yasukazu; Koga, Takehiro; Senoo, Eiichi; Nakamura, Kazuhiko; Mori, Norio; Ikeda, Kazutaka

    2009-01-01

    The present study assessed problems in Japanese prisoners (inmates) who abused methamphetamine. Fifty-two male inmates were assessed in 2005–2007 using the Addiction Severity Index-Japanese version and compared with 55 male methamphetamine abusers in hospitals and recovery centers. The χ2 and Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon tests showed that the inmates had a significantly lower education level, more frequently had full-time jobs, had more experience living with a sexual partner, and more frequently had a history of juvenile delinquency and criminal records than patients. Although psychiatric symptoms, such as depression, anxiety, and hallucinations, were not common among inmates, suicidal behavior and trouble controlling violence were common in both groups. PMID:20049245

  4. Japanese Classroom Behavior: A Micro-Analysis of Self-Reports versus Classroom Observations--With Implications for Language Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bohn, Mariko T.

    2004-01-01

    This article examines the influence of Japanese cultural values, beliefs, and educational style on Japanese students learning English as a second language in an American classroom. In contrast to the Japanese students' high motivation to learn English, their classroom behavior and roles reflect their own cultural perspectives rather than the…

  5. Exploring the Value of Bilingual Language Assistants with Japanese English as a Foreign Language Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Macaro, Ernesto; Nakatani, Yasuo; Hayashi, Yuko; Khabbazbashi, Nahal

    2014-01-01

    We report on a small-scale exploratory study of Japanese students' reactions to the use of a bilingual language assistant on an EFL study-abroad course in the UK and we give an insight into the possible effect of using bilingual assistants on speaking production. First-year university students were divided into three groups all taught by a…

  6. Referential Strategy Training for Second Language Reading Comprehension of Japanese Texts.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kitajima, Ryu

    1997-01-01

    Examines whether strategy training orienting second language (L2) students' attention toward referential processes improves their comprehension of Japanese narrative. Findings revealed that experimental students comprehended the story at the macro level significantly better than control students, suggesting that the strategy training is beneficial…

  7. What Is Business Japanese? Designing a Japanese Course for Business Communication.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Koike, Shohei

    Experiences in developing "Business Japanese" courses for the undergraduate major in Language and International Trade at Eastern Michigan University are described. In 1987, six new courses in Japanese were proposed so that Japanese could be offered as a language specialty in the program. Issues considered in defining business Japanese…

  8. 21 CFR 801.16 - Medical devices; Spanish-language version of certain required statements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Medical devices; Spanish-language version of....16 Medical devices; Spanish-language version of certain required statements. If devices restricted to prescription use only are labeled solely in Spanish for distribution in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico where...

  9. Japanese Students' Perceptions of Digital Game Use for English-Language Learning in Higher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bolliger, Doris U.; Mills, Daniel; White, Jeremy; Kohyama, Megumi

    2015-01-01

    Researchers investigated perceptions of Japanese college students toward the use of digital games in English-language learning. The study was conducted at one large private university in Japan. Undergraduate students who were enrolled in 14 English-language courses were invited to complete a paper-based survey during class time. The survey…

  10. Heritage Language Education without Inheriting Hegemonic Ideologies: Shifting Perspectives on "Korea" in a Weekend Japanese-Language School in the United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Doerr, Neriko Musha; Lee, Kiri

    2016-01-01

    Learning a heritage language can be celebrated to enhance marginalized groups' self-esteem, but a heritage can also encompass ideologies prevalent in the groups' original homeland. Based on ethnographic fieldwork (2007-2011) at a weekend Japanese-language school in the United States, this article investigates how ideologies on race politics…

  11. CLIPS - C LANGUAGE INTEGRATED PRODUCTION SYSTEM (IBM PC VERSION WITH CLIPSITS)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Riley, , .

    1994-01-01

    The C Language Integrated Production System, CLIPS, is a shell for developing expert systems. It is designed to allow artificial intelligence research, development, and delivery on conventional computers. The primary design goals for CLIPS are portability, efficiency, and functionality. For these reasons, the program is written in C. CLIPS meets or outperforms most micro- and minicomputer based artificial intelligence tools. CLIPS is a forward chaining rule-based language. The program contains an inference engine and a language syntax that provide a framework for the construction of an expert system. It also includes tools for debugging an application. CLIPS is based on the Rete algorithm, which enables very efficient pattern matching. The collection of conditions and actions to be taken if the conditions are met is constructed into a rule network. As facts are asserted either prior to or during a session, CLIPS pattern-matches the number of fields. Wildcards and variables are supported for both single and multiple fields. CLIPS syntax allows the inclusion of externally defined functions (outside functions which are written in a language other than CLIPS). CLIPS itself can be embedded in a program such that the expert system is available as a simple subroutine call. Advanced features found in CLIPS version 4.3 include an integrated microEMACS editor, the ability to generate C source code from a CLIPS rule base to produce a dedicated executable, binary load and save capabilities for CLIPS rule bases, and the utility program CRSV (Cross-Reference, Style, and Verification) designed to facilitate the development and maintenance of large rule bases. Five machine versions are available. Each machine version includes the source and the executable for that machine. The UNIX version includes the source and binaries for IBM RS/6000, Sun3 series, and Sun4 series computers. The UNIX, DEC VAX, and DEC RISC Workstation versions are line oriented. The PC version and the Macintosh

  12. A FAQ-Based e-Learning Environment to Support Japanese Language Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Liu, Yuqin; Yin, Chengjiu; Ogata, Hiroaki; Qiao, Guojun; Yano, Yoneo

    2011-01-01

    In traditional classes, having many questions from learners is important because these questions indicate difficult points for learners and for teachers. This paper proposes a FAQ-based e-Learning environment to support Japanese language learning that focuses on learner questions. This knowledge sharing system enables learners to interact and…

  13. Japanese Language as an Organizational Barrier for International Students to Access to University Services: A Case of Aoyama Gakuin University

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hiratsuka, Hiroyoshi

    2016-01-01

    In 2011, Aoyama Gakuin University (AGU) started a government-funded degree program (taught in English) to accept international students with limited or no Japanese language proficiency. However, the students faced obstacles in accessing all of the university resources provided. In this article, I investigated Japanese language as an organizational…

  14. Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Japanese version of the new Knee Society Scoring System for osteoarthritic knee with total knee arthroplasty.

    PubMed

    Hamamoto, Yosuke; Ito, Hiromu; Furu, Moritoshi; Ishikawa, Masahiro; Azukizawa, Masayuki; Kuriyama, Shinichi; Nakamura, Shinichiro; Matsuda, Shuichi

    2015-09-01

    The purposes of this study were to translate the new Knee Society Score (KSS) into Japanese and to evaluate the construct and content validity, test-retest reliability, and internal consistency of the Japanese version of the new KSS. The Japanese version of the KSS was developed according to cross-cultural guidelines by using the "translation-back translation" method to ensure content validity. KSS data were then obtained from patients who had undergone total knee arthroplasty (TKA). The psychometric properties evaluated were as follows: for feasibility, response rate, and floor and ceiling effects; for construct validity, internal consistency using Cronbach's alpha, and correlations with quality of life. Construct validity was evaluated by using Spearman's correlation coefficient to quantify the correlation between the KSS and the Japanese version of the Oxford 12-item Knee Score or Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36) questionnaires. The Japanese version of the KSS was sent to 93 consecutive osteoarthritic patients who underwent primary TKA in our institution. Fifty-five patients completed the questionnaires and were included in this study. Neither a floor nor ceiling effect was observed. The reliability proved excellent in the majority of domains, with intraclass correlation coefficients of 0.65-0.88. Internal consistency, assessed by Cronbach's alpha, was good to excellent for all domains (0.78-0.94). All of the four domains of the KSS correlated significantly with the Oxford 12-item Knee Score. The activity and satisfaction domains of the KSS correlated significantly with all and the majority of subscales of the SF-36, respectively, whereas symptoms and expectation domains showed significant correlations only with bodily pain and vitality subscales and with the physical function, bodily pain, and vitality subscales, respectively. The Japanese version of the new KSS is a valid, reliable, and responsive instrument to capture subjective aspects of the functional

  15. Psychometric properties of the 25-item National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI VFQ-25), Japanese version.

    PubMed

    Suzukamo, Yoshimi; Oshika, Tetsuro; Yuzawa, Mitsuko; Tokuda, Yoshihiro; Tomidokoro, Atsuo; Oki, Kotaro; Mangione, Carol M; Green, Joseph; Fukuhara, Shunichi

    2005-10-26

    The importance of evaluating the outcomes of health care from the standpoint of the patient is now widely recognized. The purpose of this study is to develop and test a Japanese version of the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI VFQ-25). A Japanese version was developed with a previously standardized method. The questionnaire and optional items were completed by 245 patients with cataracts, glaucoma, or age-related macular degeneration, by 110 others before and after cataract surgery, and by a reference group (n = 31). We computed rates of missing data, measured reproducibility and internal consistency reliability, and tested for convergent and discriminant validity, concurrent validity, known-groups validity, factor structure, and responsiveness to change. Based on information from the participants, some items were changed to 2-step items (asking if an activity was done, and if it was done, then asking how difficult it was). The near-vision and distance-vision subscales each had 1 item that was endorsed by very few participants, so these items were replaced with items that were optional in the English version. For example, more than 60% of participants did not drive, so the driving question was excluded. Reliability and validity were adequate for all subscales except driving, ocular pain, color vision, and peripheral vision. With cataract surgery, most scores improved by at least 20 points. With minor modifications from the English version, the Japanese NEI VFQ-25 can give reliable, valid, responsive data on vision-related quality of life, for group-level comparisons or for tracking therapeutic outcomes.

  16. Characteristics of communication among Japanese children with autism spectrum disorder: A cluster analysis using the Children's Communication Checklist-2.

    PubMed

    Tanaka, Sanae; Oi, Manabu; Fujino, Hiroshi; Kikuchi, Mitsuru; Yoshimura, Yuko; Miura, Yui; Tsujii, Masatsugu; Ohoka, Harue

    2017-01-01

    Some overlap has been suggested among the subtypes of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in children. The Japanese version of the Children's Communication Checklist-2 (CCC-2) is a useful measure for identifying profiles in relation to communication impairments in children with ASD. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the CCC-2 could identify subtypes in relation to communication impairments in Japanese children with ASD. The study participants were 113 children with ASD but without intellectual disabilities aged 3-12 years. Parents were given the Japanese version of the CCC-2 and asked to rate their children, who were then classified into two groups based on statistical analysis. Significant differences were found between clusters in mean CCC-2 subscales. These results suggest that one subtype was associated with low language competence and strong characteristics of autism, while the other was associated with relatively high language competence and milder characteristics of autism.

  17. Effectiveness of the Mindfulness Art Therapy Short Version for Japanese Patients with Advanced Cancer

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ando, Michiyo; Kira, Haruko; Hayashida, Shigeru; Ito, Sayoko

    2016-01-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of the Mindfulness Art Therapy Short Version for Japanese patients with advanced cancer. Patients learned mindfulness practices and then made art to express their feelings in the first session. After receiving instruction on practicing mindfulness 2 weeks later, they participated in a second…

  18. The Formal Pragmatics of Non-at-Issue Intensification in English and Japanese

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Taniguchi, Ai

    2017-01-01

    This dissertation concerns the formal pragmatics of constructions in English and Japanese that are perceptively intensificative in their discourse function in some way. In particular I examine polarity emphasis (verum focus), exclamatives, and acts of notification and surprise in language using a compositional version of Farkas and Bruce (2010)'s…

  19. Advancement of the Subjective Vitality Scale: examination of alternative measurement models for Japanese and Singaporeans.

    PubMed

    Kawabata, M; Yamazaki, F; Guo, D W; Chatzisarantis, N L D

    2017-12-01

    The Subjective Vitality Scale (SVS: Ryan & Frederick, 1997) is a 7-item self-report instrument to measure one's level of vitality and has been widely used in psychological studies. However, there have been discrepancies in which version of the SVS (7- or 6-item version) employed between as well as within researchers. Moreover, Item 5 seems not be a good indicator of vitality from a content validity perspective. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the validity and reliability of the SVS for Japanese and Singaporeans rigorously by comparing 3 measurement models (5-, 6-, and 7-item models). To this end, the scale was first translated from English to Japanese and then the Japanese and English versions of the scale were administered to Japanese (n = 268) and Singaporean undergraduate students (n = 289), respectively. The factorial and concurrent validity of the three models were examined independently on each of the samples. Furthermore, the covariance stability of the vitality responses was assessed over a 4-week time period for another independent Japanese sample (n = 140). The findings from this study indicated that from methodological and content validity perspectives, the 5-item model is considered most preferable for both language versions of the SVS. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  20. Evidence of Validity for the Japanese Version of the Foot and Ankle Ability Measure

    PubMed Central

    Uematsu, Daisuke; Suzuki, Hidetomo; Sasaki, Shogo; Nagano, Yasuharu; Shinozuka, Nobuyuki; Sunagawa, Norihiko; Fukubayashi, Toru

    2015-01-01

    Context: The Foot and Ankle Ability Measure (FAAM) is a valid, reliable, and self-reported outcome instrument for the foot and ankle region. Objective: To provide evidence for translation, cross-cultural adaptation, validity, and reliability of the Japanese version of the FAAM (FAAM-J). Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Collegiate athletic training/sports medicine clinical setting. Patients or Other Participants: Eighty-three collegiate athletes. Main Outcome Measure(s): All participants completed the Activities of Daily Living and Sports subscales of the FAAM-J and the Physical Functioning and Mental Health subscales of the Japanese version of the Short Form-36v2 (SF-36). Also, 19 participants (23%) whose conditions were expected to be stable completed another FAAM-J 2 to 6 days later for test-retest reliability. We analyzed the scores of those subscales for convergent and divergent validity, internal consistency, and test-retest reliability. Results: The Activities of Daily Living and Sports subscales of the FAAM-J had correlation coefficients of 0.86 and 0.75, respectively, with the Physical Functioning section of the SF-36 for convergent validity. For divergent validity, the correlation coefficients with Mental Health of the SF-36 were 0.29 and 0.27 for each subscale, respectively. Cronbach α for internal consistency was 0.99 for the Activities of Daily Living and 0.98 for the Sports subscale. A 95% confidence interval with a single measure was ±8.1 and ±14.0 points for each subscale. The test-retest reliability measures revealed intraclass correlation coefficient values of 0.87 for the Activities of Daily Living and 0.91 for the Sports subscales with minimal detectable changes of ±6.8 and ±13.7 for the respective subscales. Conclusions: The FAAM was successfully translated for a Japanese version, and the FAAM-J was adapted cross-culturally. Thus, the FAAM-J can be used as a self-reported outcome measure for Japanese-speaking individuals; however

  1. Validation of the Japanese version of the job crafting scale.

    PubMed

    Eguchi, Hisashi; Shimazu, Akihito; Bakker, Arnold B; Tims, Maria; Kamiyama, Kimika; Hara, Yujiro; Namba, Katsuyuki; Inoue, Akiomi; Ono, Masakatsu; Kawakami, Norito

    2016-06-16

    The aim of this study was to validate the Japanese version of the job crafting scale (JCS-J). JCS measures four independent job crafting dimensions, namely increasing structural job resources, decreasing hindering job demands, increasing social job resources, and increasing challenging job demands. The translated and back-translated JCS-J questionnaires were administered online to 972 employees of a Japanese manufacturing company. The data were then divided into independent explorative and confirmative samples. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed to evaluate the factorial validity of JCS-J. The relationship with potential consequences of job crafting (e.g., job demands, job resources, and psychological well-being) was investigated to evaluate construct validity. Internal consistency was examined to evaluate the reliability of the four JCSs. An exploratory factor analysis extracted a five-factor solution. Decreasing hindering job demands was further split into two separate dimensions supporting a five- rather than four-factor structure. A series of confirmatory factor analyses revealed that the modified five-factor model that allows covariance between items fits the data best. Construct validity was generally supported by the expected correlations of each job crafting dimension with each corresponding job resource (+), job demand (+), and psychological well-being (+). Cronbach's α coefficient was sufficient for each of the four dimensions of job crafting (α ranged between 0.76 and 0.90). This study confirmed that JCS-J is an adequate measure of job crafting that can be used in the Japanese context.

  2. "So What Is the Appeal?" The Phenomenon of Japanese as a Foreign Language in Hong Kong

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Humphreys, Gillian; Miyazoe-Wong, Yuko

    2007-01-01

    In spite of long-standing political tensions between Japan and the People's Republic of China, Japanese remains a highly popular language to learn in Hong Kong. This is evidenced by the growth in number of Japanese-related courses and programmes offered at schools and universities in the Special Administrative Region. Although Japan is a dominant…

  3. Handling Japanese without a Japanese Operating System.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hatasa, Kazumi; And Others

    1992-01-01

    The Macintosh HyperCard environment has become a popular platform for Japanese language courseware because of its flexibility and ease of programing. This project created Japanese bitmap font files for the JIS Levels 1 and 2, and writing XFCNs for font manipulation, Japanese kana input, and answer correction. (12 references) (Author/LB)

  4. Chemistry through the language barrier. How to scan chemical articles in foreign languages with emphasis on Russian and Japanese

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Reid, E.E.

    1970-01-01

    The thesis of this book is that one can learn a surprising amount of information from scientific articles in a foreign language. Use is made of symbols, numbers, etc., (which appear in familiar Roman script) and words that are similar in many languages (e.g., reaction, reazione, reaccion, reactie, reaccao, reaktion, reaksjon, reaktionen, reakcio, rektio, reaktsiya, reakcja, and reakce). Most European languages (Germanic, Latin, et al.) are included, with special emphasis on Russian and Japanese. The technique is illustrated with examples from organic chemistry, but the approach should be applicable to scientific writing in any subject area. (RWR)

  5. Interactional Competence in Japanese as an Additional Language. Pragmatics & Interaction. Volume 4

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Greer, Tim, Ed.; Ishida, Midori, Ed.; Tateyama, Yumiko, Ed.

    2017-01-01

    In the research literature on interactional competence in talk among second language speakers and their coparticipants, this volume of "Pragmatics & Interaction" is the first to focus on interaction in Japanese. The chapters examine the use and development of interactional practices in a wide range of social settings, from everyday…

  6. Portuguese-language version of the COPD Assessment Test: validation for use in Brazil*

    PubMed Central

    da Silva, Guilherme Pinheiro Ferreira; Morano, Maria Tereza Aguiar Pessoa; Viana, Cyntia Maria Sampaio; Magalhães, Clarissa Bentes de Araujo; Pereira, Eanes Delgado Barros

    2013-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: To validate a Portuguese-language version of the COPD assessment test (CAT) for use in Brazil and to assess the reproducibility of this version. METHODS: This was multicenter study involving patients with stable COPD at two teaching hospitals in the city of Fortaleza, Brazil. Two independent observers (twice in one day) administered the Portuguese-language version of the CAT to 50 patients with COPD. One of those observers again administered the scale to the same patients one week later. At baseline, the patients were submitted to pulmonary function testing and the six-minute walk test (6MWT), as well as completing the previously validated Portuguese-language versions of the Saint George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), modified Medical Research Council (MMRC) dyspnea scale, and hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS). RESULTS: Inter-rater and intra-rater reliability was excellent (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] = 0.96; 95% CI: 0.93-0.97; p < 0.001; and ICC = 0.98; 95% CI: 0.96-0.98; p < 0.001, respectively). Bland Altman plots showed good test-retest reliability. The CAT total score correlated significantly with spirometry results, 6MWT distance, SGRQ scores, MMRC dyspnea scale scores, and HADS-depression scores. CONCLUSIONS: The Portuguese-language version of the CAT is a valid, reproducible, and reliable instrument for evaluating patients with COPD in Brazil. PMID:24068260

  7. Validation of the Japanese version of the job crafting scale

    PubMed Central

    Eguchi, Hisashi; Shimazu, Akihito; Bakker, Arnold B.; Tims, Maria; Kamiyama, Kimika; Hara, Yujiro; Namba, Katsuyuki; Inoue, Akiomi; Ono, Masakatsu; Kawakami, Norito

    2016-01-01

    Objectives: The aim of this study was to validate the Japanese version of the job crafting scale (JCS-J). JCS measures four independent job crafting dimensions, namely increasing structural job resources, decreasing hindering job demands, increasing social job resources, and increasing challenging job demands. Methods: The translated and back-translated JCS-J questionnaires were administered online to 972 employees of a Japanese manufacturing company. The data were then divided into independent explorative and confirmative samples. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed to evaluate the factorial validity of JCS-J. The relationship with potential consequences of job crafting (e.g., job demands, job resources, and psychological well-being) was investigated to evaluate construct validity. Internal consistency was examined to evaluate the reliability of the four JCSs. Results: An exploratory factor analysis extracted a five-factor solution. Decreasing hindering job demands was further split into two separate dimensions supporting a five- rather than four-factor structure. A series of confirmatory factor analyses revealed that the modified five-factor model that allows covariance between items fits the data best. Construct validity was generally supported by the expected correlations of each job crafting dimension with each corresponding job resource (+), job demand (+), and psychological well-being (+). Cronbach's α coefficient was sufficient for each of the four dimensions of job crafting (α ranged between 0.76 and 0.90). Conclusions: This study confirmed that JCS-J is an adequate measure of job crafting that can be used in the Japanese context. PMID:27108643

  8. The Evolution of Networked Computing in the Teaching of Japanese as a Foreign Language.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Harrison, Richard

    1998-01-01

    Reviews the evolution of Internet-based projects in Japanese computer-assisted language learning and suggests future directions in which the field may develop, based on emerging network technology and learning theory. (Author/VWL)

  9. Realities, Rewards, and Risks of Heritage-Language Education: Perspectives from Japanese Immigrant Parents in a Midwestern Community

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Endo, R.

    2013-01-01

    This ethnographic case study describes how three Japanese immigrant parents in a midsize urban community in the Midwest viewed heritage-language education in relation to their children's socioemotional development as bicultural Americans. The literature review offers a comparative and historical analysis of Japanese schools in the diaspora to…

  10. [Understanding the symbolic values of Japanese onomatopoeia: comparison of Japanese and Chinese speakers].

    PubMed

    Haryu, Etsuko; Zhao, Lihua

    2007-10-01

    Do non-native speakers of the Japanese language understand the symbolic values of Japanese onomatopoeia matching a voiced/unvoiced consonant with a big/small sound made by a big/small object? In three experiments, participants who were native speakers of Japanese, Japanese-learning Chinese, or Chinese without knowledge of the Japanese language were shown two pictures. One picture was of a small object making a small sound, such as a small vase being broken, and the other was of a big object making a big sound, such as a big vase being broken. Participants were presented with two novel onomatopoetic words with voicing contrasts, e.g.,/dachan/vs./tachan/, and were told that each word corresponded to one of the two pictures. They were then asked to match the words to the corresponding pictures. Chinese without knowledge of Japanese performed only at chance level, whereas Japanese and Japanese-learning Chinese successfully matched a voiced/unvoiced consonant with a big/small object respectively. The results suggest that the key to understanding the symbolic values of voicing contrasts in Japanese onomatopoeia is some basic knowledge that is intrinsic to the Japanese language.

  11. Within- and across-language spectral and temporal variability of vowels in different phonetic and prosodic contexts: Russian and Japanese

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gilichinskaya, Yana D.; Hisagi, Miwako; Law, Franzo F.; Berkowitz, Shari; Ito, Kikuyo

    2005-04-01

    Contextual variability of vowels in three languages with large vowel inventories was examined previously. Here, variability of vowels in two languages with small inventories (Russian, Japanese) was explored. Vowels were produced by three female speakers of each language in four contexts: (Vba) disyllables and in 3-syllable nonsense words (gaC1VC2a) embedded within carrier sentences; contexts included bilabial stops (bVp) in normal rate sentences and alveolar stops (dVt) in both normal and rapid rate sentences. Dependent variables were syllable durations and formant frequencies at syllable midpoint. Results showed very little variation across consonant and rate conditions in formants for /i/ in both languages. Japanese short /u, o, a/ showed fronting (F2 increases) in alveolar context relative to labial context (1.3-2.0 Barks), which was more pronounced in rapid sentences. Fronting of Japanese long vowels was less pronounced (0.3 to 0.9 Barks). Japanese long/short vowel ratios varied with speaking style (syllables versus sentences) and speaking rate. All Russian vowels except /i/ were fronted in alveolar vs labial context (1.1-3.1 Barks) but showed little change in either spectrum or duration with speaking rate. Comparisons of these patterns of variability with American English, French and German vowel results will be discussed.

  12. Foreign Language Learners' Motivation and Its Effects on Their Achievement: Implications for Effective Teaching of Students Studying Japanese at Universiti Brunei Darussalam

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Keaney, Minako; Mundia, Lawrence

    2014-01-01

    An increasing number of students at the University of Brunei Darussalam are studying the Japanese language. However, research on the relationship between learners' motivation and their achievement has not been given sufficient attention in Japanese foreign language education compared to English in Brunei. The present study, which utilized a…

  13. CLIPS 6.0 - C LANGUAGE INTEGRATED PRODUCTION SYSTEM, VERSION 6.0 (UNIX VERSION)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Donnell, B.

    1994-01-01

    COOL (that is, a rule can pattern match on objects created using COOL). CLIPS 6.0 provides the capability to define functions, overloaded functions, and global variables interactively. In addition, CLIPS can be embedded within procedural code, called as a subroutine, and integrated with languages such as C, FORTRAN and Ada. CLIPS can be easily extended by a user through the use of several well-defined protocols. CLIPS provides several delivery options for programs including the ability to generate stand alone executables or to load programs from text or binary files. CLIPS 6.0 provides support for the modular development and execution of knowledge bases with the defmodule construct. CLIPS modules allow a set of constructs to be grouped together such that explicit control can be maintained over restricting the access of the constructs by other modules. This type of control is similar to global and local scoping used in languages such as C or Ada. By restricting access to deftemplate and defclass constructs, modules can function as blackboards, permitting only certain facts and instances to be seen by other modules. Modules are also used by rules to provide execution control. The CRSV (Cross-Reference, Style, and Verification) utility included with previous version of CLIPS is no longer supported. The capabilities provided by this tool are now available directly within CLIPS 6.0 to aid in the development, debugging, and verification of large rule bases. COSMIC offers four distribution versions of CLIPS 6.0: UNIX (MSC-22433), VMS (MSC-22434), MACINTOSH (MSC-22429), and IBM PC (MSC-22430). Executable files, source code, utilities, documentation, and examples are included on the program media. All distribution versions include identical source code for the command line version of CLIPS 6.0. This source code should compile on any platform with an ANSI C compiler. Each distribution version of CLIPS 6.0, except that for the Macintosh platform, includes an executable for the

  14. CLIPS 6.0 - C LANGUAGE INTEGRATED PRODUCTION SYSTEM, VERSION 6.0 (MACINTOSH VERSION)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Riley, G.

    1994-01-01

    COOL (that is, a rule can pattern match on objects created using COOL). CLIPS 6.0 provides the capability to define functions, overloaded functions, and global variables interactively. In addition, CLIPS can be embedded within procedural code, called as a subroutine, and integrated with languages such as C, FORTRAN and Ada. CLIPS can be easily extended by a user through the use of several well-defined protocols. CLIPS provides several delivery options for programs including the ability to generate stand alone executables or to load programs from text or binary files. CLIPS 6.0 provides support for the modular development and execution of knowledge bases with the defmodule construct. CLIPS modules allow a set of constructs to be grouped together such that explicit control can be maintained over restricting the access of the constructs by other modules. This type of control is similar to global and local scoping used in languages such as C or Ada. By restricting access to deftemplate and defclass constructs, modules can function as blackboards, permitting only certain facts and instances to be seen by other modules. Modules are also used by rules to provide execution control. The CRSV (Cross-Reference, Style, and Verification) utility included with previous version of CLIPS is no longer supported. The capabilities provided by this tool are now available directly within CLIPS 6.0 to aid in the development, debugging, and verification of large rule bases. COSMIC offers four distribution versions of CLIPS 6.0: UNIX (MSC-22433), VMS (MSC-22434), MACINTOSH (MSC-22429), and IBM PC (MSC-22430). Executable files, source code, utilities, documentation, and examples are included on the program media. All distribution versions include identical source code for the command line version of CLIPS 6.0. This source code should compile on any platform with an ANSI C compiler. Each distribution version of CLIPS 6.0, except that for the Macintosh platform, includes an executable for the

  15. Introducing Genre into Japanese-as-a-Foreign-Language: Toward a Genre-Specific Approach to Elementary/Intermediate Writing

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shinji, Kawamitsu

    2015-01-01

    Despite the social turn in views of language and the increasing attention to an application of genre theory in teaching languages, the field of Japanese-as-a-Foreign-Language (JFL) has not yet found genre a valuable resource for approaching learners' writing ability. Writing is still practiced as a psycholinguistic space to check learners'…

  16. Lost in Translation: Strategies Japanese Language Learners Use in Communicating Culturally Specific L1 Expressions in English

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Inoue, Noriyuki; Molina, Sarina Chugani

    2011-01-01

    Communicating in a second language could be seen as a process requiring the deconstruction and reconstruction of cultural meanings. If this is the case, how do second language (L2) learners express cultural meanings of their first language (L1) expressions that do not have semantically equivalent L2 expressions? Twenty-nine Japanese students…

  17. Fellow Language Learners as Producers of Knowledge and Understandings: A Case of a Tertiary Japanese Linguistics Course

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Minagawa, Harumi

    2017-01-01

    This paper reports students' experiences of a coursework task in a Japanese linguistics course that embraces certain aspects of collaborative learning--aspects that are not practised widely in Japanese language learning situations. These involve the students looking at themselves as well as their fellow students as producers of knowledge and…

  18. Edmodo as a Tool for the Global Connection between Japanese and American College Students in Language Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Okumura, Shinji

    2017-01-01

    This study investigated how English learners at a university in Japan perceive connections with students in the US through an educational social network platform, called Edmodo. The instructor of English at the Japanese university cooperated with a Japanese language instructor at an American university and they incorporated Edmodo into their…

  19. Gender Identity in a Second Language: The Use of First Person Pronouns by Male Learners of Japanese

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brown, Lucien; Cheek, Elizabeth

    2017-01-01

    This is a qualitative sociocultural study examining how five advanced-level learners of Japanese from the United States use gendered first person pronouns to negotiate their identities. Japanese does not have a ubiquitous pronoun such as English "I." Instead, the language contains forms that are marked for formality and gender, including…

  20. A comparison of English and Japanese taste languages: taste descriptive methodology, codability and the umami taste.

    PubMed

    O'Mahony, M; Ishii, R

    1986-05-01

    Everyday taste descriptions for a range of stimuli were obtained from selected groups of American and Japanese subjects, using a variety of stimuli, stimulus presentation procedures and response conditions. In English there was a tendency to use a quadrapartite classification system: 'sweet', 'sour', 'salty' and 'bitter'. The Japanese had a different strategy, adding a fifth label: 'Ajinomoto', referring to the taste of monosodium glutamate. This label was generally replaced by umami--the scientific term--by Japanese who were workers or trained tasters involved with glutamate manufacture. Cultural differences in taste language have consequences for taste psychophysicists who impose a quadrapartite restriction on allowable taste descriptions. Stimulus presentation by filter-paper or aqueous solution elicited the same response trends. Language codability was only an indicator of degree of taste mixedness/singularity if used statistically with samples of sufficient size; it had little value as an indicator for individual subjects.

  1. Japanese version of the Dermatology Life Quality Index: validity and reliability in patients with acne.

    PubMed

    Takahashi, Natsuko; Suzukamo, Yoshimi; Nakamura, Motonobu; Miyachi, Yoshiki; Green, Joseph; Ohya, Yukihiro; Finlay, Andrew Y; Fukuhara, Shunichi

    2006-08-03

    Patient-reported quality of life is strongly affected by some dermatologic conditions. We developed a Japanese version of the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI-J) and used psychometric methods to examine its validity and reliability. The Japanese version of the DLQI was created from the original (English) version, using a standard method. The DLQI-J was then completed by 197 people, to examine its validity and reliability. Some participants completed the DLQI-J a second time, 3 days later, to examine the reproducibility of their responses. In addition to the DLQI-J, the participants completed parts of the SF-36 and gave data on their demographic and clinical characteristics. Their physicians provided information on the location and clinical severity of the skin disease. The participants reported no difficulties in answering the DLQI-J items. Their mean age was 24.8 years, 77.2% were female, and 78.7% had acne vulgaris. The mean score of DLQI was 3.99(SD: 3.99). The responses were found to be reproducible and stable. Results of principal-component and factor analysis suggested that this scale measured one construct. The correlations of DLQI-J scores with sex or age were very poor, but those with SF-36 scores and with clinical severity were high. The DLQI-J provides valid and reliable data despite having only a small number of items.

  2. The Systems Biology Markup Language (SBML): Language Specification for Level 3 Version 2 Core.

    PubMed

    Hucka, Michael; Bergmann, Frank T; Dräger, Andreas; Hoops, Stefan; Keating, Sarah M; Le Novère, Nicolas; Myers, Chris J; Olivier, Brett G; Sahle, Sven; Schaff, James C; Smith, Lucian P; Waltemath, Dagmar; Wilkinson, Darren J

    2018-03-09

    Computational models can help researchers to interpret data, understand biological functions, and make quantitative predictions. The Systems Biology Markup Language (SBML) is a file format for representing computational models in a declarative form that different software systems can exchange. SBML is oriented towards describing biological processes of the sort common in research on a number of topics, including metabolic pathways, cell signaling pathways, and many others. By supporting SBML as an input/output format, different tools can all operate on an identical representation of a model, removing opportunities for translation errors and assuring a common starting point for analyses and simulations. This document provides the specification for Version 2 of SBML Level 3 Core. The specification defines the data structures prescribed by SBML, their encoding in XML (the eXtensible Markup Language), validation rules that determine the validity of an SBML document, and examples of models in SBML form. The design of Version 2 differs from Version 1 principally in allowing new MathML constructs, making more child elements optional, and adding identifiers to all SBML elements instead of only selected elements. Other materials and software are available from the SBML project website at http://sbml.org/.

  3. The Nihongo Tutorial System: An Intelligent Tutoring System for Technical Japanese Language Instruction.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Maciejewski, Anthony A.; Leung, Nelson K.

    1992-01-01

    The Nihongo Tutorial System is designed to assist English-speaking scientists and engineers in acquiring reading proficiency in Japanese technical literature. It provides individualized lessons that match interest area/language ability with available materials that are encoded with syntactic, phonetic, and morphological information. (14…

  4. Promoting International Posture through History as Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) in the Japanese Context

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lockley, Thomas

    2015-01-01

    This article uses the conceptual framework of second language willingness to communicate (L2 WTC), and in particular the contributory construct of international posture (IP; Yashima, 2002), to report on a content and language integrated learning (CLIL) course taught in the Japanese university context. The research follows up an exploratory,…

  5. A Sociolinguistic and Sociocultural Approach to Attitudinal Dispositions of Graduated Students toward the Business Japanese Language

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Özsen, Tolga; Özbek, Aydin

    2016-01-01

    Effective usage of nonverbal and verbal communication in Japanese such as gestures, mimics, silence and employing grammatical or lexical honorifics plays a significant role in determining the success of foreign language learners in obtaining their intended employment. This study examines the second language (L2) learning of politeness and social…

  6. Comparing Dual-Language Versions of an International Computerized-Adaptive Certification Exam.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sireci, Stephen G.; Foster, David F.; Robin, Frederic; Olsen, James

    Evaluating the comparability of a test administered in different languages is a difficult, if not impossible, task. Comparisons are problematic because observed differences in test performance between groups who take different language versions of a test could be due to a difference in difficulty between the tests, to cultural differences in test…

  7. Differences in Language Skills: Heritage Language Learner Subgroups and Foreign Language Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kondo-Brown, Kimi

    2005-01-01

    Using both proficiency tests and self-assessment measures, this study investigated (a) whether 3 subgroups of Japanese heritage language (JHL) learners would demonstrate language behaviors distinctively different from those of traditional Japanese as a foreign language (JFL) learners, and (b) which domains of language use and skills would…

  8. Issues of Language Choice, Ethics and Equity: Japanese Retirees Living in Malaysia as Their Second Home

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stapa, Siti Hamin; Musaev, Talaibek; Hieda, Natsue; Amzah, Normalis

    2013-01-01

    This paper will discuss two issues related to Japanese retirees adopting Malaysia as their second home. The first is that of the preferred language choice of the retirees. To collect data for language choice a self-report questionnaire was administered and an interview was conducted. The findings suggest that the majority of the retirees chose…

  9. Strategies for North American Missionaries' Relational Language-Culture Learning in the Japanese Context

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manabe-Kim, Rie

    2012-01-01

    This study focused on presenting the fieldwork findings derived from studying North-American missionaries' relational dynamics with the Japanese people, and the strategies that impacted their language-culture learning. This study also focused on applying the fieldwork findings towards the creation of a coaching model designed to help missionaries…

  10. Psychological Attributes in Foreign Language Reading: An Explorative Study of Japanese College Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mikami, Hitoshi; Leung, Chi Yui; Yoshikawa, Lisa

    2016-01-01

    This study explores the internal structure of psychological attributes (i.e., motivation, belief and emotion) related to foreign language reading (FLR) (hereafter FLR attributes) and checks the utility of existing FLR attribute measurements for the specific learner group (i.e., Japanese university students studying English as their foreign…

  11. CLIPS 6.0 - C LANGUAGE INTEGRATED PRODUCTION SYSTEM, VERSION 6.0 (IBM PC VERSION)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Donnell, B.

    1994-01-01

    COOL (that is, a rule can pattern match on objects created using COOL). CLIPS 6.0 provides the capability to define functions, overloaded functions, and global variables interactively. In addition, CLIPS can be embedded within procedural code, called as a subroutine, and integrated with languages such as C, FORTRAN and Ada. CLIPS can be easily extended by a user through the use of several well-defined protocols. CLIPS provides several delivery options for programs including the ability to generate stand alone executables or to load programs from text or binary files. CLIPS 6.0 provides support for the modular development and execution of knowledge bases with the defmodule construct. CLIPS modules allow a set of constructs to be grouped together such that explicit control can be maintained over restricting the access of the constructs by other modules. This type of control is similar to global and local scoping used in languages such as C or Ada. By restricting access to deftemplate and defclass constructs, modules can function as blackboards, permitting only certain facts and instances to be seen by other modules. Modules are also used by rules to provide execution control. The CRSV (Cross-Reference, Style, and Verification) utility included with previous version of CLIPS is no longer supported. The capabilities provided by this tool are now available directly within CLIPS 6.0 to aid in the development, debugging, and verification of large rule bases. COSMIC offers four distribution versions of CLIPS 6.0: UNIX (MSC-22433), VMS (MSC-22434), MACINTOSH (MSC-22429), and IBM PC (MSC-22430). Executable files, source code, utilities, documentation, and examples are included on the program media. All distribution versions include identical source code for the command line version of CLIPS 6.0. This source code should compile on any platform with an ANSI C compiler. Each distribution version of CLIPS 6.0, except that for the Macintosh platform, includes an executable for the

  12. The Strategies Used in Japanese Advertisement.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kurose, Yuki

    This paper investigates the possibility of using Japanese advertising language as a teaching tool in the second language classroom. First, it reviews the aims of advertising and the advantages of learning advertising language in the classroom based on previous research. Next, it discusses language strategies used in Japanese advertising,…

  13. Validation of English and Spanish-language versions of a screening questionnaire for rheumatoid arthritis in an underserved community.

    PubMed

    Potter, Jeffrey; Odutola, Jennifer; Gonzales, Christian Amurrio; Ward, Michael M

    2008-08-01

    Questionnaires to screen for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have been tested in groups that were primarily well educated and Caucasian. We sought to validate the RA questions of the Connective Tissue Disease Screening Questionnaire (CSQ) in ethnic minorities in an underserved community, and to test a Spanish-language version. The Spanish-language version was developed by 2 native speakers. Consecutive English-speaking or Spanish-speaking patients in a community-based rheumatology practice completed the questionnaire. Diagnoses were confirmed by medical record review. Sensitivity and specificity of the questionnaire for a diagnosis of RA were computed for each language version, using 2 groups as controls: patients with noninflammatory conditions, and participants recruited from the community. The English-language version was tested in 53 patients with RA (79% ethnic minorities; mean education level 11.3 yrs), 85 rheumatology controls with noninflammatory conditions, and 82 community controls. Using 3 positive responses as indicating a positive screening test, the sensitivity of the questionnaire was 0.77, the specificity based on rheumatology controls was 0.45, and the specificity based on community controls was 0.94. The Spanish-language version was tested in 55 patients with RA (mean education level 7.8 yrs), 149 rheumatology controls, and 88 community controls. The sensitivity of the Spanish-language version was 0.87, with specificities of 0.60 and 0.97 using the rheumatology controls and community controls, respectively. The sensitivity of the English-language version of the RA questions of the CSQ was lower in this study than in other cohorts, reflecting differences in the performance of the questions in different ethnic or socioeconomic groups. The Spanish-language version demonstrated good sensitivity, and both had excellent specificity when tested in community controls.

  14. Japanese Version of Home Form of the ADHD-RS: An Evaluation of Its Reliability and Validity

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tani, Iori; Okada, Ryo; Ohnishi, Masafumi; Nakajima, Shunji; Tsujii, Masatsugu

    2010-01-01

    Using the Japanese version of home form of the ADHD-RS, this survey attempted to compare the scores between the US and Japan and examined the correlates of ADHD-RS. We collected responses from parents or rearers of 5977 children (3119 males and 2858 females) in nursery, elementary, and lower-secondary schools. A confirmed factor analysis of…

  15. The relationships between Japanese interpersonal conflict styles and their language expressions.

    PubMed

    Moriizumi, Satoshi; Takai, Jiro

    2010-01-01

    The present study investigated the influence of interpersonal conflict management styles on language expressions and the differences in expressions in same-sex relational categories based on specific in-group-out-group classifications. Questionnaires were administered to 367 university students in Japan. After reading a scenario, participants reported on actual language use and gave ratings on an interpersonal conflict management scale. The results revealed that Japanese change their expressions, along with psychological styles, depending on the relational target. They also indicated psychological constructs were related to their equivalent expressions. The results suggested that future research should take into consideration the potential differences in behavior and interaction posture inherent in various relational and situational categories.

  16. Validation of the Acoustic Voice Quality Index in the Japanese Language.

    PubMed

    Hosokawa, Kiyohito; Barsties, Ben; Iwahashi, Toshihiko; Iwahashi, Mio; Kato, Chieri; Iwaki, Shinobu; Sasai, Hisanori; Miyauchi, Akira; Matsushiro, Naoki; Inohara, Hidenori; Ogawa, Makoto; Maryn, Youri

    2017-03-01

    The Acoustic Voice Quality Index (AVQI) is a multivariate construct for quantification of overall voice quality based on the analysis of continuous speech and sustained vowel. The stability and validity of the AVQI is well established in several language families. However, the Japanese language has distinct characteristics with respect to several parameters of articulatory and phonatory physiology. The aim of the study was to confirm the criterion-related concurrent validity of AVQI, as well as its responsiveness to change and diagnostic accuracy for voice assessment in the Japanese-speaking population. This is a retrospective study. A total of 336 voice recordings, which included 69 pairs of voice recordings (before and after therapeutic interventions), were eligible for the study. The auditory-perceptual judgment of overall voice quality was evaluated by five experienced raters. The concurrent validity, responsiveness to change, and diagnostic accuracy of the AVQI were estimated. The concurrent validity and responsiveness to change based on the overall voice quality was indicated by high correlation coefficients 0.828 and 0.767, respectively. Receiver operating characteristic analysis revealed an excellent diagnostic accuracy for discrimination between dysphonic and normophonic voices (area under the curve: 0.905). The best threshold level for the AVQI of 3.15 corresponded with a sensitivity of 72.5% and specificity of 95.2%, with the positive and negative likelihood ratios of 15.1 and 0.29, respectively. We demonstrated the validity of the AVQI as a tool for assessment of overall voice quality and that of voice therapy outcomes in the Japanese-speaking population. Copyright © 2017 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Psychometric properties of a sign language version of the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI).

    PubMed

    Øhre, Beate; Saltnes, Hege; von Tetzchner, Stephen; Falkum, Erik

    2014-05-22

    There is a need for psychiatric assessment instruments that enable reliable diagnoses in persons with hearing loss who have sign language as their primary language. The objective of this study was to assess the validity of the Norwegian Sign Language (NSL) version of the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI). The MINI was translated into NSL. Forty-one signing patients consecutively referred to two specialised psychiatric units were assessed with a diagnostic interview by clinical experts and with the MINI. Inter-rater reliability was assessed with Cohen's kappa and "observed agreement". There was 65% agreement between MINI diagnoses and clinical expert diagnoses. Kappa values indicated fair to moderate agreement, and observed agreement was above 76% for all diagnoses. The MINI diagnosed more co-morbid conditions than did the clinical expert interview (mean diagnoses: 1.9 versus 1.2). Kappa values indicated moderate to substantial agreement, and "observed agreement" was above 88%. The NSL version performs similarly to other MINI versions and demonstrates adequate reliability and validity as a diagnostic instrument for assessing mental disorders in persons who have sign language as their primary and preferred language.

  18. A Qualitative Case Study of Japanese University Students and Personal Smartphone Use in English as a Foreign Language Classes

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Forsythe, Edward M., III

    2017-01-01

    Japanese university English instructors are increasingly requiring students to use their personal smartphones for activities in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom activities. Because of this, it has been recommended that studies be conducted to ascertain Japanese university students' perceptions of using smartphones in EFL language…

  19. A Developmental Shift from Similar to Language-Specific Strategies in Verb Acquisition: A Comparison of English, Spanish, and Japanese

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Maguire, Mandy J.; Hirsh-Pasek, Kathy; Golinkoff, Roberta Michnick; Imai, Mutsumi; Haryu, Etsuko; Vanegas, Sandra; Okada, Hiroyuki; Pulverman, Rachel; Sanchez-Davis, Brenda

    2010-01-01

    The world's languages draw on a common set of event components for their verb systems. Yet, these components are differentially distributed across languages. At what age do children begin to use language-specific patterns to narrow possible verb meanings? English-, Japanese-, and Spanish-speaking adults, toddlers, and preschoolers were shown…

  20. The three official language versions of the Declaration of Helsinki: what's lost in translation?

    PubMed Central

    Carlson, Robert V; van Ginneken, Nadja H; Pettigrew, Luisa M; Davies, Alan; Boyd, Kenneth M; Webb, David J

    2007-01-01

    Background The Declaration of Helsinki, the World Medical Association's (WMA's) statement of ethical guidelines regarding medical research, is published in the three official languages of the WMA: English, French and Spanish. Methods A detailed comparison of the three official language versions was carried out to determine ways in which they differed and ways in which the wording of the three versions might illuminate the interpretation of the document. Results There were many minor linguistic differences between the three versions. However, in paragraphs 1, 6, 29, 30 and in the note of clarification to paragraph 29, there were differences that could be considered potentially significant in their ethical relevance. Interpretation Given the global status of the Declaration of Helsinki and the fact that it is translated from its official versions into many other languages for application to the ethical conduct of research, the differences identified are of concern. It would be best if such differences could be eliminated but, at the very least, a commentary to explain any differences that are unavoidable on the basis of language or culture should accompany the Declaration of Helsinki. This evidence further strengthens the case for international surveillance of medical research ethics as has been proposed by the WMA. PMID:17761826

  1. The three official language versions of the Declaration of Helsinki: what's lost in translation?

    PubMed

    Carlson, Robert V; van Ginneken, Nadja H; Pettigrew, Luisa M; Davies, Alan; Boyd, Kenneth M; Webb, David J

    2007-09-01

    The Declaration of Helsinki, the World Medical Association's (WMA's) statement of ethical guidelines regarding medical research, is published in the three official languages of the WMA: English, French and Spanish. A detailed comparison of the three official language versions was carried out to determine ways in which they differed and ways in which the wording of the three versions might illuminate the interpretation of the document. There were many minor linguistic differences between the three versions. However, in paragraphs 1, 6, 29, 30 and in the note of clarification to paragraph 29, there were differences that could be considered potentially significant in their ethical relevance. Given the global status of the Declaration of Helsinki and the fact that it is translated from its official versions into many other languages for application to the ethical conduct of research, the differences identified are of concern. It would be best if such differences could be eliminated but, at the very least, a commentary to explain any differences that are unavoidable on the basis of language or culture should accompany the Declaration of Helsinki. This evidence further strengthens the case for international surveillance of medical research ethics as has been proposed by the WMA.

  2. Japanese Media in English.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tanaka, Sachiko Oda

    1995-01-01

    Describes the use of English in the media in Japan, focusing on the role and history of English-language newspapers, radio, and television programs, as well as the proliferation of English-language films shown in Japanese cinemas. Discusses the implications of English in the Japanese media. (20 references) (MDM)

  3. Computer-Assisted Language Learning for Japanese on the Macintosh: An Update of What's Available.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Darnall, Cliff; And Others

    This paper outlines a presentation on available Macintosh computer software for learning Japanese. The software systems described are categorized by their emphasis on speaking, writing, or reading, with a special section on software for young learners. Software that emphasizes spoken language includes "Berlitz for Business…

  4. How Do Teachers and Learners Perceive Corrective Feedback in the Japanese Language Classroom?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yoshida, Reiko

    2010-01-01

    This study examined Japanese language teachers' and learners' perceptions of corrective feedback (CF), focusing on the cases in which the learners responded to the teachers' CF. Data were collected from the second-year course of an Australian university for 1 semester by classroom observation and audio recording and stimulated recall interviews.…

  5. Detailed analysis of the supermarket task included on the Japanese version of the Rapid Dementia Screening Test.

    PubMed

    Moriyama, Yasushi; Yoshino, Aihide; Muramatsu, Taro; Mimura, Masaru

    2017-05-01

    The supermarket task, which is included in the Japanese version of the Rapid Dementia Screening Test, requires the quick (1 min) generation of words for things that can be bought in a supermarket. Cluster size and switches are investigated during this task. We investigated how the severity of dementia related to cluster size and switches on the supermarket task in patients with Alzheimer's disease. We administered the Japanese version of the Rapid Dementia Screening Test to 250 patients with very mild to severe Alzheimer's disease and to 49 healthy volunteers. Patients had Mini-Mental State Examination scores from 12 to 26 and Clinical Dementia Rating scale scores from 0.5 to 3. Patients were divided into four groups based on their Clinical Dementia Rating score (0.5, 1, 2, 3). We performed statistical analyses between the four groups and control subjects based on cluster size and switch scores on the supermarket task. The score for cluster size and switches deteriorated according to the severity of dementia. Moreover, for subjects with a Clinical Dementia Rating score of 0.5, cluster size was impaired, but switches were intact. Our findings indicate that the scores for cluster size and switches on the supermarket task may be useful for detecting the severity of symptoms of dementia in patients with Alzheimer's disease. © 2016 The Authors. Psychogeriatrics © 2016 Japanese Psychogeriatric Society.

  6. Constructing the Japanese version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Survey: Confirmatory factor analysis.

    PubMed

    Tsubakita, Takashi; Shimazaki, Kazuyo

    2016-01-01

    To examine the factorial validity of the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Survey, using a sample of 2061 Japanese university students majoring in the medical and natural sciences (67.9% male, 31.8% female; Mage  = 19.6 years, standard deviation = 1.5). The back-translated scale used unreversed items to assess inefficacy. The inventory's descriptive properties and Cronbach's alphas were calculated using SPSS software. The present authors compared fit indices of the null, one factor, and default three factor models via confirmatory factor analysis with maximum-likelihood estimation using AMOS software, version 21.0. Intercorrelations between exhaustion, cynicism, and inefficacy were relatively higher than in prior studies. Cronbach's alphas were 0.76, 0.85, and 0.78, respectively. Although fit indices of the hypothesized three factor model did not meet the respective criteria, the model demonstrated better fit than did the null and one factor models. The present authors added four paths between error variables within items, but the modified model did not show satisfactory fit. Subsequent analysis revealed that a bi-factor model fit the data better than did the hypothesized or modified three factor models. The Japanese version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Survey needs minor changes to improve the fit of its three factor model, but the scale as a whole can be used to adequately assess overall academic burnout in Japanese university students. Although the scale was back-translated, two items measuring exhaustion whose expressions overlapped should be modified, and all items measuring inefficacy should be reversed in order to statistically clarify the factorial difference between the scale's three factors. © 2015 The Authors. Japan Journal of Nursing Science © 2015 Japan Academy of Nursing Science.

  7. Factor structure of the Japanese version of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale in the postpartum period.

    PubMed

    Kubota, Chika; Okada, Takashi; Aleksic, Branko; Nakamura, Yukako; Kunimoto, Shohko; Morikawa, Mako; Shiino, Tomoko; Tamaji, Ai; Ohoka, Harue; Banno, Naomi; Morita, Tokiko; Murase, Satomi; Goto, Setsuko; Kanai, Atsuko; Masuda, Tomoko; Ando, Masahiko; Ozaki, Norio

    2014-01-01

    The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) is a widely used screening tool for postpartum depression (PPD). Although the reliability and validity of EPDS in Japanese has been confirmed and the prevalence of PPD is found to be about the same as Western countries, the factor structure of the Japanese version of EPDS has not been elucidated yet. 690 Japanese mothers completed all items of the EPDS at 1 month postpartum. We divided them randomly into two sample sets. The first sample set (n = 345) was used for exploratory factor analysis, and the second sample set was used (n = 345) for confirmatory factor analysis. The result of exploratory factor analysis indicated a three-factor model consisting of anxiety, depression and anhedonia. The results of confirmatory factor analysis suggested that the anxiety and anhedonia factors existed for EPDS in a sample of Japanese women at 1 month postpartum. The depression factor varies by the models of acceptable fit. We examined EPDS scores. As a result, "anxiety" and "anhedonia" exist for EPDS among postpartum women in Japan as already reported in Western countries. Cross-cultural research is needed for future research.

  8. Negotiating Sequential Boundaries and Learning Opportunities: A Case from a Japanese Language Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mori, Junko

    2004-01-01

    Using the methodological framework of conversation analysis (CA) as a central tool for analysis, this study examines a peer interactive task that occurred in a Japanese as a foreign language classroom. During the short segment of interaction, the students shifted back and forth between the development of an assigned task and the management of…

  9. Japanese as a Second Language Assessment in Japan: Current Issues and Future Directions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hatasa, Yukiko; Watanabe, Tomoko

    2017-01-01

    This article reviews assessment practices of Japanese as a second language as taught in Japan since the 1980s. It begins with an explanation of the social and political conditions that have impacted assessment practices in Japan and then addresses current assessment practices and issues. This analysis first examines large-scale tests developed in…

  10. Scaffolding Strategies for Wiki-Based Collaboration: Action Research in a Multicultural Japanese Language Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jung, Insung; Suzuki, Yoko

    2015-01-01

    Wikis can be used to encourage and support collaborative constructivist learning. However, their effectiveness depends upon the use of scaffolding strategies to guide the students in their use. This action research investigated three scaffolding strategies for wiki-based multicultural Japanese language learning: worked examples, grouping and peer…

  11. CLIPS 6.0 - C LANGUAGE INTEGRATED PRODUCTION SYSTEM, VERSION 6.0 (DEC VAX VMS VERSION)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Donnell, B.

    1994-01-01

    COOL (that is, a rule can pattern match on objects created using COOL). CLIPS 6.0 provides the capability to define functions, overloaded functions, and global variables interactively. In addition, CLIPS can be embedded within procedural code, called as a subroutine, and integrated with languages such as C, FORTRAN and Ada. CLIPS can be easily extended by a user through the use of several well-defined protocols. CLIPS provides several delivery options for programs including the ability to generate stand alone executables or to load programs from text or binary files. CLIPS 6.0 provides support for the modular development and execution of knowledge bases with the defmodule construct. CLIPS modules allow a set of constructs to be grouped together such that explicit control can be maintained over restricting the access of the constructs by other modules. This type of control is similar to global and local scoping used in languages such as C or Ada. By restricting access to deftemplate and defclass constructs, modules can function as blackboards, permitting only certain facts and instances to be seen by other modules. Modules are also used by rules to provide execution control. The CRSV (Cross-Reference, Style, and Verification) utility included with previous version of CLIPS is no longer supported. The capabilities provided by this tool are now available directly within CLIPS 6.0 to aid in the development, debugging, and verification of large rule bases. COSMIC offers four distribution versions of CLIPS 6.0: UNIX (MSC-22433), VMS (MSC-22434), MACINTOSH (MSC-22429), and IBM PC (MSC-22430). Executable files, source code, utilities, documentation, and examples are included on the program media. All distribution versions include identical source code for the command line version of CLIPS 6.0. This source code should compile on any platform with an ANSI C compiler. Each distribution version of CLIPS 6.0, except that for the Macintosh platform, includes an executable for the

  12. The Japanese Clinical Practice Guidelines for Management of Sepsis and Septic Shock 2016 (J-SSCG 2016).

    PubMed

    Nishida, Osamu; Ogura, Hiroshi; Egi, Moritoki; Fujishima, Seitaro; Hayashi, Yoshiro; Iba, Toshiaki; Imaizumi, Hitoshi; Inoue, Shigeaki; Kakihana, Yasuyuki; Kotani, Joji; Kushimoto, Shigeki; Masuda, Yoshiki; Matsuda, Naoyuki; Matsushima, Asako; Nakada, Taka-Aki; Nakagawa, Satoshi; Nunomiya, Shin; Sadahiro, Tomohito; Shime, Nobuaki; Yatabe, Tomoaki; Hara, Yoshitaka; Hayashida, Kei; Kondo, Yutaka; Sumi, Yuka; Yasuda, Hideto; Aoyama, Kazuyoshi; Azuhata, Takeo; Doi, Kent; Doi, Matsuyuki; Fujimura, Naoyuki; Fuke, Ryota; Fukuda, Tatsuma; Goto, Koji; Hasegawa, Ryuichi; Hashimoto, Satoru; Hatakeyama, Junji; Hayakawa, Mineji; Hifumi, Toru; Higashibeppu, Naoki; Hirai, Katsuki; Hirose, Tomoya; Ide, Kentaro; Kaizuka, Yasuo; Kan'o, Tomomichi; Kawasaki, Tatsuya; Kuroda, Hiromitsu; Matsuda, Akihisa; Matsumoto, Shotaro; Nagae, Masaharu; Onodera, Mutsuo; Ohnuma, Tetsu; Oshima, Kiyohiro; Saito, Nobuyuki; Sakamoto, So; Sakuraya, Masaaki; Sasano, Mikio; Sato, Norio; Sawamura, Atsushi; Shimizu, Kentaro; Shirai, Kunihiro; Takei, Tetsuhiro; Takeuchi, Muneyuki; Takimoto, Kohei; Taniguchi, Takumi; Tatsumi, Hiroomi; Tsuruta, Ryosuke; Yama, Naoya; Yamakawa, Kazuma; Yamashita, Chizuru; Yamashita, Kazuto; Yoshida, Takeshi; Tanaka, Hiroshi; Oda, Shigeto

    2018-01-01

    The Japanese Clinical Practice Guidelines for Management of Sepsis and Septic Shock 2016 (J-SSCG 2016), a Japanese-specific set of clinical practice guidelines for sepsis and septic shock created jointly by the Japanese Society of Intensive Care Medicine and the Japanese Association for Acute Medicine, was first released in February 2017 in Japanese. An English-language version of these guidelines was created based on the contents of the original Japanese-language version. Members of the Japanese Society of Intensive Care Medicine and the Japanese Association for Acute Medicine were selected and organized into 19 committee members and 52 working group members. The guidelines were prepared in accordance with the Medical Information Network Distribution Service (Minds) creation procedures. The Academic Guidelines Promotion Team was organized to oversee and provide academic support to the respective activities allocated to each Guideline Creation Team. To improve quality assurance and workflow transparency, a mutual peer review system was established, and discussions within each team were open to the public. Public comments were collected once after the initial formulation of a clinical question (CQ), and twice during the review of the final draft. Recommendations were determined to have been adopted after obtaining support from a two-thirds (>66.6%) majority vote of each of the 19 committee members. A total of 87 CQs were selected among 19 clinical areas, including pediatric topics and several other important areas not covered in the first edition of the Japanese guidelines (J-SSCG 2012). The approval rate obtained through committee voting, in addition to ratings of the strengths of the recommendation and its supporting evidence were also added to each recommendation statement. We conducted meta-analyses for 29 CQs. Thirty seven CQs contained recommendations in the form of an expert consensus due to insufficient evidence. No recommendations were provided for 5 CQs

  13. Pain questionnaire development focusing on cross-cultural equivalence to the original questionnaire: the Japanese version of the Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire.

    PubMed

    Arimura, Tatsuyuki; Hosoi, Masako; Tsukiyama, Yoshihiro; Yoshida, Toshiyuki; Fujiwara, Daiki; Tanaka, Masanori; Tamura, Ryuichi; Nakashima, Yasunori; Sudo, Nobuyuki; Kubo, Chiharu

    2012-04-01

    The present study aimed to develop a Japanese version of the Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ-J) that focuses on cross-culturally equivalence to the original English version and to test its reliability and validity. Cross-sectional design. In study 1, SF-MPQ was translated and adapted into Japanese. It included construction of response scales equivalent to the original using a variation of the Thurstone method of equal-appearing intervals. A total of 147 undergraduate students and 44 pain patients participated in the development of the Japanese response scales. To measure the equivalence of pain descriptors, 62 pain patients in four diagnostic groups were asked to choose pain descriptors that described their pain. In study 2, chronic pain patients (N=126) completed the SF-MPQ-J, the Long-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire Japanese version (LF-MPQ-J), and the 11-point numerical rating scale of pain intensity. Correlation analysis examined the construct validity of the SF-MPQ-J. The results from study 1 were used to develop SF-MPQ-J, which is linguistically equivalent to the original questionnaire. Response scales from SF-MPQ-J represented the original scale values. All pain descriptors, except one, were used by >33% in at least one of the four diagnostic groups. Study 2 exhibited adequate internal consistency and test-retest reliability, with the construct validity of SF-MPQ-J comparable to the original. These findings suggested that SF-MPQ-J is reliable, valid, and cross-culturally equivalent to the original questionnaire. Researchers might consider using this scale in multicenter, multi-ethnical trials or cross-cultural studies that include Japanese-speaking patients. Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  14. Japanese Language and Culture: 10-3Y, 20-3Y, 30-3Y. 3-Year Program Guide to Implementation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alberta Education, 2009

    2009-01-01

    This guide to implementation is intended to support the Japanese Language and Culture 10-3Y, 20-3Y, 30-3Y Program of Studies. It was developed primarily for teachers, yet it includes information that may be useful for administrators and other stakeholders in their efforts to plan for and implement the new Japanese program of studies. Familiarity…

  15. Linguistic Relativity in Japanese and English: Is Language the Primary Determinant in Object Classification?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mazuka, Reiko; Friedman, Ronald S.

    2000-01-01

    Tested claims by Lucy (1992a, 1992b) that differences between the number marking systems used by Yucatec Maya and English lead speakers of these languages to differentially attend to either the material composition or the shape of objects. Replicated Lucy's critical objects' classification experiments using speakers of English and Japanese.…

  16. The Role of Parental Support and Family Variables in L1 and L2 Vocabulary Development of Japanese Heritage Language Students in the United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mori, Yoshiko; Calder, Toshiko M.

    2017-01-01

    This study investigated the role of parental support and selected family variables in the first (L1) and second language (L2) vocabulary development of Japanese heritage language (JHL) high school students in the United States. Eighty-two JHL students ages 15-18 from eight hoshuukoo (i.e., supplementary academic schools for Japanese-speaking…

  17. Development of the Japanese version of the Quality of Life in Late-stage Dementia Scale.

    PubMed

    Nagata, Yuma; Tanaka, Hiroyuki; Ishimaru, Daiki; Uematsu, Masayasu; Naito, Yasuo; Nishikawa, Takashi

    2018-03-01

    Until now, there has been no instrument to measure the quality of life (QoL) of patients with severe dementia in Japan. The purpose of this study was to translate the Quality of Life in Late-stage Dementia Scale and to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Japanese version (QUALID-J). We translated the Quality of Life in Late-stage Dementia into Japanese with permission from the original authors. We assessed a total of 70 dementia patients (14 men, 56 women; mean age: 87.4 ± 7.9 years) with the QUALID-J. The test-retest and inter-rater reliability of the QUALID-J was significant. With regard to the criterion-related validity, the correlation coefficient for the total score between the QUALID-J and Quality of Life for Alzheimer's Disease was -0.287 (P < 0.05). With regard to the construct validity, the QUALID-J total score was significantly correlated with the Mini-Mental State Examination (ρ = -0.346, P < 0.01), the Cognitive Test for Severe Dementia (ρ = -0.323, P < 0.01), the Neuropsychiatry Inventory-Nursing Home version (ρ = 0.386, P < 0.01), the Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia (ρ = 0.262, P < 0.05), the Physical Self-Maintenance Scale (ρ = -0.283, P < 0.05), and the Pain Assessment in Advanced Dementia (ρ = 0.530, P < 0.01). The results of this study showed that the QUALID-J is a reliable and valid quality of life scale for severe dementia. This scale finally enables an adequate assessment of the quality of life of patients with severe dementia in Japan, which has not been possible until now. © 2018 Japanese Psychogeriatric Society.

  18. Validation of the Japanese version of the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) Cancer Module.

    PubMed

    Tsuji, Naoko; Kakee, Naoko; Ishida, Yasushi; Asami, Keiko; Tabuchi, Ken; Nakadate, Hisaya; Iwai, Tsuyako; Maeda, Miho; Okamura, Jun; Kazama, Takuro; Terao, Yoko; Ohyama, Wataru; Yuza, Yuki; Kaneko, Takashi; Manabe, Atsushi; Kobayashi, Kyoko; Kamibeppu, Kiyoko; Matsushima, Eisuke

    2011-04-10

    The PedsQL 3.0 Cancer Module is a widely used instrument to measure pediatric cancer specific health-related quality of life (HRQOL) for children aged 2 to 18 years. We developed the Japanese version of the PedsQL Cancer Module and investigated its reliability and validity among Japanese children and their parents. Participants were 212 children with cancer and 253 of their parents. Reliability was determined by internal consistency using Cronbach's coefficient alpha and test-retest reliability using intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC). Validity was assessed through factor validity, convergent and discriminant validity, concurrent validity, and clinical validity. Factor validity was examined by exploratory factor analysis. Convergent and discriminant validity were examined by multitrait scaling analysis. Concurrent validity was assessed using Spearman's correlation coefficients between the Cancer Module and Generic Core Scales, and the comparison of the scores of child self-reports with those of other self-rating depression scales for children. Clinical validity was assessed by comparing the on- and off- treatment scores using Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests. Cronbach's coefficient alpha was over 0.70 for the total scale and over 0.60 for each subscale by age except for the 'pain and hurt' subscale for children aged 5 to 7 years. For test-retest reliability, the ICC exceeded 0.70 for the total scale for each age. Exploratory factor analysis demonstrated sufficient factorial validity. Multitrait scaling analysis showed high success rates. Strong correlations were found between the reports by children and their parents, and the scores of the Cancer Module and the Generic Core Scales except for 'treatment anxiety' subscales for child reports. The Depression Self-Rating Scale for Children (DSRS-C) scores were significantly correlated with emotional domains and the total score of the cancer module. Children who had been off treatment over 12 months

  19. Bilingual Dual Coding in Japanese Returnee Students.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Taura, Hideyuki

    1998-01-01

    Investigates effects of second-language acquisition age, length of exposure to the second language, and Japanese language specificity on the bilingual dual coding hypothesis proposed by Paivio and Desrochers (1980). Balanced Japanese-English bilingual returnee (having resided in an English-speaking country) subjects were presented with pictures to…

  20. Repeated Reading for Japanese Language Learners: Effects on Reading Speed, Comprehension, and Comprehension Strategies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gorsuch, Greta; Taguchi, Etsuo; Umehara, Hiroaki

    2015-01-01

    A perennial challenge to second language educators and learners is getting sufficient input in settings where the L2 is not widely used, in this case beginning-level American university students learning Japanese. Reading is a significant means of getting L2 input, with recent calls for attention to reading and authentic texts as curriculum…

  1. Reading in Asian Languages: Making Sense of Written Texts in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Goodman, Kenneth S., Ed.; Wang, Shaomei, Ed.; Iventosch, Mieko, Ed.; Goodman, Yetta M., Ed.

    2011-01-01

    "Reading in Asian Languages" is rich with information about how literacy works in the non-alphabetic writing systems (Chinese, Japanese, Korean) used by hundreds of millions of people and refutes the common Western belief that such systems are hard to learn or to use. The contributors share a comprehensive view of reading as construction…

  2. Community of Practice and Family Language Policy: Maintaining Heritage Japanese in Sydney--Ten Years Later

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Oriyama, Kaya

    2016-01-01

    Maintaining children's heritage language (HL) is a challenging task for linguistic minorities around the world. While many Japanese heritage children in Sydney attend weekend HL schools, they typically discontinue attendance before, or during, secondary school. To date, no longitudinal study has investigated what happens to their HL maintenance…

  3. [Development of a Japanese version of a short form of the Profile of Emotional Competence].

    PubMed

    Nozaki, Yuki; Koyasu, Masuo

    2015-06-01

    Emotional competence refers to individual differences in the ability to appropriately identity, understand, express, regulate, and utilize one's own emotions and those of others. This study developed a Japanese version of a short form of the Profile of Emotional Competence, a measure that allows the comprehensive assessment of intra- and interpersonal emotional competence with shorter items, and investigated its reliability and validity. In Study 1, we selected items for a short version and compared it with the full scale in terms of scores, internal consistency, and validity. In Study 2, we examined the short form's test-retest reliability. Results supported the original two-factor model and the measure had adequate reliability and validity. We discuss the construct validity and practical applicability of the short form of the Profile of Emotional Competence.

  4. Catquest-9SF questionnaire: validation of Malay and Chinese-language versions using Rasch analysis.

    PubMed

    Adnan, Tassha Hilda; Mohamed Apandi, Mokhlisoh; Kamaruddin, Haireen; Salowi, Mohamad Aziz; Law, Kian Boon; Haniff, Jamaiyah; Goh, Pik Pin

    2018-01-05

    Catquest questionnaire was originally developed in Swedish to measure patients' self-assessed visual function to evaluate the benefit of cataract surgery. The result of the Rasch analysis leading to the creation of the nine-item short form of Catquest, (Catquest-9SF), and it had been translated and validated in English. The aim is therefore to evaluate the translated Catquest-9SF questionnaire in Malay and Chinese (Mandarin) language version for measuring patient-reported visual function among cataract population in Malaysia. The English version of Catquest-9SF questionnaire was translated and back translated into Malay and Chinese languages. The Malay and Chinese translated versions were self-administered by 236 and 202 pre-operative patients drawn from a cataract surgery waiting list, respectively. The translated Catquest-9SF data and its four response options were assessed for fit to the Rasch model. The Catquest-9SF performed well in the Malay and Chinese translated versions fulfilling all criteria for valid measurement, as demonstrated by Rasch analysis. Both versions of questionnaire had ordered response thresholds, with a good person separation (Malay 2.84; and Chinese 2.59) and patient separation reliability (Malay 0.89; Chinese 0.87). Targeting was 0.30 and -0.11 logits in Malay and Chinese versions respectively, indicating that the item difficulty was well suited to the visual abilities of the patients. All items fit a single overall construct (Malay infit range 0.85-1.26, outfit range 0.73-1.13; Chinese infit range 0.80-1.51, outfit range 0.71-1.36), unidimensional by principal components analysis, and was free of Differential Item Functioning (DIF). These results support the good overall functioning of the Catquest-9SF in patients with cataract. The translated questionnaire to Malay and Chinese-language versions are reliable and valid in measuring visual disability outcomes in the Malaysian cataract population.

  5. Americans and Japanese Nonverbal Communication. Linguistic Communications 15 (Papers in Japanese Linguistics 3).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Taylor, Harvey M.

    Each culture has its own nonverbal as well as its verbal language. Movements, gestures and sounds have distinct and often conflicting interpretations in different countries. For Americans communicating with Japanese, misunderstandings are of two types: Japanese behavior which is completely new to the American, and Japanese behavior which is…

  6. Development of an English-language version of a Japanese iPad application to facilitate collaborative goal setting in rehabilitation: a Delphi study and field test

    PubMed Central

    Tomori, Kounosuke; Takahashi, Kayoko; Sherrington, Aidan J

    2018-01-01

    Objective This study aimed to investigate the content of an English-language version of a Japanese iPad application designed to facilitate shared decision-making around goal setting in rehabilitation: Aid for Decision-making in Occupational Choice—English (ADOC-E). Design Phase 1: Delphi methods to reach consensus with an international group of expert occupational therapists on the text and images in ADOC-E. Phase 2: Testing correct recognition (unprompted and prompted) of images in ADOC-E by health service users in inpatient rehabilitation and residential care. Setting Phase 1: International, online. Phase 2: Three healthcare services in New Zealand—(1) a residential rehabilitation service for traumatic brain injury, (2) a nursing home for frail older adults and (3) an inpatient rehabilitation ward in a public hospital. Participants Phase 1: Fourteen experienced occupational therapists from New Zealand (4), Australia (4), UK (2) and USA (4). Phase 2: Twenty-four rehabilitation and residential care service users (10 men, 14 women; 20–95 years; Mini-Mental State Exam scores 13–30). Results Four Delphi rounds were required to reach consensus with the experienced occupational therapists on the content of ADOC-E, ending with 100 items covering daily activities that people do and social roles they participate in. Ninety-five per cent (95/100) of ADOC-E items could each be correctly identified by over 80% of service user participants with either unprompted or prompted recognition. Conclusion While a few of the more abstract concepts in ADOC-E (related to complex social roles) were less likely to be correctly recognised by all participants, the text and images ADOC-E were deemed to be fit for purpose overall and ready for future clinical testing. PMID:29500204

  7. Exploring Taiwanese College Students' Perceptions of Text-Based, Computer-Mediated Communication Technology in Learning Japanese as a Foreign Language

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tanaka, Makiko

    2015-01-01

    The use of computers as an educational tool has become very popular in the context of language teaching and learning. Research into computer mediated communication (CMC) in a Japanese as a foreign language (JFL) learning and teaching context can take advantage of various pedagogical possibilities, just as in the English classroom. This study…

  8. Measuring adjustment in Japanese juvenile delinquents with learning disabilities using Japanese version of Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children II.

    PubMed

    Kumagami, Takashi; Kumagai, Keiko

    2014-10-01

    The aim of this study was to create a profile of the cognitive and academic abilities of juvenile delinquents (JD) in Japan using the newly validated Japanese version of the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children, Second Edition (KABC-II-J). We administered the KABC-II-J to 22 JD (Mage  = 15.9 years, standard deviation [SD] = 1.4), 28 typically developing high school students (Mage  = 16.0 years, SD = 0.08), and (as controls) 12 special education students (Mage  = 16.9, SD = 0.83) with mild intellectual disabilities. We observed significant differences between JD and typically developing students on learning index of the Mental Process Index, and the vocabulary, reading, writing, and mathematics indices on the Achievement Index. JD had lower scores than did typically developing high school students. Fourteen JD had a 1 SD discrepancy (43%) in scores on these indices. These cases were suspected of having learning disabilities. The KABC-II-J is a suitable means of assessing academic and cognitive problems in JD; professionals working in the field of juvenile delinquency should recognize that offenders might have severe academic delays and learning disabilities. © 2014 The Authors. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences © 2014 Japanese Society of Psychiatry and Neurology.

  9. Input, Triggering and Poverty of the Stimulus in the Second Language Acquisition of Japanese Passives

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hara, Masahiro

    2007-01-01

    This article adopts an input perspective in examining a poverty-of-the stimulus (POS) learning situation in second language acquisition (SLA). Analysis of grammaticality judgement data from 81 English-speaking and 85 Chinese-speaking learners of Japanese isolates triggering input that informed English learners of subtle semantic properties of the…

  10. Translated Versions of Voice Handicap Index (VHI)-30 across Languages: A Systematic Review

    PubMed Central

    SEIFPANAHI, Sadegh; JALAIE, Shohreh; NIKOO, Mohammad Reza; SOBHANI-RAD, Davood

    2015-01-01

    Background: In this systematic review, the aim is to investigate different VHI-30 versions between languages regarding their validity, reliability and their translation process. Methods: Articles were extracted systematically from some of the prime databases including Cochrane, googlescholar, MEDLINE (via PubMed gate), Sciencedirect, Web of science, and their reference lists by Voice Handicap Index keyword with only title limitation and time of publication (from 1997 to 2014). However the other limitations (e.g. excluding non-English, other versions of VHI ones, and so on) applied manually after studying the papers. In order to appraise the methodology of the papers, three authors did it by 12-item diagnostic test checklist in “Critical Appraisal Skills Programme” or (CASP) site. After applying all of the screenings, the papers that had the study eligibility criteria such as; translation, validity, and reliability processes, included in this review. Results: The remained non-repeated articles were 12 from different languages. All of them reported validity, reliability and translation method, which presented in details in this review. Conclusion: Mainly the preferred method for translation in the gathered papers was “Brislin’s classic back-translation model (1970), although the procedure was not performed completely but it was more prominent than other translation procedures. High test-retest reliability, internal consistency and moderate construct validity between different languages in regards to all 3 VHI-30 domains confirm the applicability of translated VHI-30 version across languages. PMID:26056664

  11. The reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the Appraisal of Diabetes Scale for type 2 diabetes patients.

    PubMed

    Hara, Yoriko; Koyama, Satoshi; Morinaga, Toru; Ito, Hisao; Kohno, Shusuke; Hirai, Hiroyuki; Kikuchi, Toshio; Tsuda, Toru; Ichino, Isao; Takei, Satoko; Yamada, Kentaro; Tsuboi, Koji; Breugelmans, Raoul; Ishihara, Yoko

    2011-01-01

    An appropriate questionnaire for measurement of the psychological burden of self-management or behavior modification in type-2 diabetes patients has yet to be developed in Japan. This study was conducted to test the reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the Appraisal of Diabetes Scale (ADS). the study enrolled 346 Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes: 200 men and 146 women who were 63.2 ± 10.1 and 62.2 ± 11.9 years of age and had HbA1c levels of 6.9 ± 1.2% and 7.3 ± 1.9%, respectively. the questionnaire was divided into three components: "Psychological impact of diabetes", "Sense of self-control", and "Efforts for symptom management". Cronbach's alpha was 0.746-0.628. Significant correlations were observed between "Sense of self-control" and self-managed dietary and exercise behaviors and HbA1c levels; between "Psychological impact of diabetes" and various treatments, symptoms causing anxiety, and HbA1c levels; and between "Efforts for symptom management" and dietary and nutritional behaviors. The questionnaire showed better evidence of internal consistency, test-retest reliability and validity. our results suggested that the Japanese version of ADS may be a useful tool for the quick assessment of common anxieties and motivation toward treatment in patients with type 2 diabetes. 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Theory of mind and language development in Japanese children with hearing loss.

    PubMed

    Fujino, Hiroshi; Fukushima, Kunihiro; Fujiyoshi, Akie

    2017-05-01

    This study investigates the development of theory of mind (ToM) in Japanese children with hearing loss (HL) and its relationship with language abilities using the data of a large sample size. Participants were 369 children with HL, ranging from 4 to 12 years of age. The mean hearing level of the better ear was 100.7 dB. A "change in location"-type false belief task similar to the "Sally-Anne test" was given to the participants. The pass rates for the false belief task were in the 20% range for 4 to 6-year-olds, 35.6% for 7-year-olds, 47.6% for 8-year-olds, and 63.6% for 9-year-olds. However, no children, even 12-year-olds, achieved a pass rate of 70%. A logistic regression analysis showed that the significant independent predictors of the false belief task performance were vocabulary age and syntactic comprehension level, and chronological age, hearing level, syntactic production level, and nonverbal intelligence were excluded. The results demonstrate that there is a delay in the development of ToM in Japanese children with HL. This finding is consistent with findings in English-speaking countries. Additionally, it is suggested that language abilities play an important role in the acquisition of ToM for children with HL. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. The Psychometric Analysis of the Persian Version of the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning of Rebecca L. Oxford

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fazeli, Seyed Hossein

    2012-01-01

    The current study aims to analyze the psychometric qualities of the Persian adapted version of Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) developed by Rebecca L. Oxford (1990). Three instruments were used: Persian adapted version of SILL, a Background Questionnaire, and Test of English as a Foreign Language. Two hundred and thirteen Iranian…

  14. Syntax in a Native Language Still Continues to Develop in Adults: Honorification Judgment in Japanese

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Momo, Kanako; Sakai, Hiromu; Sakai, Kuniyoshi L.

    2008-01-01

    Native languages (L1s) are tacitly assumed to be complete and stable in adults. Here we report an unexpected individual variation in judgment of L1 regarding Japanese sentences including honorification, and further clarify its neural basis with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). By contrasting an honorification judgment task with a…

  15. Constraining Second Language Word Order Optionality: Scrambling in Advanced English?German and Japanese?German Interlanguage

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hopp, Holger

    2005-01-01

    This study documents knowledge of UG-mediated aspects of optionality in word order in the second language (L2) German of advanced English and Japanese speakers (n = 39). A bimodal grammaticality judgement task, which controlled for context and intonation, was administered to probe judgements on a set of scrambling, topicalization and remnant…

  16. Workplace incivility in Japan: Reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the modified Work Incivility Scale.

    PubMed

    Tsuno, Kanami; Kawakami, Norito; Shimazu, Akihito; Shimada, Kyoko; Inoue, Akiomi; P Leiter, Michael

    2017-05-25

    Although incivility is a common interpersonal mistreatment and associated with poor mental health, there are few studies about it in Asian countries. The aim of this study was to develop the Japanese version of the modified Work Incivility Scale (J-MWIS), investigate its reliability and validity, and reveal the prevalence of incivility among Japanese employees in comparison with data on Canadian employees. A total of 2,191 Japanese and 1,071 Canadian employees were surveyed, using either the J-MWIS or MWIS. Japanese employees additionally answered questions on civility, worksite social support, workplace bullying, psychological distress, intention to leave, and work engagement to investigate construct validity. At least one form of workplace incivility was experienced by both Japanese (52.3%) and Canadian (86.0%) employees in the previous month. Internal consistency reliability of the J-MWIS was acceptable (α=0.71-0.81), and correlation analyses also confirmed its construct validity as expected. Workplace incivility was associated with lower workgroup civility, lower supervisor and coworker support, higher workplace bullying, higher psychological distress, higher intention to leave, and lower work engagement. Confirmatory factor analyses showed that the original three-factor model (supervisor incivility, coworker incivility, and instigated incivility) fitted moderately in both Japan and Canada data, though the privacy/overfamiliarity factor was additionally extracted from exploratory factor analysis for the J-MWIS. The results of this study suggested that the J-MWIS has moderate internal consistency reliability and good construct validity.

  17. Workplace incivility in Japan: Reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the modified Work Incivility Scale

    PubMed Central

    Tsuno, Kanami; Kawakami, Norito; Shimazu, Akihito; Shimada, Kyoko; Inoue, Akiomi; P. Leiter, Michael

    2017-01-01

    Objectives: Although incivility is a common interpersonal mistreatment and associated with poor mental health, there are few studies about it in Asian countries. The aim of this study was to develop the Japanese version of the modified Work Incivility Scale (J-MWIS), investigate its reliability and validity, and reveal the prevalence of incivility among Japanese employees in comparison with data on Canadian employees. Methods: A total of 2,191 Japanese and 1,071 Canadian employees were surveyed, using either the J-MWIS or MWIS. Japanese employees additionally answered questions on civility, worksite social support, workplace bullying, psychological distress, intention to leave, and work engagement to investigate construct validity. Results: At least one form of workplace incivility was experienced by both Japanese (52.3%) and Canadian (86.0%) employees in the previous month. Internal consistency reliability of the J-MWIS was acceptable (α=0.71-0.81), and correlation analyses also confirmed its construct validity as expected. Workplace incivility was associated with lower workgroup civility, lower supervisor and coworker support, higher workplace bullying, higher psychological distress, higher intention to leave, and lower work engagement. Confirmatory factor analyses showed that the original three-factor model (supervisor incivility, coworker incivility, and instigated incivility) fitted moderately in both Japan and Canada data, though the privacy/overfamiliarity factor was additionally extracted from exploratory factor analysis for the J-MWIS. Conclusions: The results of this study suggested that the J-MWIS has moderate internal consistency reliability and good construct validity. PMID:28302927

  18. The Japanese version of the overall assessment of the speaker's experience of stuttering for adults (OASES-A-J): Translation and psychometric evaluation.

    PubMed

    Sakai, Naomi; Chu, Shin Ying; Mori, Koichi; Yaruss, J Scott

    2017-03-01

    This study evaluates the psychometric performance of the Japanese version of the Overall Assessment of the Speaker's Experience of Stuttering for Adults (OASES-A), a comprehensive assessment tool of individuals who stutter. The OASES-A-J was administered to 200 adults who stutter in Japan. All respondents also evaluated their own speech (SA scale), satisfaction of their own speech (SS scale) and the Japanese translation version of the Modified Erickson Communication Attitude scale (S-24). The test-retest reliability and internal consistency of the OASES-A-J were assessed. To examine the concurrent validity of the questionnaire, Pearson correlation was conducted between the OASES-A-J Impact score and the S-24 scale, SA scale and SS scale. In addition, Pearson correlation among the impact scores of each section and total were calculated to examine the construct validity. The OASES-A-J showed a good test-retest reliability (r=0.81-0.95) and high internal consistency (α>0.80). Concurrent validity was moderate to high (0.55-0.75). Construct validity was confirmed by the relation between internal consistency in each section and correlation among sections' impact scores. Japanese adults showed higher negative impact for 'General Information', 'Reactions to Stuttering' and 'Quality of Life' sections. These results suggest that the OASES-A-J is a reliable and valid instrument to measure the impact of stuttering on Japanese adults who stutter. The OASES-A-J could be used as a clinical tool in Japanese stuttering field. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. [TUBERCULOSIS SCREENING BY CHEST RADIOGRAPHY AMONG INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS AT JAPANESE LANGUAGE SCHOOLS IN OSAKA CITY].

    PubMed

    Tsuda, Yuko; Matsumoto, Kenji; Komukai, Jun; Furukawa, Kanae; Saito, Kazumi; Shimouchi, Akira

    2015-10-01

    With a broader aim of controlling pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) among foreigners, here, we have reported the findings of chest radiography screening for TB among international students at Japanese language schools in Osaka city. Between April 2011 and December 2013, 4,529 international students from 19 Japanese language schools in Osaka city underwent chest radiography for TB screening. The chest radiographs were studied in reference to the student's sex, age, nationality, and date of entry to Japan as well as any health conditions present at the time of screening. We further analyzed the bacterial information and pulmonary TB classification based on chest radiography findings of students who were identified to be positive for TB. Information on the implementation of health education was also gathered. The results revealed that 52.5% of the students who underwent chest radiography came from China, 20.3 % from South Korea, and 16.3% from Vietnam. Of the students, 52.9% were male and 47.1% were female. The median age of students was 23 years (range: 14-70 years). The median number of days from the first date of entry to Japan up until the radiography screening was 63 days. Based on the chest radiography findings, 71 students (1.6%) were suspected to have TB; however, further detailed examination confirmed that 19 students (0.4%) had active TB. This percentage is significantly higher than the 0.1% TB identification rate among residents in Osaka city of the same time period (P<0.001), which was also determined by chest radiography. The median age of the 19 TB positive patients was 23 years. Among them, 14 (73.7%) were male. The median time from the date of entry to Japan to the date of the chest radiography screening was 137 days. For 16 of those students, the entry to Japan was within 1 year of the radiography. Of the 19 TB positive patients, 16 (84.2%) did not have respiratory symptoms, 15 (79.0%) had sputum smear negative results, and 17 (89.5%) had no cavity. Health

  20. Factor structure, reliability, and validity of the Japanese version of the Hoarding Rating Scale-Self-Report (HRS-SR-J).

    PubMed

    Tsuchiyagaito, Aki; Horiuchi, Satoshi; Igarashi, Toko; Kawanori, Yoshiya; Hirano, Yoshiyuki; Yabe, Hirooki; Nakagawa, Akiko

    2017-01-01

    The Hoarding Rating Scale-Self-Report (HRS-SR) is a five-item scale that assesses the symptoms of hoarding. These symptoms include excessive acquisition, difficulty in discarding, and excessive clutter that causes distress. We conducted three studies to examine the factor structure, reliability, and validity of the Japanese version of the HRS-SR (HRS-SR-J). Study 1 examined its reliability; 193 college students and 320 adolescents and adults completed the HRS-SR-J and, of the college students, 32 took it again 2 weeks later. Study 2 aimed to confirm that its scores in a sample of 210 adolescents and adults are independent of social desirability. Study 3 aimed to validate the HRS-SR-J in the aspects of convergent and discriminant validity in a sample of 550 adults. The HRS-SR-J showed good internal consistency and 2-week test-retest reliability. Based on the nonsignificant correlations between the HRS-SR-J and social desirability, the HRS-SR-J was not strongly affected by social desirability. In addition, it also had a good convergent validity with the Japanese version of the Saving Inventory-Revised (SI-R-J) and the hoarding subscale of the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory, while having a significantly weaker correlation with the five subscales of the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory, except for the hoarding subscale. In addition, the strength of the correlation between the HRS-SR-J and the Japanese version of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and that between the HRS-SR-J and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 were significantly weaker than the correlation between the HRS-SR-J and the SI-R-J. These results demonstrate that the HRS-SR-J has good convergent and discriminant validity. The HRS-SR-J is a notable self-report scale for examining the severity of hoarding symptoms.

  1. Teaching Foreign Languages.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Holmes, Madelyn, Ed.

    1997-01-01

    Articles on second language education include: "Foreign Languages in Schools" (Madelyn Holmes), an overview of the benefits of language instruction in elementary and secondary education; "Japanese across the Miles" (Elizabeth Reiken), describing a high school distance learning program in Japanese; "Teaching Spanish as a Community Service" (Rita A.…

  2. A new fun and robust version of an fMRI localizer for the frontotemporal language system.

    PubMed

    Scott, Terri L; Gallée, Jeanne; Fedorenko, Evelina

    2017-07-01

    A set of brain regions in the frontal, temporal, and parietal lobes supports high-level linguistic processing. These regions can be reliably identified in individual subjects using fMRI, by contrasting neural responses to meaningful and structured language stimuli vs. stimuli matched for low-level properties but lacking meaning and/or structure. We here present a novel version of a language 'localizer,' which should be suitable for diverse populations including children and/or clinical populations who may have difficulty with reading or cognitively demanding tasks. In particular, we contrast responses to auditorily presented excerpts from engaging interviews or stories, and acoustically degraded versions of these materials. This language localizer is appealing because it uses (a) naturalistic and engaging linguistic materials, (b) auditory presentation, (c) a passive listening task, and can be easily adapted to new stimulus materials enabling comparisons of language activation in children and speakers of diverse languages.

  3. C-Language Integrated Production System, Version 6.0

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Riley, Gary; Donnell, Brian; Ly, Huyen-Anh Bebe; Ortiz, Chris

    1995-01-01

    C Language Integrated Production System (CLIPS) computer programs are specifically intended to model human expertise or other knowledge. CLIPS is designed to enable research on, and development and delivery of, artificial intelligence on conventional computers. CLIPS 6.0 provides cohesive software tool for handling wide variety of knowledge with support for three different programming paradigms: rule-based, object-oriented, and procedural. Rule-based programming: representation of knowledge as heuristics - essentially, rules of thumb that specify set of actions performed in given situation. Object-oriented programming: modeling of complex systems comprised of modular components easily reused to model other systems or create new components. Procedural-programming: representation of knowledge in ways similar to those of such languages as C, Pascal, Ada, and LISP. Version of CLIPS 6.0 for IBM PC-compatible computers requires DOS v3.3 or later and/or Windows 3.1 or later.

  4. Language Teacher Subjectivities in Japan's Diaspora Strategies: Teaching My Language as Someone's Heritage Language

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Motobayashi, Kyoko

    2016-01-01

    This study demonstrates the ways in which discourses in a state-sponsored volunteer program incited transformations of individual subjectivities, focusing on a group of Japanese language teacher volunteers training in Japan to become teachers of Japanese as a heritage language for the country's diaspora (Nikkei) population in South America. As…

  5. Language development in Japanese children who receive cochlear implant and/or hearing aid.

    PubMed

    Iwasaki, Satoshi; Nishio, Shinya; Moteki, Hideaki; Takumi, Yutaka; Fukushima, Kunihiro; Kasai, Norio; Usami, Shin-Ichi

    2012-03-01

    This study aimed to investigate a wide variety of factors that influence auditory, speech, and language development following pediatric cochlear implantation (CI). Prospective collection of language tested data in profound hearing-impaired children. Pediatric CI can potentially be effective to development of practical communication skills and early implantation is more effective. We proposed a set of language tests (assessment package of the language development for Japanese hearing-impaired children; ALADJIN) consisting of communication skills testing (test for question-answer interaction development; TQAID), comprehensive (Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised; PVT-R and Standardized Comprehension Test for Abstract Words; SCTAW) and productive vocabulary (Word Fluency Test; WFT), and comprehensive and productive syntax (Syntactic processing Test for Aphasia; STA). Of 638 hearing-impaired children recruited for this study, 282 (44.2%) with >70 dB hearing impairment had undergone CI. After excluding children with low birth weight (<1800 g), those with >11 points on the Pervasive Developmental Disorder ASJ Rating Scale for the test of autistic tendency, and those <2 SD on Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices for the test of non-verbal intelligence, 190 children were subjected to this set of language tests. Sixty children (31.6%) were unilateral CI-only users, 128 (67.4%) were CI-hearing aid (HA) users, and 2 (1.1%) were bilateral CI users. Hearing loss level of CI users was significantly (p<0.01) worse than that of HA-only users. However, the threshold level, maximum speech discrimination score, and speech intelligibility rating in CI users were significantly (p<0.01) better than those in HA-only users. The scores for PVT-R (p<0.01), SCTAW, and WFT in CI users were better than those in HA-only users. STA and TQAID scores in CI-HA users were significantly (p<0.05) better than those in unilateral CI-only users. The high correlation (r=0.52) has been found between

  6. Luce Pathways Project: A Pilot Project for Heritage Language Speakers of Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, and Japanese

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nagano, Tomonori; Fernandez, Hector

    2016-01-01

    This article describes the development process of a project for heritage language speakers of Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, and Japanese at a high-enrollment community college in the northeast United States. This pilot project, funded by the Henry Luce Foundation, aimed to empower minority group students through active reinforcement of students'…

  7. Reliability and validity of a Swedish language version of the Resilience Scale.

    PubMed

    Nygren, Björn; Randström, Kerstin Björkman; Lejonklou, Anna K; Lundman, Beril

    2004-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to test the reliability and validity of the Swedish language version of the Resilience Scale (RS). Participants were 142 adults between 19-85 years of age. Internal consistency reliability, stability over time, and construct validity were evaluated using Cronbach's alpha, principal components analysis with varimax rotation and correlations with scores on the Sense of Coherence Scale (SOC) and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE). The mean score on the RS was 142 (SD = 15). The possible scores on the RS range from 25 to 175, and scores higher than 146 are considered high. The test-retest correlation was .78. Correlations with the SOC and the RSE were .41 (p < 0.01) and .37 (p < 0.01), respectively. Personal Assurance and Acceptance of Self and Life emerged as components from the principal components analysis. These findings provide evidence for the reliability and validity of the Swedish language version of the RS.

  8. Educator Perceptions of Digital Game-Based Learning in the Instruction of Foreign Languages in Japanese Higher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Franciosi, Stephan J.

    2014-01-01

    Digital Game-Based Learning (DGBL) is an innovative educational approach that is becoming increasingly popular among researchers and practitioners in technologically advanced countries in the West, but is largely unknown or ignored in the instruction of Foreign Languages (FL) in Japanese higher education. This is problematic because more interest…

  9. Portuguese-language version of the Chronic Respiratory Questionnaire: a validity and reproducibility study.

    PubMed

    Moreira, Graciane Laender; Pitta, Fábio; Ramos, Dionei; Nascimento, Cinthia Sousa Carvalho; Barzon, Danielle; Kovelis, Demétria; Colange, Ana Lúcia; Brunetto, Antonio Fernando; Ramos, Ercy Mara Cipulo

    2009-08-01

    To determine the validity and reproducibility of a Portuguese-language version of the Chronic Respiratory Questionnaire (CRQ) in patients with COPD. A Portuguese-language version of the CRQ (provided by McMaster University, the holder of the questionnaire copyright) was applied to 50 patients with COPD (70 +/- 8 years of age; 32 males; FEV1 = 47 +/- 18% of predicted) on two occasions, one week apart. The CRQ has four domains (dyspnea, fatigue, emotional function, and mastery) and was applied as an interviewer-administered instrument. The Saint George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), already validated for use in Brazil, was used as the criterion for validation. Spirometry and the six-minute walk test (6MWT) were performed to analyze the correlations with the CRQ scores. There were no significant CRQ test-retest differences (p > 0.05 for all domains). The test-retest intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.98, 0.97, 0.98 and 0.95 for the dyspnea, fatigue, emotional function and mastery domains, respectively. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.91. The CRQ domains correlated significantly with the SGRQ domains (-0.30 < r < -0.67; p < 0.05). There were no significant correlations between spirometric variables and the CRQ domains or between the CRQ domains and the 6MWT, with the exception of the fatigue domain (r = 0.30; p = 0.04). The Portuguese-language version of the CRQ proved to be reproducible and valid for use in Brazilian patients with COPD.

  10. Reliability, validity, and responsiveness of the Japanese version of the Patient-Rated Wrist Evaluation.

    PubMed

    Imaeda, Toshihiko; Uchiyama, Shigeharu; Wada, Takuro; Okinaga, Shuji; Sawaizumi, Takuya; Omokawa, Shohei; Momose, Toshimitsu; Moritomo, Hisao; Gotani, Hiroyuki; Abe, Yukio; Nishida, Jun; Kanaya, Fuminori

    2010-07-01

    The Patient-Rated Wrist Evaluation is a regionspecific, self-administered questionnaire consisting of a pain scale (PRWE-P) and a functional scale (PRWE-F), with the latter consisting of specific function (PRWE-SF) and usual function (PRWE-UF). The PRWE was cross-culturally adapted from the original English version by the Impairment Evaluation Committee, Japanese Society for Surgery of the Hand (JSSH). The purpose of this study was to test the reliability, validity, and responsiveness of the Japanese version of PRWE (PRWE-J). A consecutive series of 117 patients with wrist disorders completed the PRWE-J, the JSSH version of the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH-JSSH) questionnaire and the 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36). Of the 117 patients, 71 were reassessed for test-retest reliability 1 or 2 weeks later. Reliability was investigated by reproducibility and internal consistency. To analyze the validity, a factor analysis (principal axis factoring) of PRWE-J and correlation coefficients between PRWE-J and DASH-JSSH were obtained. Responsiveness was examined by calculating the standardized response mean (SRM) (mean change/SD) and effect size (mean change/SD of baseline value) after open surgery in 50 patients. Cronbach's alpha coefficients for PRWE-P, PRWE-F, and PRWE were 0.90, 0.95, and 0.95, respectively. The intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) for the same were 0.86, 0.93, and 0.92, respectively. Unidimensionality of PRWE-P was con-firmed. Bidimensionality of PRWE-F was confirmed and separated clearly into PRWE-SF and PRWE-UF. The correlation coefficients between PRWE-P and PRWE-F or DASH-JSSH were 0.63 or 0.63, respectively. The correlation coefficient between PRWE-F and DASH-JSSH was 0.80. The correlation coefficients between DASH-JSSH and PRWE-SF or PRWE-UF were 0.76 or 0.73, respectively. Moderate correlation was observed in "physical functioning" for SF-36 and PRWE-SF (r = -0.46), PRWE-F (r = -0.46), or PRWE (r = -0.46). The

  11. Development and Evaluation of Turkish Language Versions of Three Positive Psychology Assessments

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Haktanir, Abdulkadir; Lenz, A. Stephen; Can, Nesime; Watson, Joshua C.

    2016-01-01

    This study reports the development and evaluation of a Turkish-language version of three positive psychology assessments for use in clinical, education and research settings with Turkish-speaking individuals. A multistage translation of the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS; Smith et al. in "International Journal of Behavioral Medicine," 15,…

  12. Projecting Self and Other through "Akogare" [Desire] among Japanese University Students: The English Language and The Internationalization of Higher Education in a Changing Japan

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nonaka, Chisato

    2017-01-01

    "Akogare" [desire] is a Japanese word laden with cultural and emotive values. In the recent TESOL [Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages] studies, "akogare" has been conceptualized to emphasize the Japanese specific desire for English or "the West" in general. This study not only leverages such a…

  13. The Role of Motivation and Learner Variables in L1 and L2 Vocabulary Development in Japanese Heritage Language Speakers in the United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mori, Yoshiko; Calder, Toshiko M.

    2015-01-01

    This study investigates the role of motivation and learner variables in bilingual vocabulary development among first language (L1) Japanese students attending hoshuukoo (i.e., supplementary academic schools for Japanese-speaking children) in the United States. One hundred sixteen high school students ages 15-18 from eight hoshuukoo completed…

  14. The Stroop effect in English-Japanese bilinguals: the effect of phonological similarity.

    PubMed

    Sumiya, Hiromi; Healy, Alice F

    2008-01-01

    English-Japanese bilinguals performed a Stroop color-word interference task with both English and Japanese stimuli and responded in both English and Japanese. The Japanese stimuli were either the traditional color terms (TCTs) written in Hiragana or loanwords (LWs) from English written in Katakana. Both within-language and between-language interference were found for all combinations of stimuli and responses. The between-language interference was larger for Katakana LWs (phonologically similar to English) than for Hiragana TCTs, especially with Japanese responses. The magnitude of this phonological effect increased with self-rated reading fluency in Japanese. Overall responding was slower and the Stroop effect larger with English than with Japanese stimuli. These results suggest that unintentional lexical access elicits automatic phonological processing even with intermediate-level reading proficiency.

  15. Classroom Silence: Voices from Japanese EFL Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Harumi, Seiko

    2011-01-01

    This article explores Japanese EFL learners' classroom silence in a Japanese EFL context. The existence of silence in second language learning contexts can be a source of conflict between students and teachers and even among students themselves. It can also be an obstacle to acquiring the target language. In order to tackle this problem and to…

  16. Development and validation of the Japanese version of the Decisional Conflict Scale to investigate the value of pharmacists' information: a before and after study.

    PubMed

    Kawaguchi, Takashi; Azuma, Kanako; Yamaguchi, Takuhiro; Soeda, Hiroshi; Sekine, Yusuke; Koinuma, Masayoshi; Takeuchi, Hironori; Akashi, Takao; Unezaki, Sakae

    2013-04-17

    The information provided in patient-centered care and shared decision-making influences patients' concerns and adherence to treatment. In the decision-making process, patients experience decisional conflict. The Decisional Conflict Scale (DCS) is a 16-item, self-administered questionnaire consisting of 5 subscales developed to assess patients' decisional conflict. This study aimed to develop the Japanese version of the DCS and to clarify the influence of the information provided by pharmacists' on decisional conflict among patients with cancer. We developed the Japanese version of the DCS by using the forward-backward translation method. One hundred patients who were recommended a new chemotherapy regimen were recruited. The psychometric properties of the Japanese DCS, including internal consistency, convergent validity, discriminant validity, and construct validity, were examined. We assessed the decisional conflict of patients before and after the pharmacists' provision of information. Ninety-four patients, predominately female, with an average age of 58.1 years were sampled. The scores on the 5 subscales of the DCS showed high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.84-0.96). Multi-trait scaling analysis and cluster analysis showed strong validity. The mean total DCS score decreased significantly from 40.2 to 31.7 after patients received information from the pharmacists (p < 0.001, paired t-test). Scores on all 5 subscales, namely, uncertainty, informed, values clarity, support, and effective decision, also significantly improved (p < 0.001 for all categories, paired t-test). The psychometric properties of the Japanese version of the DCS are considered appropriate for it to be administered to patients with cancer. Pharmacists' provision of information was able to decrease decisional conflict among patients with cancer who were recommended a new chemotherapy regimen.

  17. A Study of Language Attrition in Former U.S. Students of Japanese and Implications for Design of Curriculum and Teaching Materials. Final Project Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Clark, John L. D.; Jorden, Eleanor H.

    A comparison of the end-of-study versus months-to-years later levels of language proficiency of 49 students of Japanese at Cornell University, from both intensive and nonintensive programs, is reported. In addition to academic records and performance on the Japanese Proficiency Test, data obtained from a comprehensive background questionnaire…

  18. Psychometric properties of the Japanese version of short forms of the Pain Catastrophizing Scale in participants with musculoskeletal pain: A cross-sectional study.

    PubMed

    Nishigami, Tomohiko; Mibu, Akira; Tanaka, Katsuyoshi; Yamashita, Yuh; Watanabe, Akihisa; Tanabe, Akihito

    2017-03-01

    The Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) is a commonly used as measure of pain catastrophizing. The scale comprises 13 items related to magnification, rumination, and helplessness. To facilitate quick screening and to reduce participant's burden, the four-item and six-item short forms of the English version of the PCS were developed. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of a Japanese version of the short forms of PCS using a contemporary approach called Rasch analysis. A total of 216 patients with musculoskeletal disorders were recruited in this study. Participants completed study measures, which included the pain intensity, the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS), and the Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia (TSK). Furthermore, the four-item (items 3, 6, 8, and 11) and six-item (items 4, 5, 6, 10, 11, and 13) short forms of the Japanese version of PCS were measured. We used Rasch analysis to analyze the psychometric properties of the original, four-item, and six-item short forms of PCS. Rasch analysis showed that both short forms of PCS had acceptable internal consistency, unidimensionality, and no notable DIF and were functional on the category rating scale. However, four-item short form of PCS had two misfit items. Six-item short form of PCS has acceptable psychometric properties and is suitable for use in participants with musculoskeletal pain. Thus, six-item can be used as brief instruments to evaluate pain catastrophizing. Copyright © 2016 The Japanese Orthopaedic Association. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. How Effective Is Interactive Learning? Investigating Japanese University Students' Language Patterns in a Collaborative Writing Task

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sakamoto, Mitsuyo

    2017-01-01

    According to Swain, Kinnear, & Steinman (2011), we use a language with others as a form of shared cognition, and in the process we scaffold each other. This action research investigates how students' online written output affects each other's writing. One thousand twenty online entries written by 21 Japanese university sophomore English majors…

  20. Using Sociocultural Perspectives: The Dynamic Process of Designing and Implementing Class Activities in an Online Japanese Language Course

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shibakawa, Mayumi

    2012-01-01

    The study documented the dynamic process of designing and implementing instructional interventions in an online course of Japanese language and culture at a two-year college. The results have impact in three distinct areas: pedagogical, theoretical, and methodological. First, the interventions that encouraged student agency with rich…

  1. Developing Instructional Materials for Business Japanese.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Koike, Shohei

    Business Japanese should be the study of Japanese language and culture for business communication and should include values and beliefs and institutional constraints on which the Japanese act as well as business etiquette and terminology. Topics to be covered in instruction will vary depending on the role (seller, buyer, or colleague) played by…

  2. Simulation Experiment Description Markup Language (SED-ML) Level 1 Version 2.

    PubMed

    Bergmann, Frank T; Cooper, Jonathan; Le Novère, Nicolas; Nickerson, David; Waltemath, Dagmar

    2015-09-04

    The number, size and complexity of computational models of biological systems are growing at an ever increasing pace. It is imperative to build on existing studies by reusing and adapting existing models and parts thereof. The description of the structure of models is not sufficient to enable the reproduction of simulation results. One also needs to describe the procedures the models are subjected to, as recommended by the Minimum Information About a Simulation Experiment (MIASE) guidelines. This document presents Level 1 Version 2 of the Simulation Experiment Description Markup Language (SED-ML), a computer-readable format for encoding simulation and analysis experiments to apply to computational models. SED-ML files are encoded in the Extensible Markup Language (XML) and can be used in conjunction with any XML-based model encoding format, such as CellML or SBML. A SED-ML file includes details of which models to use, how to modify them prior to executing a simulation, which simulation and analysis procedures to apply, which results to extract and how to present them. Level 1 Version 2 extends the format by allowing the encoding of repeated and chained procedures.

  3. Simulation Experiment Description Markup Language (SED-ML) Level 1 Version 2.

    PubMed

    Bergmann, Frank T; Cooper, Jonathan; Le Novère, Nicolas; Nickerson, David; Waltemath, Dagmar

    2015-06-01

    The number, size and complexity of computational models of biological systems are growing at an ever increasing pace. It is imperative to build on existing studies by reusing and adapting existing models and parts thereof. The description of the structure of models is not sufficient to enable the reproduction of simulation results. One also needs to describe the procedures the models are subjected to, as recommended by the Minimum Information About a Simulation Experiment (MIASE) guidelines. This document presents Level 1 Version 2 of the Simulation Experiment Description Markup Language (SED-ML), a computer-readable format for encoding simulation and analysis experiments to apply to computational models. SED-ML files are encoded in the Extensible Markup Language (XML) and can be used in conjunction with any XML-based model encoding format, such as CellML or SBML. A SED-ML file includes details of which models to use, how to modify them prior to executing a simulation, which simulation and analysis procedures to apply, which results to extract and how to present them. Level 1 Version 2 extends the format by allowing the encoding of repeated and chained procedures.

  4. Japanese/Korean Linguistics, Volume 8.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Silva, David J., Ed.

    A collection of research in Japanese and Korean linguistics includes: "Repetition, Reformulation, and Definitions: Prosodic Indexes of Elaboration in Japanese" (Mieko Banno); "Projection of Talk Using Language, Intonation, Deictic and Iconic Gestures and Other Body Movements" (Keiko Emmett); "Turn-taking in Japanese…

  5. Foreign Language Teachers' Language Proficiency and Their Language Teaching Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Richards, Heather; Conway, Clare; Roskvist, Annelies; Harvey, Sharon

    2013-01-01

    Teachers' subject knowledge is recognized as an essential component of effective teaching. In the foreign language context, teachers' subject knowledge includes language proficiency. In New Zealand high schools, foreign languages (e.g. Chinese, French, German, Japanese and Spanish) have recently been offered to learners earlier in their schooling,…

  6. Assessment of workplace bullying and harassment: reliability and validity of a Japanese version of the negative acts questionnaire.

    PubMed

    Takaki, Jiro; Tsutsumi, Akizumi; Fujii, Yasuhito; Taniguchi, Toshiyo; Hirokawa, Kumi; Hibino, Yuri; Lemmer, Richard J; Nashiwa, Hitomi; Wang, Da-Hong; Ogino, Keiki

    2010-01-01

    Interest in workplace bullying and harassment has been increasing in Japan. At present, the Negative Acts Questionnaire (NAQ) is one of the most frequently used questionnaires for assessing these issues. The purpose of this study was to develop a Japanese version of the NAQ. We translated the original version of the NAQ using a back-translation method. Participants in this study were recruited from 737 workers at a manufacturing company in Japan. Data were obtained from questionnaires completed by 517 respondents (response rate: 70.1%). We used a cross-validation approach. A three-factor model was obtained from exploratory factor analyses. The confirmatory factor analysis for this model revealed values of 0.94, 0.91, 0.95, and 0.054 for the goodness-of-fit index, the adjusted goodness-of-fit index, the comparative fit index, and the root mean square error of approximation, respectively. Pearson's correlation coefficients for the NAQ scores with the Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) support scores and the Effort-Reward Imbalance Questionnaire scores for respect and job security were significant (p<0.001) and the direction of these associations were consistent with our expectations, with the exceptions of the correlations between the NAQ sexual harassment score and the JCQ support scores. Cronbach's alpha coefficients for the scores on the entire NAQ scale and on three subscales (person-related bullying, work-related bullying, and sexual harassment) were 0.90, 0.84, 0.60, and 0.60, respectively. A Japanese version of the NAQ was developed and it appears to have acceptable levels of internal consistency reliability and factor- and construct-validity.

  7. Feasibility and clinical utility of the Japanese version of the Abbey pain scale in Japanese aged care.

    PubMed

    Takai, Yukari; Yamamoto-Mitani, Noriko; Chiba, Yumi; Kato, Ayako

    2014-06-01

    Active usage of observational pain scales in Japanese aged-care facilities has not been previously described. Therefore, to examine the feasibility and clinical utility of the Abbey Pain Scale-Japanese version (APS-J), this study examined the interrater reliability of the APS-J among a researcher, nurses, and care workers in aged-care facilities in Japan. This study also aimed to obtain nurses' and care workers' opinions on use of the scale. The following data were collected from 88 residents of two aged-care facilities: demographics, Barthel Index, Folstein Mini-Mental Examination (MMSE), 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15), and APS-J for pain. The researchers, nurses, and care workers independently assessed the residents' pain by using the APS-J, and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) for interrater reliability and Cronbach alpha for internal consistency were examined. The ICC between researchers and nurses, researchers and care workers, and nurses and care workers were 0.68, 0.74, and 0.76, respectively. Nurses and care workers were invited for focus group interviews to obtain their opinions regarding APS-J use. During these interviews, nurses and care workers stated that the observational points of APS-J subscales were the criteria they normally used to evaluate residents' pain. Several nurses and care workers reported a gap between the estimated pain intensity and APS-J score. Unclear APS-J criteria, difficulties in observing residents, and insufficient practice guidelines were also reported. Our findings indicate that the APS-J has moderate reliability and clinically utility. To facilitate APS-J usage, education and clinical guidelines for pain management may be required for nurses and care workers. Copyright © 2014 American Society for Pain Management Nursing. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Acquiring Interactional Competence in a Study Abroad Context: Japanese Language Learners' Use of the Interactional Particle "ne"

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Masuda, Kyoko

    2011-01-01

    This study examines the development of interactional competence (Hall, 1993, 1995) by English-speaking learners of Japanese as a foreign language (JFL) in a study abroad setting, as indexed by their use of the interactionally significant particle "ne." The analysis is based on a comparison of (a) 6 sets of conversations between JFL learners and…

  9. Development of a short form of the Japanese version of the Interpersonal Relationship Inventory.

    PubMed

    Sumi, Katsunori

    2009-10-01

    The Interpersonal Relationship Inventory (Tilden, Nelson, & May, 1990a) is a 39-item self-report measure to assess three aspects (support, reciprocity, and conflict) of perceived social relationships. In this research, short forms of the Japanese version (Sumi, 2003) of the inventory were developed on the basis of data from two sources. For the item selection, data from 340 Japanese college students (148 women, 192 men; M age = 21.6 yr., SD = 1.6) who completed the original full form of the inventory were used to create three internally consistent short forms. The reliability and construct validity of the short forms were examined upon administering them to among 513 college students (226 women, 287 men; M age =19.9 yr., SD = 1.4). All the subscales of the short forms had acceptable internal consistency (alphas = .70-.90) and test-retest reliability (rs = .72-.81). Confirmatory factor analysis of each short form supported the fact that each form had a three-factor structure. Scores on the subscales shared acceptable overlapping variance with the corresponding subscale scores of the original full form, and these scores were weakly but significantly correlated with the scores for satisfaction with social support, loneliness, and perceived stress. All the short forms had acceptable reliability and construct validity.

  10. Typologizing native language influence on intonation in a second language: Three transfer phenomena in Japanese EFL learners

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Albin, Aaron Lee

    While a substantial body of research has accumulated regarding how intonation is acquired in a second language (L2), the topic has historically received relatively little attention from mainstream models of L2 phonology. As such, a unified theoretical framework suited to address unique acquisitional challenges specific to this domain of L2 knowledge (such as form-function mapping) has been lacking. The theoretical component of the dissertation makes progress on this front by taking up the issue of crosslinguistic transfer in L2 intonation. Using Mennen's (2015) L2 Intonation Learning theory as a point of departure, the available empirical studies are synthesized into a typology of the different possible ways two languages' intonation systems can mismatch as well as the concomitant implications for transfer. Next, the methodological component of the dissertation presents a framework for overcoming challenges in the analysis of L2 learners' intonation production due to the interlanguage mixing of their native and L2 systems. The proposed method involves first creating a stylization of the learner's intonation contour and then running queries to extract phonologically-relevant features of interest for a particular research question. A novel approach to stylization is also introduced that not only allows for transitions between adjacent pitch targets to have a nonlinear shape but also explicitly parametrizes and stores this nonlinearity for analysis. Finally, these two strands are integrated in a third, empirical component to the dissertation. Three kinds of intonation transfer, representing nodes from different branches of the typology, are examined in Japanese learners of English as a Foreign Language (EFL). For each kind of transfer, fourteen sentences were selected from a large L2 speech corpus (English Speech Database Read by Japanese Students), and productions of each sentence by approximately 20-30 learners were analyzed using the proposed method. Results

  11. The Concept of Learning Japanese: Explaining Why Successful Students of Japanese Discontinue Japanese Studies at the Transition to Tertiary Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Oshima, Ryoko; Harvey, Sharon

    2017-01-01

    Student attrition and falling tertiary education enrolments afflict languages education across the "inner circle" English speaking world. In the southern hemisphere, in New Zealand and Australia, Japanese has become one of the most successful languages of education. However, numbers of students are now declining. This paper examines why…

  12. A Construct Validity Investigation of Scores on the Japanese Version of an Academic Self-Concept Scale for a Sample of College Students.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Paik, Chie Matsuzawa; Michael, William B.

    The twofold purpose of this study was to investigate the reliability and construct validity of scores on the Japanese version of an academic self-concept scale titled the Dimensions of Self-Concept (DOSC) Form H and ascertain any relationships between scores on the DOSC scale and selected demographic variables, including class, gender, and…

  13. Development of the Japanese version of an information aid to provide accurate information on prognosis to patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer receiving chemotherapy: a pilot study.

    PubMed

    Nakano, Kikuo; Kitahara, Yoshihiro; Mito, Mineyo; Seno, Misato; Sunada, Shoji

    2018-02-27

    Without explicit prognostic information, patients may overestimate their life expectancy and make poor choices at the end of life. We sought to design the Japanese version of an information aid (IA) to provide accurate information on prognosis to patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and to assess the effects of the IA on hope, psychosocial status, and perception of curability. We developed the Japanese version of an IA, which provided information on survival and cure rates as well as numerical survival estimates for patients with metastatic NSCLC receiving first-line chemotherapy. We then assessed the pre- and post-intervention effects of the IA on hope, anxiety, and perception of curability and treatment benefits. A total of 20 (95%) of 21 patients (65% male; median age, 72 years) completed the IA pilot test. Based on the results, scores on the Distress and Impact Thermometer screening tool for adjustment disorders and major depression tended to decrease (from 4.5 to 2.5; P = 0.204), whereas no significant changes were seen in scores for anxiety on the Japanese version of the Support Team Assessment Schedule or in scores on the Hearth Hope Index (from 41.9 to 41.5; p = 0.204). The majority of the patients (16/20, 80%) had high expectations regarding the curative effects of chemotherapy. The Japanese version of the IA appeared to help patients with NSCLC maintain hope, and did not increase their anxiety when they were given explicit prognostic information; however, the IA did not appear to help such patients understand the goal of chemotherapy. Further research is needed to test the findings in a larger sample and measure the outcomes of explicit prognostic information on hope, psychological status, and perception of curability.

  14. Japanese Characters in Written Japanese.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Buck, James H.

    From the sixth to the eighth century A.D., Japan was the recipient of massive cultural infusions from China. This acceptance of the Chinese pattern included, and to a great extent was based on, the acceptance of the Chinese language. The Chinese writing system was applied to Japanese because there was no other model to follow and in spite of the…

  15. Gender Representation in Japanese EFL Textbooks--A Corpus Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lee, Jackie F. K.

    2018-01-01

    This paper seeks to investigate whether the Japanese government's attempt to promote a 'gender-equal' society in recent decades and the improved status of women are reflected in patterns of gender representation in Japanese English as a foreign language textbooks. The study made an analysis of four popular series of English language textbooks…

  16. Affective and Situational Correlates of Foreign Language Proficiency: A Study of Chinese University Learners of English and Japanese

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jin, Yinxing; de Bot, Kees; Keijzer, Merel

    2017-01-01

    The study explores the effects of teacher support and student cohesiveness on foreign language (FL) learning outcomes and compares their effect with that of FL anxiety. One hundred and forty-six first-year Chinese undergraduates of Japanese, who were also learning English, participated in two surveys that were administered over a 2-month interval.…

  17. Synthetic Biology Open Language (SBOL) Version 2.2.0.

    PubMed

    Cox, Robert Sidney; Madsen, Curtis; McLaughlin, James Alastair; Nguyen, Tramy; Roehner, Nicholas; Bartley, Bryan; Beal, Jacob; Bissell, Michael; Choi, Kiri; Clancy, Kevin; Grünberg, Raik; Macklin, Chris; Misirli, Goksel; Oberortner, Ernst; Pocock, Matthew; Samineni, Meher; Zhang, Michael; Zhang, Zhen; Zundel, Zach; Gennari, John H; Myers, Chris; Sauro, Herbert; Wipat, Anil

    2018-04-02

    Synthetic biology builds upon the techniques and successes of genetics, molecular biology, and metabolic engineering by applying engineering principles to the design of biological systems. The field still faces substantial challenges, including long development times, high rates of failure, and poor reproducibility. One method to ameliorate these problems would be to improve the exchange of information about designed systems between laboratories. The synthetic biology open language (SBOL) has been developed as a standard to support the specification and exchange of biological design information in synthetic biology, filling a need not satisfied by other pre-existing standards. This document details version 2.2.0 of SBOL that builds upon version 2.1.0 published in last year's JIB special issue. In particular, SBOL 2.2.0 includes improved description and validation rules for genetic design provenance, an extension to support combinatorial genetic designs, a new class to add non-SBOL data as attachments, a new class for genetic design implementations, and a description of a methodology to describe the entire design-build-test-learn cycle within the SBOL data model.

  18. Synthetic Biology Open Language (SBOL) Version 2.1.0.

    PubMed

    Beal, Jacob; Cox, Robert Sidney; Grünberg, Raik; McLaughlin, James; Nguyen, Tramy; Bartley, Bryan; Bissell, Michael; Choi, Kiri; Clancy, Kevin; Macklin, Chris; Madsen, Curtis; Misirli, Goksel; Oberortner, Ernst; Pocock, Matthew; Roehner, Nicholas; Samineni, Meher; Zhang, Michael; Zhang, Zhen; Zundel, Zach; Gennari, John H; Myers, Chris; Sauro, Herbert; Wipat, Anil

    2016-09-01

    Synthetic biology builds upon the techniques and successes of genetics, molecular biology, and metabolic engineering by applying engineering principles to the design of biological systems. The field still faces substantial challenges, including long development times, high rates of failure, and poor reproducibility. One method to ameliorate these problems would be to improve the exchange of information about designed systems between laboratories. The Synthetic Biology Open Language (SBOL) has been developed as a standard to support the specification and exchange of biological design information in synthetic biology, filling a need not satisfied by other pre-existing standards. This document details version 2.1 of SBOL that builds upon version 2.0 published in last year's JIB special issue. In particular, SBOL 2.1 includes improved rules for what constitutes a valid SBOL document, new role fields to simplify the expression of sequence features and how components are used in context, and new best practices descriptions to improve the exchange of basic sequence topology information and the description of genetic design provenance, as well as miscellaneous other minor improvements.

  19. Synthetic Biology Open Language (SBOL) Version 2.1.0.

    PubMed

    Beal, Jacob; Cox, Robert Sidney; Grünberg, Raik; McLaughlin, James; Nguyen, Tramy; Bartley, Bryan; Bissell, Michael; Choi, Kiri; Clancy, Kevin; Macklin, Chris; Madsen, Curtis; Misirli, Goksel; Oberortner, Ernst; Pocock, Matthew; Roehner, Nicholas; Samineni, Meher; Zhang, Michael; Zhang, Zhen; Zundel, Zach; Gennari, John; Myers, Chris; Sauro, Herbert; Wipat, Anil

    2016-12-18

    Synthetic biology builds upon the techniques and successes of genetics, molecular biology, and metabolic engineering by applying engineering principles to the design of biological systems. The field still faces substantial challenges, including long development times, high rates of failure, and poor reproducibility. One method to ameliorate these problems would be to improve the exchange of information about designed systems between laboratories. The Synthetic Biology Open Language (SBOL) has been developed as a standard to support the specification and exchange of biological design information in synthetic biology, filling a need not satisfied by other pre-existing standards. This document details version 2.1 of SBOL that builds upon version 2.0 published in last year’s JIB special issue. In particular, SBOL 2.1 includes improved rules for what constitutes a valid SBOL document, new role fields to simplify the expression of sequence features and how components are used in context, and new best practices descriptions to improve the exchange of basic sequence topology information and the description of genetic design provenance, as well as miscellaneous other minor improvements.

  20. The Japanese version of the questionnaire about the process of recovery: development and validity and reliability testing.

    PubMed

    Kanehara, Akiko; Kotake, Risa; Miyamoto, Yuki; Kumakura, Yousuke; Morita, Kentaro; Ishiura, Tomoko; Shimizu, Kimiko; Fujieda, Yumiko; Ando, Shuntaro; Kondo, Shinsuke; Kasai, Kiyoto

    2017-11-07

    Personal recovery is increasingly recognised as an important outcome measure in mental health services. This study aimed to develop a Japanese version of the Questionnaire about the Process of Recovery (QPR-J) and test its validity and reliability. The study comprised two stages that employed the cross-sectional and prospective cohort designs, respectively. We translated the questionnaire using a standard translation/back-translation method. Convergent validity was examined by calculating Pearson's correlation coefficients with scores on the Recovery Assessment Scale (RAS) and the Short-Form-8 Health Survey (SF-8). An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted to examine factorial validity. We used intraclass correlation and Cronbach's alpha to examine the test-retest and internal consistency reliability of the QPR-J's 22-item full scale, 17-item intrapersonal and 5-item interpersonal subscales. We conducted an EFA along with a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Data were obtained from 197 users of mental health services (mean age: 42.0 years; 61.9% female; 49.2% diagnosed with schizophrenia). The QPR-J showed adequate convergent validity, exhibiting significant, positive correlations with the RAS and SF-8 scores. The QPR-J's full version, subscales, showed excellent test-retest and internal consistency reliability, with the exception of acceptable but relatively low internal consistency reliability for the interpersonal subscale. Based on the results of the CFA and EFA, we adopted the factor structure extracted from the original 2-factor model based on the present CFA. The QPR-J is an adequately valid and reliable measure of the process of recovery among Japanese users with mental health services.

  1. Who Is Responsible for Understanding in a Conversation? A Contrastive Pragmatic Analysis of Utterances in Japanese and Korean

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yoon, Sumi

    2012-01-01

    Korean learners of the Japanese language and Japanese learners of the Korean language not only feel that it is easier to learn the respective foreign language, but also acquire Japanese and Korean faster than learners from other countries because of the grammatical similarity between Japanese and Korean. However, the similarity of grammatical…

  2. Assessing Grammar: The Languages of LARSP. Communication Disorders across Languages

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ball, Martin; Crystal, David; Fletcher, Paul

    2012-01-01

    This collection is a resource book for those working with language disordered clients in a range of languages. It collects together versions of the well-known Language Assessment Remediation Screening Procedure (LARSP) prepared for different languages. Starting with the original version for English, the book then presents versions in more than a…

  3. Validity and reliability of the Japanese version of the Newest Vital Sign: a preliminary study.

    PubMed

    Kogure, Takamichi; Sumitani, Masahiko; Suka, Machi; Ishikawa, Hirono; Odajima, Takeshi; Igarashi, Ataru; Kusama, Makiko; Okamoto, Masako; Sugimori, Hiroki; Kawahara, Kazuo

    2014-01-01

    Health literacy (HL) refers to the ability to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services, and is thus needed to make appropriate health decisions. The Newest Vital Sign (NVS) is comprised of 6 questions about an ice cream nutrition label and assesses HL numeracy skills. We developed a Japanese version of the NVS (NVS-J) and evaluated the validity and reliability of the NVS-J in patients with chronic pain. The translation of the original NVS into Japanese was achieved as per the published guidelines. An observational study was subsequently performed to evaluate the validity and reliability of the NVS-J in 43 Japanese patients suffering from chronic pain. Factor analysis with promax rotation, using the Kaiser criterion (eigenvalues ≥1.0), and a scree plot revealed that the main component of the NVS-J consists of three determinative factors, and each factor consists of two NVS-J items. The criterion-related validity of the total NVS-J score was significantly correlated with the total score of Ishikawa et al.'s self-rated HL Questionnaire, the clinical global assessment of comprehensive HL level, cognitive function, and the Brinkman index. In addition, Cronbach's coefficient for the total score of the NVS-J was adequate (alpha = 0.72). This study demonstrated that the NVS-J has good validity and reliability. Further, the NVS-J consists of three determinative factors: "basic numeracy ability," "complex numeracy ability," and "serious-minded ability." These three HL abilities comprise a 3-step hierarchical structure. Adequate HL should be promoted in chronic pain patients to enable coping, improve functioning, and increase activities of daily living (ADLs) and quality of life (QOL).

  4. Cross-cultural validity of a dietary questionnaire for studies of dental caries risk in Japanese.

    PubMed

    Shinga-Ishihara, Chikako; Nakai, Yukie; Milgrom, Peter; Murakami, Kaori; Matsumoto-Nakano, Michiyo

    2014-01-02

    Diet is a major modifiable contributing factor in the etiology of dental caries. The purpose of this paper is to examine the reliability and cross-cultural validity of the Japanese version of the Food Frequency Questionnaire to assess dietary intake in relation to dental caries risk in Japanese. The 38-item Food Frequency Questionnaire, in which Japanese food items were added to increase content validity, was translated into Japanese, and administered to two samples. The first sample comprised 355 pregnant women with mean age of 29.2 ± 4.2 years for the internal consistency and criterion validity analyses. Factor analysis (principal components with Varimax rotation) was used to determine dimensionality. The dietary cariogenicity score was calculated from the Food Frequency Questionnaire and used for the analyses. Salivary mutans streptococci level was used as a semi-quantitative assessment of dental caries risk and measured by Dentocult SM. Dentocult SM scores were compared with the dietary cariogenicity score computed from the Food Frequency Questionnaire to examine criterion validity, and assessed by Spearman's correlation coefficient (rs) and Kruskal-Wallis test. Test-retest reliability of the Food Frequency Questionnaire was assessed with a second sample of 25 adults with mean age of 34.0 ± 3.0 years by using the intraclass correlation coefficient analysis. The Japanese language version of the Food Frequency Questionnaire showed high test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.70) and good criterion validity assessed by relationship with salivary mutans streptococci levels (rs = 0.22; p < 0.001). Factor analysis revealed four subscales that construct the questionnaire (solid sugars, solid and starchy sugars, liquid and semisolid sugars, sticky and slowly dissolving sugars). Internal consistency were low to acceptable (Cronbach's alpha = 0.67 for the total scale, 0.46-0.61 for each subscale). Mean dietary cariogenicity scores were 50.8 ± 19.5 in the first sample, 47.4

  5. The Systems Biology Markup Language (SBML): Language Specification for Level 3 Version 1 Core

    PubMed Central

    Hucka, Michael; Bergmann, Frank T.; Hoops, Stefan; Keating, Sarah M.; Sahle, Sven; Schaff, James C.; Smith, Lucian P.; Wilkinson, Darren J.

    2017-01-01

    Summary Computational models can help researchers to interpret data, understand biological function, and make quantitative predictions. The Systems Biology Markup Language (SBML) is a file format for representing computational models in a declarative form that can be exchanged between different software systems. SBML is oriented towards describing biological processes of the sort common in research on a number of topics, including metabolic pathways, cell signaling pathways, and many others. By supporting SBML as an input/output format, different tools can all operate on an identical representation of a model, removing opportunities for translation errors and assuring a common starting point for analyses and simulations. This document provides the specification for Version 1 of SBML Level 3 Core. The specification defines the data structures prescribed by SBML as well as their encoding in XML, the eXtensible Markup Language. This specification also defines validation rules that determine the validity of an SBML document, and provides many examples of models in SBML form. Other materials and software are available from the SBML project web site, http://sbml.org/. PMID:26528564

  6. The Systems Biology Markup Language (SBML): Language Specification for Level 3 Version 1 Core.

    PubMed

    Hucka, Michael; Bergmann, Frank T; Hoops, Stefan; Keating, Sarah M; Sahle, Sven; Schaff, James C; Smith, Lucian P; Wilkinson, Darren J

    2015-09-04

    Computational models can help researchers to interpret data, understand biological function, and make quantitative predictions. The Systems Biology Markup Language (SBML) is a file format for representing computational models in a declarative form that can be exchanged between different software systems. SBML is oriented towards describing biological processes of the sort common in research on a number of topics, including metabolic pathways, cell signaling pathways, and many others. By supporting SBML as an input/output format, different tools can all operate on an identical representation of a model, removing opportunities for translation errors and assuring a common starting point for analyses and simulations. This document provides the specification for Version 1 of SBML Level 3 Core. The specification defines the data structures prescribed by SBML as well as their encoding in XML, the eXtensible Markup Language. This specification also defines validation rules that determine the validity of an SBML document, and provides many examples of models in SBML form. Other materials and software are available from the SBML project web site, http://sbml.org/.

  7. The Systems Biology Markup Language (SBML): Language Specification for Level 3 Version 1 Core.

    PubMed

    Hucka, Michael; Bergmann, Frank T; Hoops, Stefan; Keating, Sarah M; Sahle, Sven; Schaff, James C; Smith, Lucian P; Wilkinson, Darren J

    2015-06-01

    Computational models can help researchers to interpret data, understand biological function, and make quantitative predictions. The Systems Biology Markup Language (SBML) is a file format for representing computational models in a declarative form that can be exchanged between different software systems. SBML is oriented towards describing biological processes of the sort common in research on a number of topics, including metabolic pathways, cell signaling pathways, and many others. By supporting SBML as an input/output format, different tools can all operate on an identical representation of a model, removing opportunities for translation errors and assuring a common starting point for analyses and simulations. This document provides the specification for Version 1 of SBML Level 3 Core. The specification defines the data structures prescribed by SBML as well as their encoding in XML, the eXtensible Markup Language. This specification also defines validation rules that determine the validity of an SBML document, and provides many examples of models in SBML form. Other materials and software are available from the SBML project web site, http://sbml.org/.

  8. Case Study on Codeswitching in a Japanese-English Bilingual Family

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Numadate, Jenny

    2008-01-01

    This paper showcases a case study documenting the intended and actual language practices of a Japanese-English bicultural family. The study focuses on a family consisting of a Japanese father, Australian mother, son and daughter living in Japan. The parents were interviewed by questionnaire to determine their intended language practices. The…

  9. Acquisition of Japanese contracted sounds in L1 phonology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tsurutani, Chiharu

    2002-05-01

    Japanese possesses a group of palatalized consonants, known to Japanese scholars as the contracted sounds, [CjV]. English learners of Japanese appear to treat them initially as consonant + glide clusters, where there is an equivalent [Cj] cluster in English, or otherwise tend to insert an epenthetic vowel [CVjV]. The acquisition of the Japanese contracted sounds by first language (L1) learners has not been widely studied compared with the consonant clusters in English with which they bear a close phonetic resemblance but have quite a different phonological status. This is a study to investigate the L1 acquisition process of the Japanese contracted sounds (a) in order to observe how the palatalization gesture is acquired in Japanese and (b) to investigate differences in the sound acquisition processes of first and second language (L2) learners: Japanese children compared with English learners. To do this, the productions of Japanese children ranging in age from 2.5 to 3.5 years were transcribed and the pattern of misproduction was observed.

  10. Processing voiceless vowels in Japanese: Effects of language-specific phonological knowledge

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ogasawara, Naomi

    2005-04-01

    There has been little research on processing allophonic variation in the field of psycholinguistics. This study focuses on processing the voiced/voiceless allophonic alternation of high vowels in Japanese. Three perception experiments were conducted to explore how listeners parse out vowels with the voicing alternation from other segments in the speech stream and how the different voicing statuses of the vowel affect listeners' word recognition process. The results from the three experiments show that listeners use phonological knowledge of their native language for phoneme processing and for word recognition. However, interactions of the phonological and acoustic effects are observed to be different in each process. The facilitatory phonological effect and the inhibitory acoustic effect cancel out one another in phoneme processing; while in word recognition, the facilitatory phonological effect overrides the inhibitory acoustic effect.

  11. Language discrimination without language: Experiments on tamarin monkeys

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tincoff, Ruth; Hauser, Marc; Spaepen, Geertrui; Tsao, Fritz; Mehler, Jacques

    2002-05-01

    Human newborns can discriminate spoken languages differing on prosodic characteristics such as the timing of rhythmic units [T. Nazzi et al., JEP:HPP 24, 756-766 (1998)]. Cotton-top tamarins have also demonstrated a similar ability to discriminate a morae- (Japanese) vs a stress-timed (Dutch) language [F. Ramus et al., Science 288, 349-351 (2000)]. The finding that tamarins succeed in this task when either natural or synthesized utterances are played in a forward direction, but fail on backward utterances which disrupt the rhythmic cues, suggests that sensitivity to language rhythm may rely on general processes of the primate auditory system. However, the rhythm hypothesis also predicts that tamarins would fail to discriminate languages from the same rhythm class, such as English and Dutch. To assess the robustness of this ability, tamarins were tested on a different-rhythm-class distinction, Polish vs Japanese, and a new same-rhythm-class distinction, English vs Dutch. The stimuli were natural forward utterances produced by multiple speakers. As predicted by the rhythm hypothesis, tamarins discriminated between Polish and Japanese, but not English and Dutch. These findings strengthen the claim that discriminating the rhythmic cues of language does not require mechanisms specialized for human speech. [Work supported by NSF.

  12. Predicting Perceptual Success with Segments: A Test of Japanese Speakers of Russian

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Larson-Hall, J.

    2004-01-01

    A perception experiment involving a novel language pairing, that of Japanese as a first language (L1) and Russian as a second language (L2), was conducted with 33 Japanese learners of Russian to determine whether two phonological models could successfully predict patterns of perceptual difficulty with eight Russian segments. The Featural Model of…

  13. Language Testing and the Assessment of Dementia in Second Language Settings: A Case Study.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Baker, Rosemary

    1996-01-01

    Reports on a patient of Japanese background with suspected dementia in an English-speaking geriatric unit. The subject was tested in Japanese using tasks such as naming, story recall, and processing by semantic category. Results demonstrate the potential contribution of information from language-based tasks in the person's preferred language to…

  14. The Impact of Western Criticisms of Japanese Rhetorical Approaches on Learners of Japanese

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McKinley, Jim

    2014-01-01

    For learners of Japanese, a conundrum arises at university level as they are expected to be able to shift between direct and indirect language in various writing tasks. The apparent indirectness in inductive language is required of regular writing tasks such as response essays and e-mails, while the directness of deductive academic writing, a…

  15. Argentinian/Chilean validation of the Spanish-language version of Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination III for diagnosing dementia.

    PubMed

    Bruno, D; Slachevsky, A; Fiorentino, N; Rueda, D S; Bruno, G; Tagle, A R; Olavarria, L; Flores, P; Lillo, P; Roca, M; Torralva, T

    2017-08-30

    The Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination III (ACE-III), an adaptation of the ACE cognitive screening test, has been demonstrated to have high sensitivity and specificity in detecting cognitive impairment in patients with dementia and other neurological and psychiatric disorders. Although the Spanish-language version of the ACE-III has already been validated in Spain, it is yet to be validated in Latin America. The aim of this study was to validate the ACE-III test in an Argentinean and Chilean population. ACE-III was administered to 70 patients with Alzheimer disease, 31 patients with behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia, and a control group of 139 healthy volunteers. Participants were recruited at centres in both countries. The Spanish-language version of ACE-III was found to have good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha=0.87). We found significant differences in total ACE-III scores between patients with Alzheimer disease and controls (p< .05) and between patients with Alzheimer disease and bvFTD (p< .05). With a cut-off point of 86, 98.6% of AD patients, 83.9% of behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia patients, and 84.2% of controls were correctly classified. This study shows that the Spanish-language version of ACE-III continues to be an effective tool for detecting cognitive dysfunction in patients with dementia. Copyright © 2017. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U.

  16. Communication attitudes of Japanese school-age children who stutter.

    PubMed

    Kawai, Norimune; Healey, E Charles; Nagasawa, Taiko; Vanryckeghem, Martine

    2012-01-01

    Past research with the Communication Attitude Test (CAT) has shown it to be a valid and reliable instrument for assessing speech-associated attitude of children who stutter (CWS). However, in Japan, the CAT has not been used extensively to examine the communication attitude of CWS. The purpose of this study was to determine if a Japanese version of the CAT could differentiate between the communication attitude of Japanese elementary school CWS and children who do not stutter (CWNS). A Japanese translation of the 1991 version of the Communication Attitude Test-Revised (CAT-R) was used in this study. Eighty Japanese CWS and 80 gender- and grade level-matched CWNS participated in the study. The results showed that CWS had a significantly more negative communication attitude than CWNS. Both CWS and CWNS in 1st grade showed significantly more positive communication attitudes than children in 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th grades. Furthermore, a link between stuttering severity and CWS' communication attitude was found. Additional research is needed to confirm the results of the current study, which indicate that the communication attitude of Japanese CWS becomes more negative as they get older. The reader will be able to: (1) Describe the process that was used to develop a Japanese version of the Communication Attitude Test (CAT-J). (2) Discuss attitude differences between Japanese children who stutter and those who do not and how grade level impacts a negative attitude toward communication. (3) Explain the link between stuttering severity and attitudes of Japanese children who stutter. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Validation study of the Japanese version of the Obsessive-Compulsive Drinking Scale.

    PubMed

    Tatsuzawa, Yasutaka; Yoshimasu, Haruo; Moriyama, Yasushi; Furusawa, Teruyuki; Yoshino, Aihide

    2002-02-01

    The Obsessive-Compulsive Drinking Scale (OCDS) is a self-rating questionnaire that measures cognitive and behavioral aspects of craving for alcohol. The OCDS consists of two subscales: the obsessive thoughts of drinking subscale (OS) and the compulsive drinking subscale (CS). This study aims to validate the Japanese version of the OCDS. First, internal consistency and discriminant validity were evaluated. Second, a prospective longitudinal 3-month outcome study of 67 patients with alcohol dependence who participated in a relapse prevention program was designed to assess the concurrent and predictive validity of the OCDS. The OCDS demonstrated high internal consistency. The OS had high discriminant validity, while the CS did not. Twenty-three patients (34.3%) dropped out of treatment. These patients had significantly higher OS scores than those who completed the program. At 3 months, the relapse group had significantly higher OCDS scores than the no relapse group. Also, the OCDS score was higher in subjects who had early-onset alcohol dependence than late-onset dependence. The OCDS is useful for evaluating cognitive aspect of craving and predicts dropout and relapse.

  18. [Developing Japanese version of the eHealth Literacy Scale (eHEALS)].

    PubMed

    Mitsutake, Seigo; Shibata, Ai; Ishii, Kaori; Okazaki, Kanzo; Oka, Koichiro

    2011-05-01

    With the rapid developing an internet society, ehealth literacy, defined as the ability to seek, find, understand, and appraise and apply the knowledge gained to addressing or solving a health problem, becomes important to promote and aid health care at the individual level. However, the eHealth Literacy Scale (eHEALS) was only a scale developed to assess the ehealth literacy. Thus, the present study was conducted to evaluated the validity and reliability of a Japanese version of the eHEALS (J-eHEALS), and examine the association of ehealth literacy with demographic attributes and characteristics on health information searching among Japanese adults. Data were analyzed for 3,000 Japanese adults (males: 50.0%,mean age: 39.6 + 10.9 years) who responded to an Internet-based cross-sectional survey. The J-eHEALS, 6 demographic attributes, resources for obtaining health information (health resources), and contents of health information obtained from internet (ehealth contents) were obtained with a questionnaire. Confirmatory factor analysis and correlation with the communicative and critical health literacy scale were utilized to assess construct validity and criterion validity. Cronbach alpha and correlation coefficients were computed for internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Also, differences in J-eHEALS scores with each demographic attribute were examined with ANOVA and the independent t-test. Finally, chi-square tests were used to determine differences in the proportions of ehealth literacy groups (high or low) classified with a median split within health resources and ehealth contents. Principal components analysis produced a single factor solution and confirmatory factor analysis for the 8-items model demonstrated high indices (GFI = .988, CFI = .993, RMSEA= .056). A significant positive correlation was found between the J-eHEALS and communicative and critical health literacy scores. Cronbach alpha was 0.93 (P < .01), and test-retest reliability was r

  19. Association Between Sarcopenia and Mild Cognitive Impairment Using the Japanese Version of the SARC-F in Elderly Patients With Diabetes.

    PubMed

    Ida, Satoshi; Nakai, Mari; Ito, Sho; Ishihara, Yuki; Imataka, Kanako; Uchida, Akihiro; Monguchi, Kou; Kaneko, Ryutaro; Fujiwara, Ryoko; Takahashi, Hiroka; Murata, Kazuya

    2017-09-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between sarcopenia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in elderly patients with diabetes using the Japanese version of the simple 5-item questionnaire (SARC-F-J). Cross-sectional study. Community hospital in Japan. Subjects were people with diabetes aged 65 years and older being treated on an outpatient basis at the Ise Red Cross Hospital. We used the Japanese version of the self-administered cognitive test Test Your Memory (TYM-J) to measure MCI and the self-administered questionnaire SARC-F-J, consisting of 5 items, to evaluate sarcopenia. We conducted a multiple logistic regression analysis with MCI as the dependent variable and sarcopenia as the explanatory variable to calculate the odds ratio of sarcopenia in association with MCI. A total of 250 cases (150 men and 100 women) were included in our study. The prevalence of sarcopenia in this sample was 19.5% and that of MCI was 40.3%. The adjusted odds ratio of sarcopenia in association with MCI was 2.96 (95% confidence interval, 1.09-7.70, P = .032). A statistically significant association was found between sarcopenia and MCI in an assessment of elderly patients with diabetes using the SARC-F-J. Copyright © 2017 AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Bedtime Stories in English: Field-Testing Comprehensible Input Materials for Natural Second-Language Acquisition in Japanese Pre-School Children

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hamilton, Robert

    2014-01-01

    In this study, the prototype of a new type of bilingual picture book was field-tested with two sets of mother-son subject pairs. This picture book was designed as a possible tool for providing children with comprehensible input during their critical period for second language acquisition. Context is provided by visual cues and both Japanese and…

  1. On A Project Work for International Students Paired with Japanese Partners in a Summer Intensive Japanese Program for Science and Technology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fudano, Hiroko

    A project work in which learners of a foreign language engage in a task with the native speakers is one of the effective ways to bring in ample real communication opportunities to a classroom. This scheme also gives both parties meaningful experiences for intercultural understanding. This paper reports a “Pythagoras” machine production project in which international students were paired up with Japanese students as a part of a Japanese for science and technology course in a summer intensive program. Based on the participants‧ course evaluation data, the paper also discusses the effectiveness of the project for Japanese language learning and for promoting intercultural understanding.

  2. Novel Noun and Verb Learning in Chinese-, English-, and Japanese-Speaking Children

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Imai, Mutsumi; Li, Lianjing; Haryu, Etsuko; Okada, Hiroyuki; Hirsh-Pasek, Kathy; Golinkoff, Roberta Michnick; Shigematsu, Jun

    2008-01-01

    When can children speaking Japanese, English, or Chinese map and extend novel nouns and verbs? Across 6 studies, 3- and 5-year-old children in all 3 languages map and extend novel nouns more readily than novel verbs. This finding prevails even in languages like Chinese and Japanese that are assumed to be verb-friendly languages (e.g., T. Tardif,…

  3. Korean speech sound development in children from bilingual Japanese-Korean environments

    PubMed Central

    Kim, Jeoung Suk; Lee, Jun Ho; Choi, Yoon Mi; Kim, Hyun Gi; Kim, Sung Hwan; Lee, Min Kyung

    2010-01-01

    Purpose This study investigates Korean speech sound development, including articulatory error patterns, among the Japanese-Korean children whose mothers are Japanese immigrants to Korea. Methods The subjects were 28 Japanese-Korean children with normal development born to Japanese women immigrants who lived in Jeonbuk province, Korea. They were assessed through Computerized Speech Lab 4500. The control group consisted of 15 Korean children who lived in the same area. Results The values of the voice onset time of consonants /ph/, /t/, /th/, and /k*/ among the children were prolonged. The children replaced the lenis sounds with aspirated or fortis sounds rather than replacing the fortis sounds with lenis or aspirated sounds, which are typical among Japanese immigrants. The children showed numerous articulatory errors for /c/ and /l/ sounds (similar to Koreans) rather than errors on /p/ sounds, which are more frequent among Japanese immigrants. The vowel formants of the children showed a significantly prolonged vowel /o/ as compared to that of Korean children (P<0.05). The Japanese immigrants and their children showed a similar substitution /n/ for /ɧ/ [Japanese immigrants (62.5%) vs Japanese-Korean children (14.3%)], which is rarely seen among Koreans. Conclusion The findings suggest that Korean speech sound development among Japanese-Korean children is influenced not only by the Korean language environment but also by their maternal language. Therefore, appropriate language education programs may be warranted not only or immigrant women but also for their children. PMID:21189968

  4. Plasticity of illusory vowel perception in Brazilian-Japanese bilinguals.

    PubMed

    Parlato-Oliveira, Erika; Christophe, Anne; Hirose, Yuki; Dupoux, Emmanuel

    2010-06-01

    Previous research shows that monolingual Japanese and Brazilian Portuguese listeners perceive illusory vowels (/u/ and /i/, respectively) within illegal sequences of consonants. Here, several populations of Japanese-Brazilian bilinguals are tested, using an explicit vowel identification task (experiment 1), and an implicit categorization and sequence recall task (experiment 2). Overall, second-generation immigrants, who first acquired Japanese at home and Brazilian during childhood (after age 4) showed a typical Brazilian pattern of result (and so did simultaneous bilinguals, who were exposed to both languages from birth on). In contrast, late bilinguals, who acquired their second language in adulthood, exhibited a pattern corresponding to their native language. In addition, an influence of the second language was observed in the explicit task of Exp. 1, but not in the implicit task used in Exp. 2, suggesting that second language experience affects mostly explicit or metalinguistic skills. These results are compared to other studies of phonological representations in adopted children or immigrants, and discussed in relation to the role of age of acquisition and sociolinguistic factors.

  5. Japanese-Style Management: A Bibliometric Study.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Noguchi, Sachie

    1988-01-01

    Reports results of a bibliometric study of the literature on Japanese-style management published in western languages from 1971-84 in order to: (1) determine Japanese contributions to the literature; (2) determine whether there are nuclear journals for the subject; and (3) investigate how the flow of information from Japan to overseas countries…

  6. SALT 2010 Bilingual S/E Version: A Tool for Assessing the Language Production of Bilingual (Spanish/English) Children

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Miller, Jon F.; Iglesias, Aquiles; Rojas, Raul

    2010-01-01

    Assessing the language development of bilingual children can be a challenge--too often, children in the complex process of learning both Spanish and English are under- or over-diagnosed with language disorders. SLPs can change that with "SALT 2010 Bilingual S/E Version" for grades K-3, the first tool to comprehensively assess children's language…

  7. Reflections on "Memories of War": Project-Based Learning among Japanese-as-A-Foreign-Language (JFL) Students at a Malaysian University

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shibahara, Rika

    2017-01-01

    This study examines Malaysian learners' reflections on the discourses of the Asia-Pacific War in Malaysia and Japan after engaging in "Memories of War" project. The project, which was implemented in an advanced Japanese-as-a-Foreign-Language (JFL) class at a Malaysian university, aimed to improve learners' ability to grasp power…

  8. Mapping Japanese medical terms to UMLS Metathesaurus.

    PubMed

    Onogi, Yuzo; Ohe, Kazuhiko; Tanaka, Masaaki; Nozoe, Atsutake; Sasaki, Tetsuro; Sato, Megumi; Kikuchi, Yuko; Shinohara, Tsuneki; Suzuki, Hiromichi; Kaihara, Shigekoto; Seyama, Yousuke

    2004-01-01

    This paper introduces and reports the results for a project to map Japanese medical terms to the UMLS Metathesaurus. The "Thesaurus for Medical and Health related Terms version 5" published in 2003 by the Japan Medical Abstracts Society and UMLS version 2002AC provided by NLM were used in this study. The goal was to judge the validity of the correlation between the Japanese and English terms that belong to the same MeSH concept. Fifteen medicine, nursing, and library science professionals, excluding JAMAS, used a custom designed Web interface to perform this task. About 10% of the concepts were judged as invalid, and the reasoning behind these failures were analyzed. Experience from this project can be used to estimate the manpower required to revise the Japanese thesaurus after future revisions to UMLS or MeSH.

  9. Business Japanese, a HyperCard Simulation.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Saito-Abbott, Yoshiko; Abbott, Thomas

    This paper describes Business Japanese (BJ), a HyperCard based tutorial designed as courseware for use in a third-year Japanese course at the University of Texas, Austin (UTA). A major objective was to develop good courseware based on proven language learning theory that would integrate theory, practice, and technology. BJ stresses a realistic and…

  10. Pre- and Post-Head Processing for Single- and Double-Scrambled Sentences of a Head-Final Language as Measured by the Eye Tracking Method

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tamaoka, Katsuo; Asano, Michiko; Miyaoka, Yayoi; Yokosawa, Kazuhiko

    2014-01-01

    Using the eye-tracking method, the present study depicted pre- and post-head processing for simple scrambled sentences of head-final languages. Three versions of simple Japanese active sentences with ditransitive verbs were used: namely, (1) SO[subscript 1]O[subscript 2]V canonical, (2) SO[subscript 2]O[subscript 1]V single-scrambled, and (3)…

  11. Development of the Japanese DOLOPLUS-2: a pain assessment scale for the elderly with Alzheimer's disease.

    PubMed

    Ando, Chiaki; Hishinuma, Michiko

    2010-09-01

    Pain assessment in non-communicative patients relies primarily on observation scales. The DOLOPLUS-2 is a behavioral pain assessment scale for the elderly with impaired verbal communication. It rates five somatic items, two psychomotor items, and three psychosocial items as indicators of pain. The aims of the present study were to develop a Japanese version of the DOLOPLUS-2 and to apply it to elderly patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). The translated instrument was evaluated with reference to Japanese patients with AD experiencing pain during post-surgery rehabilitation for hip fractures and who were unable to use any self-reported pain measures. After translation and back-translation, 21 registered nurses tested 'Version 1' of the pain assessment scale on three patients. The ratings of the nurses and researcher were compared and the number of matching scores determined. Semistructured interviews were conducted with the nurses and patient case studies were recorded. The results of the interviews provided the basis for the development of 'Version 2' of the scale, which was then tested with six patients and 31 nurses using the same procedures as for the testing of Version 1. The intraclass correlation coefficient for inter-rater reliability for the Version 2 administrators was 0.90 (P < 0.001), with a 95% confidence interval of 0.88-0.92; the degree of agreement by items (0.67-0.90) was excellent. Nurses' comments for Version 1 revealed that it was 'difficult to use' and that 'some Japanese expressions and explanations needed improvement'. In contrast, the nurses' comments on Version 2 indicated that there were no problems. Analysis of patient case studies in Version 2 indicated that pain scores were high only when the patients clearly would have had pain, such as when they started with full weight bearing. On the basis of these results, we developed a final version of the Japanese DOLOPLUS-2. The findings of the present study suggest that Version 2 of the

  12. Psychometric Properties of the Japanese Version of the STarT Back Tool in Patients with Low Back Pain.

    PubMed

    Matsudaira, Ko; Oka, Hiroyuki; Kikuchi, Norimasa; Haga, Yuri; Sawada, Takayuki; Tanaka, Sakae

    2016-01-01

    The STarT Back Tool uses prognostic indicators to classify patients with low back pain into three risk groups to guide early secondary prevention in primary care. The present study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Japanese version of the tool (STarT-J). An online survey was conducted among Japanese patients with low back pain aged 20-64 years. Reliability was assessed by examining the internal consistency of the overall and psychosocial subscales using Cronbach's alpha coefficients. Spearman's correlation coefficients were used to evaluate the concurrent validity between the STarT-J total score/psychosocial subscore and standard reference questionnaires. Discriminant validity was evaluated by calculating the area under the curves (AUCs) for the total and psychosocial subscale scores against standard reference cases. Known-groups validity was assessed by examining the relationship between low back pain-related disability and STarT-J scores. The analysis included data for 2000 Japanese patients with low back pain; the mean (standard deviation [SD]) age was 47.7 (9.3) years, and 54.1% were male. The mean (SD) STarT-J score was 2.2 (2.1). The Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.75 for the overall scale and 0.66 for the psychosocial subscale. Spearman's correlation coefficients ranged from 0.30 to 0.59, demonstrating moderate to strong concurrent validity. The AUCs for the total score ranged from 0.65 to 0.83, mostly demonstrating acceptable discriminative ability. For known-groups validity, participants with more somatic symptoms had higher total scores. Those in higher STarT-J risk groups had experienced more low back pain-related absences. The overall STarT-J scale was internally consistent and had acceptable concurrent, discriminant, and known-groups validity. The STarT-J can be used with Japanese patients with low back pain.

  13. Issues in healthcare services in Malaysia as experienced by Japanese retirees.

    PubMed

    Kohno, Ayako; Musa, Ghazali; Nik Farid, Nik Daliana; Abdul Aziz, Norlaili; Nakayama, Takeo; Dahlui, Maznah

    2016-05-05

    Worldwide, international retirement migration is growing in its popularity and Japanese retirees choose Malaysia as their most preferred destination. This study examines the pertinent issues related to healthcare services as experienced by Japanese retirees in this country. From January to March 2015, we conducted focus group discussions with 30 Japanese retirees who live in Kuala Lumpur and Ipoh. Guided by the social-ecological model, we discovered seven pertinent themes: 'language barriers','healthcare decisions', 'medical check-ups','healthcare insurance', 'nursing and palliative care', 'trust and distrust of healthcare services', and 'word-of-mouth information'. We identified seven pertinent issues related to healthcare services among Japanese retirees in Malaysia, of which four are especially important. These issues are explained as integrated themes within the social-ecological model. Language barriers prohibit them from having difficulty accessing to healthcare in Malaysia, but lack of will to improve their language skills exist among them. For that reason, they rely heavily on word-of-mouth information when seeking for healthcare. As a consequence, some develop feelings of trust and distrust of healthcare services. In addition, we have identified the needs for provide nursing and palliative care among Japanese retirees in Malaysia. Based on the magnitude of the discussion, we concluded that there are four crucial healthcare issues among Japanese retirees; 'language barriers', 'trust and distrust of healthcare services', 'word-of-mouth information' and 'nursing and palliative care'. We propose that further dialogue by healthcare stakeholders should be carried out to improve further the healthcare service provisions for Japanese retirees in Malaysia.

  14. Cross-cultural validity of a dietary questionnaire for studies of dental caries risk in Japanese

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    Background Diet is a major modifiable contributing factor in the etiology of dental caries. The purpose of this paper is to examine the reliability and cross-cultural validity of the Japanese version of the Food Frequency Questionnaire to assess dietary intake in relation to dental caries risk in Japanese. Methods The 38-item Food Frequency Questionnaire, in which Japanese food items were added to increase content validity, was translated into Japanese, and administered to two samples. The first sample comprised 355 pregnant women with mean age of 29.2 ± 4.2 years for the internal consistency and criterion validity analyses. Factor analysis (principal components with Varimax rotation) was used to determine dimensionality. The dietary cariogenicity score was calculated from the Food Frequency Questionnaire and used for the analyses. Salivary mutans streptococci level was used as a semi-quantitative assessment of dental caries risk and measured by Dentocult SM. Dentocult SM scores were compared with the dietary cariogenicity score computed from the Food Frequency Questionnaire to examine criterion validity, and assessed by Spearman’s correlation coefficient (rs) and Kruskal-Wallis test. Test-retest reliability of the Food Frequency Questionnaire was assessed with a second sample of 25 adults with mean age of 34.0 ± 3.0 years by using the intraclass correlation coefficient analysis. Results The Japanese language version of the Food Frequency Questionnaire showed high test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.70) and good criterion validity assessed by relationship with salivary mutans streptococci levels (rs = 0.22; p < 0.001). Factor analysis revealed four subscales that construct the questionnaire (solid sugars, solid and starchy sugars, liquid and semisolid sugars, sticky and slowly dissolving sugars). Internal consistency were low to acceptable (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.67 for the total scale, 0.46-0.61 for each subscale). Mean dietary

  15. Assessing psychological violence and harassment at work: reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the Inventory of Violence and Psychological Harassment (IVAPT) comparing NAQ-R and LIPT.

    PubMed

    Moreno, Manuel Pando; Beltrán, Carolina Aranda; Tsuno, Kanami; Inoue, Akiomi; Kawakami, Norito

    2013-01-01

    The objective of this study was to examine reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the Inventory of Violence and Psychological Harassment (IVAPT) (Pando, 2006), a 22-item measure of psychological harassment at work and presence and intensity of psychological violence widely used in Latin American countries. The IVAPT was translated into Japanese, and the translation was amended through a small pretest and a back-translation and finalized. A total of 1,810 out of 4,072 civil servants completed a questionnaire including the IVAPT. Cronbach's alpha of the scale was 0.97 for psychological violence and 0.94 for psychological harassment at work. An exploratory factor analysis showed that the first factor explained 64.5% of the total variance. Data did not well fit to previously reported one- or three-factor structures. Psychological violence and harassment at work were more frequent among older respondents. Intensity of psychological violence was well concordant with other scales of workplace bullying, i.e., Leymann Inventory of Psychological Terrorization (LIPT) and Negative Acts Questionnaire-Revised (NAQ-R), and psychological harassment at work was well concordant with the NAQ-R. The Japanese version of the IVAPT showed high internal consistency reliability. While the first factor explained a large proportion of the variance, the IVAPT seems to have a unique factor structure in the Japanese sample. Concurrent validity of the IVAPT was supported by the comparison with the other scales.

  16. Validation of the Spanish-language version of the Rapid Assessment for Adolescent Preventive Services among Colombian adolescents.

    PubMed

    Suárez-Pinto, Tatiana A; Blanco-Gómez, Argénida; Díaz-Martínez, Luis A

    2016-10-01

    Seventy percent of adolescent morbidity and mortality is related to six risky behaviors. The Rapid Assessment for Adolescent Preventive Services is a screening questionnaire consisting of 21 questions but there is not a validated Spanish-language version. The obj ective of this study was to validate the Spanish-language version of the Rapid Assessment for Adolescent Preventive Services in two Colombian cities: Bucaramanga and Medellin. The questionnaire was administered to 270 randomly selected adolescent students aged between 11 and 19 years old. Its internal consistency measured using Cronbach's alpha was 0.7207. The factor analysis showed that two factors accounted for 84.5% of variance, but factor loading indicates that only one of these is valid in Colombia: substance use (tobacco, alcohol, narcotics, and psychoactive substances). Sociedad Argentina de Pediatría.

  17. The Effects of Pragmatic Consciousness-Raising Activities on the Development of Pragmatic Awareness and Use of Hearsay Evidential Markers for Learners of Japanese as a Foreign Language

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Narita, Ritsuko

    2009-01-01

    The present study investigates the effectiveness of pragmatic consciousness-raising (PCR) activities in the L2 pragmatic acquisition of hearsay evidential markers by learners of Japanese as a foreign language (JFL). PCR is essentially an inductive approach to facilitating awareness of how language forms are used appropriately in a given context.…

  18. Japanese and English sentence reading comprehension and writing systems: An fMRI study of first and second language effects on brain activation.

    PubMed

    Buchweitz, Augusto; Mason, Robert A; Hasegawa, Mihoko; Just, Marcel A

    2009-01-28

    Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to compare brain activation from Japanese readers reading hiragana (syllabic) and kanji (logographic) sentences, and English as a second language (L2). Kanji showed more activation than hiragana in right-hemisphere occipito-temporal lobe areas associated with visuospatial processing; hiragana, in turn, showed more activation than kanji in areas of the brain associated with phonological processing. L1 results underscore the difference in visuospatial and phonological processing demands between the systems. Reading in English as compared to either of the Japanese systems showed more activation in inferior frontal gyrus, medial frontal gyrus, and angular gyrus. The additional activation in English in these areas may have been associated with an increased cognitive demand for phonological processing and verbal working memory. More generally, L2 results suggest more effortful reading comprehension processes. The study contributes to the understanding of differential brain responses to different writing systems and to reading comprehension in a second language.

  19. Japanese and English sentence reading comprehension and writing systems: An fMRI study of first and second language effects on brain activation

    PubMed Central

    Buchweitz, Augusto; Mason, Robert A.; Hasegawa, Mihoko; Just, Marcel A.

    2009-01-01

    Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to compare brain activation from Japanese readers reading hiragana (syllabic) and kanji (logographic) sentences, and English as a second language (L2). Kanji showed more activation than hiragana in right-hemisphere occipito-temporal lobe areas associated with visuospatial processing; hiragana, in turn, showed more activation than kanji in areas of the brain associated with phonological processing. L1 results underscore the difference in visuospatial and phonological processing demands between the systems. Reading in English as compared to either of the Japanese systems showed more activation in inferior frontal gyrus, medial frontal gyrus, and angular gyrus. The additional activation in English in these areas may have been associated with an increased cognitive demand for phonological processing and verbal working memory. More generally, L2 results suggest more effortful reading comprehension processes. The study contributes to the understanding of differential brain responses to different writing systems and to reading comprehension in a second language. PMID:19946611

  20. Affective Variables and Japanese L2 Reading Ability

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kondo-Brown, Kimi

    2006-01-01

    This study investigates how 17 affective factors are related to Japanese second language (L2) reading comprehension and "kanji" knowledge test scores of 43 university students in advanced Japanese courses. Major findings are that: a) reading comprehension ability and "kanji" knowledge have direct associations with…

  1. Psychometric evaluation of the Arabic language person-centred climate questionnaire-staff version.

    PubMed

    Aljuaid, Mohammed; Elmontsri, Mustafa; Edvardsson, David; Rawaf, Salman; Majeed, Azeem

    2018-05-01

    To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Arabic language person-centred climate questionnaire-staff version. There have been increasing calls for a person-centred rather than a disease-centred approach to health care. A limited number of tools measure the extent to which care is delivered in a person-centred manner, and none of these tools have been validated for us in Arab settings. The validated form of the person-centred climate questionnaire-staff version was translated into Arabic and distributed to 152 health care staff in teaching and non-teaching hospitals in Saudi Arabia. Statistical estimates of validity and reliability were used for psychometric evaluation. Items on the Arabic form of the person-centred climate questionnaire-staff version had high reliability (Cronbach's alpha .98). Cronbach's alpha values for the three sub-scales (safety, everydayness and community), were .96, .97 and .95 respectively. Internal consistency was also high and measures of validity were very good. Arabic form of the person-centred climate questionnaire-staff version provides a valid and reliable way to measure the degree of perceived person-centredness. The tool can be used for comparing levels of person-centredness between wards, units, and public and private hospitals. The tool can also be used to measure the extent of person-centredness in health care settings in other Arab countries. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  2. Japanese for Tourism and Trade

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Klarberg, F.

    1974-01-01

    Discusses the desirability of Japanese as a second language for Australians in tourism and trade industries. Initial instruction using Roman alphabet followed by job training in Japan is recommended. (RM)

  3. Growing and Learning Using Two Languages.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Carlson, David

    2001-01-01

    A Japanese wife and American husband raised their daughter to be bilingual by using the "one-parent/one-language approach," in which each parent speaks only their native language with her. Upon reaching school age, her bilingualism was maintained through home schooling in America, an experimental school in Japan, and exposure to Japanese and…

  4. Japanese and English Sentence Reading Comprehension and Writing Systems: An fMRI Study of First and Second Language Effects on Brain Activation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Buchweitz, Augusto; Mason, Robert A.; Hasegawa, Mihoko; Just, Marcel A.

    2009-01-01

    Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to compare brain activation from native Japanese (L1) readers reading hiragana (syllabic) and kanji (logographic) sentences, and English as a second language (L2). Kanji showed more activation than hiragana in right-hemisphere occipito-temporal lobe areas associated with visuospatial…

  5. Sex and cultural differences in spatial performance between Japanese and North Americans.

    PubMed

    Sakamoto, Maiko; Spiers, Mary V

    2014-04-01

    Previous studies have suggested that Asians perform better than North Americans on spatial tasks but show smaller sex differences. In this study, we evaluated the relationship between long-term experience with a pictorial written language and spatial performance. It was hypothesized that native Japanese Kanji (a complex pictorial written language) educated adults would show smaller sex differences on spatial tasks than Japanese Americans or North Americans without Kanji education. A total of 80 young healthy participants (20 native Japanese speakers, 20 Japanese Americans-non Japanese speaking, and 40 North Americans-non Japanese speaking) completed the Rey Complex Figure Test (RCFT), the Mental Rotations Test (MRT), and customized 2D and 3D spatial object location memory tests. As predicted, main effects revealed men performed better on the MRT and RCFT and women performed better on the spatial object location memory tests. Also, as predicted, native Japanese performed better on all tests than the other groups. In contrast to the other groups, native Japanese showed a decreased magnitude of sex differences on aspects of the RCFT (immediate and delayed recall) and no significant sex difference on the efficiency of the strategy used to copy and encode the RCFT figure. This study lends support to the idea that intensive experience over time with a pictorial written language (i.e., Japanese Kanji) may contribute to increased spatial performance on some spatial tasks as well as diminish sex differences in performance on tasks that most resemble Kanji.

  6. Impact of language on development of auditory-visual speech perception.

    PubMed

    Sekiyama, Kaoru; Burnham, Denis

    2008-03-01

    The McGurk effect paradigm was used to examine the developmental onset of inter-language differences between Japanese and English in auditory-visual speech perception. Participants were asked to identify syllables in audiovisual (with congruent or discrepant auditory and visual components), audio-only, and video-only presentations at various signal-to-noise levels. In Experiment 1 with two groups of adults, native speakers of Japanese and native speakers of English, the results on both percent visually influenced responses and reaction time supported previous reports of a weaker visual influence for Japanese participants. In Experiment 2, an additional three age groups (6, 8, and 11 years) in each language group were tested. The results showed that the degree of visual influence was low and equivalent for Japanese and English language 6-year-olds, and increased over age for English language participants, especially between 6 and 8 years, but remained the same for Japanese participants. This may be related to the fact that English language adults and older children processed visual speech information relatively faster than auditory information whereas no such inter-modal differences were found in the Japanese participants' reaction times.

  7. Deaf Life on Isolated Japanese Islands.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Torigoe, Takashi; And Others

    1995-01-01

    Interviewed 38 adults with deafness and little schooling in Okinawa concerning their social and language environment. Many of the individuals used an indigenous gestural system shared with hearing people that enabled them to participate in the hearing community. Most had only limited contact with the deaf community and Japanese Sign Language.…

  8. The Acquisitional Value of Recasts in Instructed Second Language Speech Learning: Teaching the Perception and Production of English /?/ to Adult Japanese Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Saito, Kazuya

    2013-01-01

    The current study investigated the impact of recasts together with form-focused instruction (FFI) on the development of second language speech perception and production of English /?/ by Japanese learners. Forty-five learners were randomly assigned to three groups--FFI recasts, FFI only, and Control--and exposed to four hours of communicatively…

  9. Image Algebra Matlab language version 2.3 for image processing and compression research

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schmalz, Mark S.; Ritter, Gerhard X.; Hayden, Eric

    2010-08-01

    Image algebra is a rigorous, concise notation that unifies linear and nonlinear mathematics in the image domain. Image algebra was developed under DARPA and US Air Force sponsorship at University of Florida for over 15 years beginning in 1984. Image algebra has been implemented in a variety of programming languages designed specifically to support the development of image processing and computer vision algorithms and software. The University of Florida has been associated with development of the languages FORTRAN, Ada, Lisp, and C++. The latter implementation involved a class library, iac++, that supported image algebra programming in C++. Since image processing and computer vision are generally performed with operands that are array-based, the Matlab™ programming language is ideal for implementing the common subset of image algebra. Objects include sets and set operations, images and operations on images, as well as templates and image-template convolution operations. This implementation, called Image Algebra Matlab (IAM), has been found to be useful for research in data, image, and video compression, as described herein. Due to the widespread acceptance of the Matlab programming language in the computing community, IAM offers exciting possibilities for supporting a large group of users. The control over an object's computational resources provided to the algorithm designer by Matlab means that IAM programs can employ versatile representations for the operands and operations of the algebra, which are supported by the underlying libraries written in Matlab. In a previous publication, we showed how the functionality of IAC++ could be carried forth into a Matlab implementation, and provided practical details of a prototype implementation called IAM Version 1. In this paper, we further elaborate the purpose and structure of image algebra, then present a maturing implementation of Image Algebra Matlab called IAM Version 2.3, which extends the previous implementation

  10. "Drop-Outs" or "Heritage Learners"? Competing Mentalities of Governmentality and Invested Meanings at a Weekend Japanese Language School in the USA

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Doerr, Neriko Musha; Lee, Kiri

    2012-01-01

    Based on fieldwork at a weekend Japanese language school in the USA in 2007-2009, this article illustrates the ways in which different regimes of government arise from an activity depending on meanings individuals invest in it. We examine how two students in the same classroom experienced two different regimes of government: one of a low-track…

  11. Japan: Body Language and Etiquette as a Means of Intercultural Communication.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sherman, James L.

    While English-speaking businesspeople may have difficulty learning Japanese, they can improve communication skills with Japanese nationals by placing more emphasis on body language and etiquette. This knowledge can supplement limited verbal skills in Japanese and promote communication in all-English conversations. Body language, or gestures, are…

  12. Language as Fluid: A Description of the Conduit Metaphor in Japanese.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nomura, Masuhiro

    1993-01-01

    The question of how 'communication' is metaphorized in Japanese is examined and this metaphorization is contrasted with Reddy's (1979) conduit metaphor. A claim is made that there is a strong tendency for Japanese to conceptualize 'word' as 'fluid' and to fuse 'word' and 'meaning.' English, which unlike Japanese, has overt count/mass and…

  13. The development of MML (Medical Markup Language) version 3.0 as a medical document exchange format for HL7 messages.

    PubMed

    Guo, Jinqiu; Takada, Akira; Tanaka, Koji; Sato, Junzo; Suzuki, Muneou; Suzuki, Toshiaki; Nakashima, Yusei; Araki, Kenji; Yoshihara, Hiroyuki

    2004-12-01

    Medical Markup Language (MML), as a set of standards, has been developed over the last 8 years to allow the exchange of medical data between different medical information providers. MML Version 2.21 used XML as a metalanguage and was announced in 1999. In 2001, MML was updated to Version 2.3, which contained 12 modules. The latest version--Version 3.0--is based on the HL7 Clinical Document Architecture (CDA). During the development of this new version, the structure of MML Version 2.3 was analyzed, subdivided into several categories, and redefined so the information defined in MML could be described in HL7 CDA Level One. As a result of this development, it has become possible to exchange MML Version 3.0 medical documents via HL7 messages.

  14. Business Communication Needs of Japanese Companies in Malaysia

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Su, Yeoh Lee; Mahadi, Tengku Sepora Tengku; Singh, Manjet Kaur Mehar

    2016-01-01

    Business relationship between Japan and Malaysia has developed very quickly in recent years. This has caused a dramatic increase in the need for individuals who possess language skills to function in Japanese businesses. In order to investigate the needs of our Malaysian graduates, a survey was conducted involving graduates of Japanese language…

  15. LEARN JAPANESE--ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEXT, VOLUME II.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    SATO, YAEKO; AND OTHERS

    THIS TEXT WAS WRITTEN FOR THE USE OF THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHER OF JAPANESE. IT IS TO BE USED IN THE SECOND SEMESTER OF JAPANESE LANGUAGE STUDY AND FOLLOWS THE AUDIO-LINGUAL ORIENTATION OF VOLUME I. THE MAIN GOAL OF BOTH VOLUMES IS "TO ELEVATE THE PUPIL'S MOTIVATION AND TO CULTIVATE PROPER PRONUNCIATION HABITS." THE NEW ITEMS IN VOLUME II…

  16. Neural substrates of phonological selection for Japanese character Kanji based on fMRI investigations.

    PubMed

    Matsuo, Kayako; Chen, Shen-Hsing Annabel; Hue, Chih-Wei; Wu, Chiao-Yi; Bagarinao, Epifanio; Tseng, Wen-Yih Isaac; Nakai, Toshiharu

    2010-04-15

    Japanese and Chinese both share the same ideographic/logographic character system. How these characters are processed, however, is inherently different for each language. We harnessed the unique property of homophone judgment in Japanese kanji to provide an analogous Chinese condition using event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in 33 native Japanese speakers. We compared two types of kanji: (1) kanji that usually evokes only one pronunciation to Japanese speakers, which is representative of most Chinese characters (monophonic character); (2) kanji that evoked multiple pronunciation candidates, which is typical in Japanese kanji (heterophonic character). Results showed that character pairs with multiple sound possibilities increased activation in posterior regions of the left, middle and inferior frontal gyri (MFG and IFG), the bilateral anterior insulae, and the left anterior cingulate cortex as compared with those of kanji with only one sound. The activity seen in the MFG, dorsal IFG, and ventral IFG in the left posterior lateral prefrontal cortex, which was thought to correspond with language components of orthography, phonology, and semantics, respectively, was discussed in regards to their potentially important roles in information selection among competing sources of the components. A comparison with previous studies suggested that detailed analyses of activation in these language areas could explain differences between Japanese and Chinese, such as a greater involvement of the prefrontal language production regions for Japanese, whereas, for Chinese there is more phonological processing of inputs in the superior temporal gyrus. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Applying RUG-III in Japanese Long-Term Care Facilities.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ikegami, Naoki; And Others

    1994-01-01

    Tested U.S. nursing home case-mix system, Resource Utilization Groups, Version III (RUG-III) in Japanese long-term care facilities. Measured staff time and resident characteristics for 871 patients. Found acceptable reliability for items defining RUG-III, and system explained 44% of variance in wage-weighted staff time (cost). Japanese and U.S.…

  18. Neural strategies for reading Japanese and Chinese sentences: a cross-linguistic fMRI study of character-decoding and morphosyntax.

    PubMed

    Huang, Koongliang; Itoh, Kosuke; Kwee, Ingrid L; Nakada, Tsutomu

    2012-09-01

    Japanese and Chinese share virtually identical morphographic characters invented in ancient China. Whereas modern Chinese retained the original morphographic functionality of these characters (hanzi), modern Japanese utilizes these characters (kanji) as complex syllabograms. This divergence provides a unique opportunity to systematically investigate brain strategies for sentence reading in Japanese-Chinese bi-literates. Accordingly, we investigated brain activation associated with Japanese and Chinese reading in 14 native Japanese speakers literate in Mandarin and 14 native Mandarin speakers literate in Japanese using functional magnetic resonance imaging performed on a 3T system. The activation pattern exhibited clearly distinct features specific for each language. Regardless of the subject's native language literacy, Chinese reading activated an area significantly larger than Japanese reading, suggesting that brain processes involved in Chinese reading were much more complex than Japanese reading. Significant recruitment of corresponding cortical areas in the right hemisphere with Chinese reading was also apparent. The activation patterns associated with Japanese reading by native Japanese literates was highly consistent with previous reports, and included the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), left posterior temporal lobe (PTL), and left ventral premotor cortex (PMv). The activation pattern associated with Chinese reading by native Chinese literates was also highly consistent with previous reports, namely the left IFG, left PTL, left PMv, left anterior temporal lobe (ATL), and bilateral parieto occipital lobes (LPOL). The activation pattern associated with Chinese reading by native Japanese literates was virtually identical to that by native Chinese literates, whereas the activation pattern associated with Japanese reading by native Chinese literates was signified by additional activation of LPOL compared to that by native Japanese literate. The study indicated

  19. Measuring Japanese EFL Student Perceptions of Internet-Based Tests with the Technology Acceptance Model

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dizon, Gilbert

    2016-01-01

    The Internet has made it possible for teachers to administer online assessments with affordability and ease. However, little is known about Japanese English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students' attitudes of internet-based tests (IBTs). Therefore, this study aimed to measure the perceptions of IBTs among Japanese English language learners with the…

  20. In Our Learners' Shoes. A Language Teacher's Reflections on Language Learning.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cervi, David A.

    1989-01-01

    A language teacher's Japanese-language learning experiences in educational and immersion environments lead to assertions about the ineffectiveness of exclusive use of traditional instructional methodologies; exclusive dependence on osmosis for developing fluency; instructional materials that students perceive as beneath them; and assumptions that…

  1. Validation of a Spanish-language version of the ADHD Rating Scale IV in a Spanish sample.

    PubMed

    Vallejo-Valdivielso, M; Soutullo, C A; de Castro-Manglano, P; Marín-Méndez, J J; Díez-Suárez, A

    2017-07-14

    The purpose of this study is to validate a Spanish-language version of the 18-item ADHD Rating Scale-IV (ADHD-RS-IV.es) in a Spanish sample. From a total sample of 652 children and adolescents aged 6 to 17 years (mean age was 11.14±3.27), we included 518 who met the DSM-IV-TR criteria for ADHD and 134 healthy controls. To evaluate the factorial structure, validity, and reliability of the scale, we performed a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) using structural equation modelling on a polychoric correlation matrix and maximum likelihood estimation. The scale's discriminant validity and predictive value were estimated using ROC (receiver operating characteristics) curve analysis. Both the full scale and the subscales of the Spanish-language version of the ADHD-RS-IV showed good internal consistency. Cronbach's alpha was 0.94 for the full scale and ≥ 0.90 for the subscales, and ordinal alpha was 0.95 and ≥ 0.90, respectively. CFA showed that a two-factor model (inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity) provided the best fit for the data. ADHD-RS-IV.es offered good discriminant ability to distinguish between patients with ADHD and controls (AUC=0.97). The two-factor structure of the Spanish-language version of the ADHD-RS-IV (ADHD-RS-IV.es) is consistent with those of the DSM-IV-TR and DSM-5 as well as with the model proposed by the author of the original scale. Furthermore, it has good discriminant ability. ADHD-RS-IV.es is therefore a valid and reliable tool for determining presence and severity of ADHD symptoms in the Spanish population. Copyright © 2017 Sociedad Española de Neurología. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  2. Clarendon Alternative School Japanese Bilingual Bicultural Program: Curriculum Sampler.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    San Francisco Unified School District, CA.

    Sample lessons and instructional materials from a Japanese bilingual/bicultural elementary school program are presented. The lessons are designed to integrate Japanese language instruction with content instruction, using thematic units related to the core curriculum. The ten lessons are organized by target grade (K-5), and describe classroom…

  3. English/Japanese Professional Interpretation: Its Linguistic and Conceptual Problems.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ishikawa, Luli

    1995-01-01

    A study of simultaneous interpretation from Japanese to English focused on problems inherent in simultaneous language processing. Data were drawn from a discussion session at an international conference of physicians concerning nuclear war. Transcription of the Japanese source text (romanized), English product, and a gloss of lexical equivalents…

  4. The Japanese artificial organs scene: current status.

    PubMed

    Mitamura, Yoshinori; Murabayashi, Shun

    2005-08-01

    Artificial organs and regenerative medicine are the subjects of very active research and development (R&D) in Japan and various artificial organs are widely used in patients. Results of the R&D are presented at the annual conference of the Japanese Society for Artificial Organs (JSAO). Progress in the fields of artificial organs and regenerative medicine are reviewed annually in the Japanese Journal of Artificial Organs. The official English-language journal of JSAO, Journal of Artificial Organs, also publishes many original articles by Japanese researchers. Although the annual conference and the publications of JSAO provide the world with update information on artificial organs and regenerative medicine in Japan, the information is not always understood appropriately in the rest of the world, mainly due to language problems. This article therefore introduces the current status of artificial organs and regenerative medicine in Japan. Artificial hearts and metabolic support systems are reviewed here and other interesting areas such as regenerative medicine can be found elsewhere.

  5. Students' Attitudes toward Extensive Reading in the Japanese EFL Context

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mikami, Akihiro

    2017-01-01

    Although many studies state the benefits of extensive reading (ER) for language learning, this practice is not common in language classrooms. Because few studies have investigated the status of ER in second language classrooms, this study looks at past and current ER practice among Japanese students of English as a foreign language (EFL) and their…

  6. The Anxiety-Proficiency Relationship and the Stability of Anxiety: The Case of Chinese University Learners of English and Japanese

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jin, Yinxing; de Bot, Kees; Keijzer, Merel

    2015-01-01

    Adopting a longitudinal design, this study investigates the effects of foreign language anxiety on foreign language proficiency over time within English and Japanese learning contexts. It also explores the stability of anxiety in English and Japanese over time and the stability of anxiety across English and Japanese. Chinese university students (N…

  7. Promotional Video Production in a Foreign Language Course.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fukushima, Tatsuya

    2002-01-01

    Discusses a technology-based project as a requirement for a traditional intermediate Japanese course at the University of Arkansas in which students worked in a small group to produce the university's promotional video in the target language, thus enhancing their Japanese language skills and promoting the program to the public. (Author/VWL)

  8. Culturally sensitive and universal measure of resilience for Japanese populations: Tachikawa Resilience Scale in comparison with Resilience Scale 14-item version.

    PubMed

    Nishi, Daisuke; Uehara, Ritei; Yoshikawa, Eisho; Sato, Goro; Ito, Masaya; Matsuoka, Yutaka

    2013-04-01

    Although scales specific to resilience are available and widely used, qualities of resilience could be culturally sensitive. This study aimed to develop a concise scale of resilience for Japanese populations, and compare its validity to that of the Resilience Scale 14-item version (RS-14), one of the most widely used scales for measuring resilience. The Tachikawa Resilience Scale (TRS) was developed on the basis of data obtained from unstructured interviews with Japanese motor vehicle accident survivors without psychiatric disorder. The reliability and validity of the TRS and RS-14 were then examined in cross-sectional studies performed with 523 company workers and 140 psychiatric outpatients. The TRS and RS-14 were negatively correlated with depressive symptoms in company workers and psychiatric outpatients and with anxiety in psychiatric outpatients, and were positively correlated with social support in company workers. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the TRS were high. Construct validity of the TRS was equivalent to that of the RS-14 in company workers, and higher than that of the RS-14 in psychiatric outpatients. The reliability and validity of the TRS and RS-14 in Japanese company workers and patients with psychiatric disorders were acceptable. The validity of the TRS was equivalent to or better than that of the RS-14. Although the TRS cannot be regarded as an established scale due to a lack of theoretical rationale, the results of this study suggest that scales measuring resilience that cover cultural aspects might be more relevant in given populations. © 2013 The Authors. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences © 2013 Japanese Society of Psychiatry and Neurology.

  9. The action-sentence compatibility effect in Japanese sentences.

    PubMed

    Awazu, Shunji

    2011-10-01

    The action-sentence compatibility effect (ACE) is a phenomenon in which a reader's response to a sentence is made faster when there is congruity between the action described in the sentence and the action that makes up the response. Previous studies showed the ACE occurs in action-related sentences in several languages. However, all these were SVO (verb-object) languages, in which verbs are placed before object nouns; this order is reversed in SOV languages. Moreover, those studies investigated hand responses. This study assessed the existence of the ACE in Japanese, an SOV language, and in foot responses. 24 female participants judged the sensibility of Japanese sentences that described actions and responded with either their foot or hand as an effector. Reaction times were significantly faster when there was congruity between the effector described in the sentences and the effector actually used for the response. However, sentence dependency was also found in the foot responses.

  10. Self-Efficacy for Managing Work-Family Conflict: Validating the English Language Version of a Hebrew Scale

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hennessy, Kelly D.; Lent, Robert W.

    2008-01-01

    The Self-Efficacy for Work-Family Conflict Management Scale (SE-WFC), developed in Israel, was designed to assess beliefs regarding one's ability to manage conflict between work and family roles. This study examined the factor structure, reliability, and validity of an English language version of the SE-WFC in a sample of 159 working mothers in…

  11. Body-part metaphors: a cross-cultural survey of the perception of translatability among Americans and Japanese.

    PubMed

    Sakuragi, Toshiyuki; Fuller, Judith W

    2003-07-01

    What kinds of linguistic resources do people utilize when they try to translate metaphors into a foreign language? This investigation of the perception of translatability of body-part metaphors examined the effects of the following factors: the similarity between the human body part and the metaphorical expression (e.g., "eye" in "electric eye") in appearance and function; the frequency of the use of the metaphor in the native language; and the perceived distance between the first language and the target language. The results of a survey of American (n = 151) and Japanese (n = 116) university students showed that both Similarity in Appearance and Similarity in Function correlated positively with Translatability, while the effect of the former was stronger than the latter. Frequency correlated positively with Translatability for the Americans, although the correlation was weaker when the target language is "distant" (Japanese or Chinese) than when the target language is "close" (Spanish). Among the Japanese, Frequency did not correlate with translatability regardless of the target language.

  12. BASIC JAPANESE FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS. REVISED EDITION.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    NIWA, TAMAKO; MATSUDA, MAYAKO

    THE 24 LESSONS IN THIS TEXT ARE DESIGNED FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS BEGINNING JAPANESE LANGUAGE STUDY. THE SELECTION OF VOCABULARY AND THE PRESENTATION OF GRAMMAR ARE DIRECTED TO THE GOAL OF ACQUIRING FACILITY IN SPEAKING RATHER THAN WRITING. FOR A READING TEXT RECOMMENDED FOR USE WITH THIS SPOKEN LANGUAGE TEXT, SEE HIBBETT AND ITSAKA "MODERN…

  13. The modern Japanese color lexicon.

    PubMed

    Kuriki, Ichiro; Lange, Ryan; Muto, Yumiko; Brown, Angela M; Fukuda, Kazuho; Tokunaga, Rumi; Lindsey, Delwin T; Uchikawa, Keiji; Shioiri, Satoshi

    2017-03-01

    Despite numerous prior studies, important questions about the Japanese color lexicon persist, particularly about the number of Japanese basic color terms and their deployment across color space. Here, 57 native Japanese speakers provided monolexemic terms for 320 chromatic and 10 achromatic Munsell color samples. Through k-means cluster analysis we revealed 16 statistically distinct Japanese chromatic categories. These included eight chromatic basic color terms (aka/red, ki/yellow, midori/green, ao/blue, pink, orange, cha/brown, and murasaki/purple) plus eight additional terms: mizu ("water")/light blue, hada ("skin tone")/peach, kon ("indigo")/dark blue, matcha ("green tea")/yellow-green, enji/maroon, oudo ("sand or mud")/mustard, yamabuki ("globeflower")/gold, and cream. Of these additional terms, mizu was used by 98% of informants, and emerged as a strong candidate for a 12th Japanese basic color term. Japanese and American English color-naming systems were broadly similar, except for color categories in one language (mizu, kon, teal, lavender, magenta, lime) that had no equivalent in the other. Our analysis revealed two statistically distinct Japanese motifs (or color-naming systems), which differed mainly in the extension of mizu across our color palette. Comparison of the present data with an earlier study by Uchikawa & Boynton (1987) suggests that some changes in the Japanese color lexicon have occurred over the last 30 years.

  14. Kanji Recognition by Second Language Learners: Exploring Effects of First Language Writing Systems and Second Language Exposure

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Matsumoto, Kazumi

    2013-01-01

    This study investigated whether learners of Japanese with different first language (L1) writing systems use different recognition strategies and whether second language (L2) exposure affects L2 kanji recognition. The study used a computerized lexical judgment task with 3 types of kanji characters to investigate these questions: (a)…

  15. Doing Business in the Global Village: Japanese Professionals on EL Needs in Singapore

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yoneda, Mitaka

    2015-01-01

    This paper presents an analysis of English language (EL) education from the perspectives of Japanese and non-Japanese professionals in Singapore, based on their experiences of "doing business" in Singapore. As established career business people, the perspectives of Japanese participants offer a retrospective evaluation of their…

  16. A Micro-Ethnographic Study of the Communication/Language Development in a Japanese Child with Profound Hearing Loss before and after Cochlear Implantation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kretschmer, Richard R.; Kretschmer, Laura; Kuwahara, Katsura; Truax, Roberta

    2010-01-01

    This study described the communication and spoken language development of a Japanese girl with profound hearing loss who used a cochlear implant from 19 months of age. The girl, Akiko, was born in Belgium where her family was living at that time. After she was identified as deaf at birth, she and her parents were provided with support services.…

  17. First Language Composition Pedagogy in the Second Language Classroom: A Reassesment.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ross, Steven; And Others

    1988-01-01

    Evaluated the effectiveness of using native language (Japanese) based writing methods in English as a second language (ESL) classrooms. The methods compared included sentence combining and structural grammar instruction with journal writing, controlled composition writing with feedback on surface error, and peer reformulation. Journal writing, but…

  18. Now You Hear It, Now You Don't: Vowel Devoicing in Japanese Infant-Directed Speech

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fais, Laurel; Kajikawa, Sachiyo; Amano, Shigeaki; Werker, Janet F.

    2010-01-01

    In this work, we examine a context in which a conflict arises between two roles that infant-directed speech (IDS) plays: making language structure salient and modeling the adult form of a language. Vowel devoicing in fluent adult Japanese creates violations of the canonical Japanese consonant-vowel word structure pattern by systematically…

  19. The functional unit of Japanese word naming: evidence from masked priming.

    PubMed

    Verdonschot, Rinus G; Kiyama, Sachiko; Tamaoka, Katsuo; Kinoshita, Sachiko; Heij, Wido La; Schiller, Niels O

    2011-11-01

    Theories of language production generally describe the segment as the basic unit in phonological encoding (e.g., Dell, 1988; Levelt, Roelofs, & Meyer, 1999). However, there is also evidence that such a unit might be language specific. Chen, Chen, and Dell (2002), for instance, found no effect of single segments when using a preparation paradigm. To shed more light on the functional unit of phonological encoding in Japanese, a language often described as being mora based, we report the results of 4 experiments using word reading tasks and masked priming. Experiment 1 demonstrated using Japanese kana script that primes, which overlapped in the whole mora with target words, sped up word reading latencies but not when just the onset overlapped. Experiments 2 and 3 investigated a possible role of script by using combinations of romaji (Romanized Japanese) and hiragana; again, facilitation effects were found only when the whole mora and not the onset segment overlapped. Experiment 4 distinguished mora priming from syllable priming and revealed that the mora priming effects obtained in the first 3 experiments are also obtained when a mora is part of a syllable. Again, no priming effect was found for single segments. Our findings suggest that the mora and not the segment (phoneme) is the basic functional phonological unit in Japanese language production planning.

  20. Use of item response curves of the Force and Motion Conceptual Evaluation to compare Japanese and American students' views on force and motion

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ishimoto, Michi; Davenport, Glen; Wittmann, Michael C.

    2017-12-01

    Student views of force and motion reflect the personal experiences and physics education of the student. With a different language, culture, and educational system, we expect that Japanese students' views on force and motion might be different from those of American students. The Force and Motion Conceptual Evaluation (FMCE) is an instrument used to probe student views on force and motion. It was designed using research on American students, and, as such, the items might function differently for Japanese students. Preliminary results from a translated version indicated that Japanese students had similar misconceptions as those of American students. In this study, we used item response curves (IRCs) to make more detailed item-by-item comparisons. IRCs show the functioning of individual items across all levels of performance by plotting the proportion of each response as a function of the total score. Most of the IRCs showed very similar patterns on both correct and incorrect responses; however, a few of the plots indicate differences between the populations. The similar patterns indicate that students tend to interact with FMCE items similarly, despite differences in culture, language, and education. We speculate about the possible causes for the differences in some of the IRCs. This report is intended to show how IRCs can be used as a part of the validation process when making comparisons across languages and nationalities. Differences in IRCs can help to pinpoint artifacts of translation, contextual effects because of differences in culture, and perhaps intrinsic differences in student understanding of Newtonian motion.

  1. Broca's area and the language instinct.

    PubMed

    Musso, Mariacristina; Moro, Andrea; Glauche, Volkmar; Rijntjes, Michel; Reichenbach, Jürgen; Büchel, Christian; Weiller, Cornelius

    2003-07-01

    Language acquisition in humans relies on abilities like abstraction and use of syntactic rules, which are absent in other animals. The neural correlate of acquiring new linguistic competence was investigated with two functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies. German native speakers learned a sample of 'real' grammatical rules of different languages (Italian or Japanese), which, although parametrically different, follow the universal principles of grammar (UG). Activity during this task was compared with that during a task that involved learning 'unreal' rules of language. 'Unreal' rules were obtained manipulating the original two languages; they used the same lexicon as Italian or Japanese, but were linguistically illegal, as they violated the principles of UG. Increase of activation over time in Broca's area was specific for 'real' language acquisition only, independent of the kind of language. Thus, in Broca's area, biological constraints and language experience interact to enable linguistic competence for a new language.

  2. Psychometric properties of a Spanish-language version of the Short Inventory of Problems

    PubMed Central

    Kiluk, Brian D.; Dreifuss, Jessica A.; Weiss, Roger D.; Horigian, Viviana E.; Carroll, Kathleen M.

    2013-01-01

    Hispanic Americans are substantially under-represented in clinical and research samples for substance use treatment, with language cited as one of the major barriers to their participation, indicating a need for more validated assessments in Spanish. This study evaluated the psychometric properties of a Spanish version of the Short Inventory of Problems (SIP), used in a multisite, randomized trial conducted for Spanish-speaking substance users. The sample included 405 Spanish-speaking treatment seekers, mostly male (88%) and legally mandated to treatment (71%). The Spanish version of the revised SIP (SIP-RS), as well as other commonly-used assessment measures translated into Spanish, were administered at baseline and at the end of treatment. Internal consistency was excellent (α = .96), and construct validity was supported through correlations with composite scores from the Addiction Severity Index (ASI) (e.g., r = .57, p<.01 for ASI drug composite), and through differential SIP-RS scores according to diagnostic criteria. The SIP-RS also demonstrated an association with substance use and treatment retention, with higher baseline scores associated with significantly less abstinence during treatment (β = −.22, p<.01) and fewer days retained in treatment (β = −.14, p<.05). However, the latter association was moderated by participants’ legal status. Nevertheless, this Spanish-translated version of the SIP (SIP-RS) appears to be a reliable and valid assessment of adverse consequences associated with alcohol and drug use, with psychometric properties comparable to the English version. PMID:23772760

  3. The Japanese version of the modified ACR preliminary diagnostic criteria for fibromyalgia and the fibromyalgia symptom scale: reliability and validity.

    PubMed

    Usui, Chie; Hatta, Kotaro; Aratani, Satoko; Yagishita, Naoko; Nishioka, Kenya; Kanazawa, Teruhisa; Itoh, Kenji; Yamano, Yoshihisa; Nakamura, Hiroyuki; Nakajima, Toshihiro; Nishioka, Kusuki

    2013-09-01

    The aim of this study is to investigate the reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the modified American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Preliminary Diagnostic Criteria for Fibromyalgia (mACR 2010-J) and the Fibromyalgia Symptom Scale (mFS-J). According to the ACR 1990 classification criteria, patients with chronic pain were divided into the fibromyalgia group and nonfibromyalgia group (rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis). Patients in both groups were assessed using mACR 2010-J and mFS-J. 294 of 462 (64 %) patients in the fibromyalgia group met mACR 2010-J, whereas 4 % (9/231) of the nonfibromyalgia group did, with sensitivity of 64 %, specificity of 96 %, positive predictive value of 97 %, negative predictive value of 56 %, and positive likelihood ratio of 16.3. Mean total scores on mFS-J significantly differentiated the fibromyalgia from the nonfibromyalgia group. According to the value of the Youden index, the best cutoff score for the mFS-J was 9/10. Our findings indicate that mACR 2010-J as a positive test and mFS-J as a quantification scale might be suitable for assessing fibromyalgia among Japanese chronic pain populations.

  4. Contrastive Pragmatics of English and Japanese Offers and Requests.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Christianson, Kiel

    This paper analyzes a study by Fukushima (1990) of the English offers and responses of Japanese English as a foreign language (EFL) college students and reports on an experiment designed to address the perceived weaknesses of Fukushima's work. Fukushima's study found that many Japanese EFL learners could not use appropriate levels of politeness in…

  5. Stroop phenomena in the Japanese language: the case of ideographic characters (kanji) and syllabic characters (kana).

    PubMed

    Morikawa, Y

    1981-08-01

    Utilizing a unique feature of the Japanese languages--that besides two syllabic orthographies, which have identical pronunciations, words with the same pronunciation may also be written in an orthography composed of ideographic characters--we have conducted an investigation of Stroop phenomena. The fact that pronunciations of the three Japanese orthographies are identical means that, if there are any differences between them in the Stroop phenomena observed, we can place the locus of this interference effect in the perceptual process. Five color names were written in the ideographic characters (kanji) and the two syllabic orthographies (hiragana and katakana). Color-congruent cards and incongruent cards were utilized in a color-naming task and a word-reading task. Mean required times for the color-naming condition and the word-reading conditions were compared with those for control conditions. Stroop phenomena were observed in both ideographic and syllabic orthographies. Significant differences in mean required times were observed between the ideographic and syllabic orthographies but not between the two syllabic orthographies. Interferences in comparisons of Japanese orthographies and color patch control conditions were much smaller than in the case of Stroop's (1935) experiment. A "Reverse Stroop Phenomenon" was observed only in the case of kanji on incongruent cards in the word-reading condition. The results support the hypothesis that both ideographic characters (in this case, kanji) and colors are processed in a parallel fashion in the non-dominant right cerebral hemisphere, while syllabic or phonetic characters are processed in the dominant left cerebral hemisphere.

  6. [Multi-centre clinical assessment of the Russian language version of the Diagnostic Interview for Psychoses].

    PubMed

    Smirnova, D A; Petrova, N N; Pavlichenko, A V; Martynikhin, I A; Dorofeikova, M V; Eremkin, V I; Izmailova, O V; Osadshiy, Yu Yu; Romanov, D V; Ubeikon, D A; Fedotov, I A; Sheifer, M S; Shustov, A D; Yashikhina, A A; Clark, M; Badcock, J; Watterreus, A; Morgan, V; Jablensky, A

    2018-01-01

    The Diagnostic Interview for Psychoses (DIP) was developed to enhance the quality of diagnostic assessment of psychotic disorders. The aim of the study was the adaptation of the Russian language version and evaluation of its validity and reliability. Ninety-eight patients with psychotic disorders (89 video recordings) were assessed by 12 interviewers using the Russian version of DIP at 7 clinical sites (in 6 cities of the Russian Federation). DIP ratings on 32 cases of a randomized case sample were made by 9 interviewers and the inter-rater reliability was compared with the researchers' DIP ratings. Overall pairwise agreement and Cohen's kappa were calculated. Diagnostic validity was evaluated on the basis of comparing the researchers' ratings using the Russian version of DIP with the 'gold standard' ratings of the same 62 clinical cases from the Western Australia Family Study Schizophrenia (WAFSS). The mean duration of the interview was 47±21 minutes. The Kappa statistic demonstrated a significant or almost perfect level of agreement on the majority of DIP items (84.54%) and a significant agreement for the ICD-10 diagnoses generated by the DIP computer diagnostic algorithm (κ=0.68; 95% CI 0.53,0.93). The level of agreement on the researchers' diagnoses was considerably lower (κ=0.31; 95% CI 0.06,0.56). The agreement on affective and positive psychotic symptoms was significantly higher than agreement on negative symptoms (F(2,44)=20.72, p<0.001, η2=0.485). The diagnostic validity of the Russian language version of DIP was confirmed by 73% (45/62) of the Russian DIP diagnoses matching the original WAFSS diagnoses. Among the mismatched diagnoses were 80 cases with a diagnosis of F20 Schizophrenia in the medical documentation compared to the researchers' F20 diagnoses in only 68 patients and in 62 of the DIP computerized diagnostic outputs. The reported level of subjective difficulties experienced when using the DIP was low to moderate. The results of the study

  7. Unaccusative Mismatches in Japanese.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tsujimura, Natsuko

    Two instances of unaccusative verb mismatches in Japanese are examined. An unaccusative mismatch is the situation in which a different accusative diagnostic singles out different classes of intransitive verbs within and across languages. One type of unaccusative mismatch has to do with group C verbs, or verbs of manner with protagonist control.…

  8. I Can Learn Japanese.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rubin, Michael; Funato, Makiko

    This set of materials for Japanese second language instruction was designed for students who can be taught most effectively through a functional, conversational approach. It is intended as a supplement to the regular course of study so that all students, regardless of ability level, can be provided with an effective instructional program. It…

  9. Psychometric properties of the Japanese version of the Adult Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) Self-Report Scale (ASRS-J) and its short scale in accordance with DSM-5 diagnostic criteria.

    PubMed

    Takeda, Toshinobu; Tsuji, Yui; Kurita, Hiroshi

    2017-04-01

    We developed the Japanese version of the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS-J) and report its psychometric properties. The ASRS-J and other questionnaires were administered to 48 adults with ADHD, 46 adults with non-ADHD psychiatric disorders, 96 non-clinical adults, and 894 university students. ADHD diagnoses were made using the Japanese semi-structured diagnostic interview for adult ADHD, which is compatible with the DSM-5. The ASRS-J, its subscales, and the short form, all had Cronbach's α values of around 0.80. Total scores on the ASRS-J and the ASRS-J-6 were highly correlated with readministration after a two-week interval. The total and 18 individual item scores in the ASRS-J were significantly higher in the ADHD group than the other three groups. ASRS-J scores were correlated with scores on the Japanese version of Conners' Adult ADHD Rating Scales-Self Report subscales (0.59≤r≤0.77), with one exception. ASRS-J scores were also correlated (albeit more weakly; r=0.38) with Beck Depression Inventory-II total scores. Employing optimal cut-offs, sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of the ASRS-J and ASRS-J-6 are all above 0.69. The ASRS-J and ASRS-J-6 showed acceptable psychometric properties, although further study is necessary. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. "English-Only", but Not a Medium-of-Instruction Policy: The Japanese Way of Internationalising Education for Both Domestic and Overseas Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hashimoto, Kayoko

    2013-01-01

    While the medium-of-instruction (MOI) has been seen as one of the most crucial decision-making areas in language policies, it is curious that the equivalent Japanese expression to MOI is absent from educational policy documents. In a nation where the Japanese language is called the national language and enjoys the status of an official language,…

  11. Screening for Malnutrition in Community Dwelling Older Japanese: Preliminary Development and Evaluation of the Japanese Nutritional Risk Screening Tool (NRST).

    PubMed

    Htun, N C; Ishikawa-Takata, K; Kuroda, A; Tanaka, T; Kikutani, T; Obuchi, S P; Hirano, H; Iijima, K

    2016-02-01

    Early and effective screening for age-related malnutrition is an essential part of providing optimal nutritional care to older populations. This study was performed to evaluate the adaptation of the original SCREEN II questionnaire (Seniors in the Community: Risk Evaluation for Eating and Nutrition, version II) for use in Japan by examining its measurement properties and ability to predict nutritional risk and sarcopenia in community-dwelling older Japanese people. The ultimate objective of this preliminary validation study is to develop a license granted full Japanese version of the SCREEN II. The measurement properties and predictive validity of the NRST were examined in this cross-sectional study of 1921 community-dwelling older Japanese people. Assessments included medical history, and anthropometric and serum albumin measurements. Questions on dietary habits that corresponded to the original SCREEN II were applied to Nutritional Risk Screening Tool (NRST) scoring system. Nutritional risk was assessed by the Geriatric Nutrition Risk Index (GNRI) and the short form of the Mini-Nutritional Assessment (MNA-SF). Sarcopenia was diagnosed according to the criteria of the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People. The nutritional risk prevalences determined by the GNRI and MNA-SF were 5.6% and 34.7%, respectively. The prevalence of sarcopenia was 13.3%. Mean NRST scores were significantly lower in the nutritionally at-risk than in the well-nourished groups. Concurrent validity analysis showed significant correlations between NRST scores and both nutritional risk parameters (GNRI or MNA-SF) and sarcopenia. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUC) of NRST for the prediction of nutritional risk were 0.635 and 0.584 as assessed by GNRI and MNA-SF, respectively. AUCs for the prediction of sarcopenia were 0.602 (NRST), 0.655 (age-integrated NRST), and 0.676 (age and BMI-integrated NRST). These results indicate that the NRST is a

  12. Ada (Trade Name) Compiler Validation Summary Report: International Business Machines Corporation. IBM Development System for the Ada Language System, Version 1.1.0, IBM 4381 under MVS.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1988-05-22

    TITLE (andSubtile) 5. TYPE OF REPORT & PERIOD COVERED Ada Compler Validation Summary Report: 22 May 1987 to 22 May 1988 International Business Machines...IBM Development System for the Ada Language System, Version 1.1.0, International Business Machines Corporation, Wright-Patterson AFB. IBM 4381 under...SUMMARY REPORT: International Business Machines Corporation IBM Development System f’or the Ada Language System, Version 1.1.0 IBM 4381 under MVS

  13. The Japanese Experience of the NameExoWorlds Competition: Translating Official Information into Japanese to Enable Domestic Groups to Participate in a Global Event

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Usuda-Sato, K.; Iizuka, R.; Yamaoka, H.; Handa, T.

    2018-02-01

    Translation of information from English is an essential step toward ensuring the involvement of non-English speakers in global events. The NameExoWorlds competition, led by the International Astronomical Union (IAU), was held from 9 July 2014 to 15 December 2015. It was a unique event that invited the public to name celestial bodies. In Japan, language acts as a significant barrier for amateur astronomers and school students to participate in global events hosted in English. To address this concern, we established a domestic working group to set up a Japanese website and provided a translation of the IAU's official site for the NameExoWorlds competition. We also developed additional original information in Japanese when needed and sent announcements to a mailing lists of astronomy societies in Japan. As a result, 28% of the registered groups and 47% of proposals for names were from Japan, making Japan the most active country for these stages of the competition. After the competition had ended, we carried out a survey in the Japanese astronomy community and received 124 responses. We found that most of the Japanese participants referred to our official Japanese website in order to overcome the language barrier and participate in the competition. This article explores our work of translating the competition information into Japanese and our evaluation of the impact of this action on the uptake by Japanese astronomy enthusiasts.

  14. [Effect of concreteness of target words on verbal working memory: an evaluation using Japanese version of reading span test].

    PubMed

    Kondo, H; Osaka, N

    2000-04-01

    Effects of concreteness and representation mode (kanji/hiragana) of target words on working memory during reading was tested using Japanese version of reading span test (RST), developed by Osaka and Osaka (1994). Concreteness and familiarity of target words and difficulty of sentences were carefully controlled. The words with high concreteness resulted in significantly higher RST scores, which suggests the high efficiency of working memory in processing these words. The results suggest that high concrete noun-words associated with visual clues consume less working memory capacity during reading. The effect of representation mode is different between subjects with high-RST and low-RST scores. Characteristic of the high concrete words that may be responsible for the effectiveness of processing are discussed.

  15. Validation of the Japanese Society for Surgery of the Hand version of the Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Instrument.

    PubMed

    Imaeda, Toshihiko; Uchiyama, Shigeharu; Toh, Satoshi; Wada, Takuro; Okinaga, Shuji; Sawaizumi, Takuya; Nishida, Jun; Kusunose, Koichi; Omokawa, Shohei

    2007-01-01

    The Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Instrument (CTSI) is a disease-specific, self-administered questionnaire that consists of a symptom severity scale (SS) and a functional status scale (FS). The CTSI was cross-culturally adapted and developed by the Impairment Evaluation Committee, Japanese Society for Surgery of the Hand (JSSH). The purpose of this study was to test the reliability, validity, and responsiveness of the Japanese version of the CTSI (CTSI-JSSH). A consecutive series of 87 patients with carpal tunnel syndrome completed the CTSI-JSSH, the JSSH version of the Disability of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand questionnaire (DASH-JSSH), and the 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36). Seventy-two of the patients were reassessed for test-retest reliability 1 or 2 weeks later. Reliability was investigated by the reproducibility and the internal consistency. To analyze the validity, a factor analysis (principal axis factoring) of the CTSI-JSSH and the correlation coefficients between the CTSI-JSSH and DASH-JSSH were obtained. The responsiveness was examined by calculating the standardized response mean (SRM; mean change/SD) and effect size (mean change/SD of baseline value) after carpal tunnel release in 42 patients. Cronbach's alpha coefficients for the CTSI-JSSH-SS and the CTSI-JSSH-FS were 0.84 and 0.90, respectively, and the intraclass correlation coefficients were 0.82 and 0.83, respectively. The unidimensionality of the CTSI-JSSH-SS was barely confirmed; the unidimensionality of the CTSI-JSSH-FS was confirmed. The correlation coefficients between the CTSI-JSSH-FS and the CTSI-JSSH-SS or DASH-JSSH were 0.58 and 0.80, respectively. The correlation coefficient between the CTSI-JSSH-SS and DASH-JSSH was 0.54. The correlation coefficients between the subscales of SF-36 and the CTSI-JSSH-SS or the CTSI-JSSH-FS ranged from -0.23 to -0.66 and from -0.19 to -0.63, respectively. The SRMs/effect sizes of the CTSI-JSSH-SS and the CTSI-JSSH-FS were -0.85/-0.99 and -0

  16. Quantitative Aspects of Communicative Impairment Ascertained in a Large National Survey of Japanese Children.

    PubMed

    Oi, Manabu; Fujino, Hiroshi; Tsukidate, Naotake; Kamio, Yoko; Yoshimura, Yuko; Kikuchi, Mitsuru; Hasegawa, Chiaki; Gondou, Keiko; Matsui, Tomoko

    2017-10-01

    The Japanese version of the Children's Communication Checklist-2 (CCC-2) was rated by caregivers in a large national population sample of 22,871 children aged 3-15 years. The General Communication Composite (GCC) of the CCC-2 exhibited a distribution with a single-factor structure. The GCC distribution between autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and language impairment (LI) groups in the general population fit inside a bell curve with significant overlap with the general population, and a continuum was evident between groups. No evidence of a natural cutoff that would differentiate categorically affected from unaffected children was seen. The Social Interaction Deviance Composite (SIDC) supported the notion that ASD and LI are on the opposite endpoints of a SIDC continuum of communication impairment.

  17. The Role of Prefabricated Language in Young Children's Second Language Acquisition.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Perera, Natsuko Shibata

    2001-01-01

    A study investigated how young learners of English as a second language become both linguistically creative and capable of socializing in English through the use of prefabricated language (PL) (memorized chunks of sentences). Observations of four Japanese preschool children in two-way immersion programs suggested that PL acts as a scaffold for…

  18. Attitudes towards the Use of Masculine and Feminine Japanese among Foreign Professionals: What Can Learners Learn from Professionals?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Itakura, Hiroko

    2009-01-01

    Subordinate femininity associated with feminine Japanese has been found to pose barriers for foreign language learners of Japanese, especially among Western female learners of Japanese. The present study investigates attitudes towards the use of both masculine and feminine Japanese among non-native professional speakers of Japanese. The latter's…

  19. Interlingual Encounter in Pierre Garnier and Niikuni Seiichi's French-Japanese Concrete Poetry

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wong, Elaine S.

    2015-01-01

    In the latter half of the 1960s, without meeting each other and without knowing each other's language, French poet Pierre Garnier and Japanese poet Niikuni Seiichi [Japanese characters omitted] collaborated to create French-Japanese concrete poems. This essay examines the interlingual encounters in the two poets' bilingual poems that facilitate…

  20. Cultural adaptation: translatability assessment and linguistic validation of the patient-reported outcome instrument for irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea

    PubMed Central

    Delgado-Herrera, Leticia; Lasch, Kathryn; Popielnicki, Ana; Nishida, Akito; Arbuckle, Rob; Banderas, Benjamin; Zentner, Susan; Gagainis, Ingrid; Zeiher, Bernhardt

    2016-01-01

    Background and objective Following a 2009 US Food and Drug Administration guidance, a new patient-reported outcome (PRO) instrument was developed to support end points in multinational clinical trials assessing irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea (IBS-D) symptom severity. Our objective was to assess the translatability of the IBS-D PRO instrument into ten languages, and subsequently perform a cultural adaptation/linguistic validation of the questionnaire into Japanese and US Spanish. Materials and methods Translatability assessments of the US English version of the IBS-D PRO were performed by experienced PRO translators who were native speakers of each target language and currently residing in target-language countries. Languages were Chinese (People’s Republic of China), Dutch (the Netherlands), French (Belgium), German (Germany), Japanese (Japan), Polish (Poland), Portuguese (Brazil), Russian (Russia), Spanish (Mexico), and Spanish (US). The project team assessed the instrument to identify potential linguistic and/or cultural adaptation issues. After the issues identified were resolved, the instrument was translated into Spanish (US) and Japanese through a process of two forward translations, one reconciled translation, and one backward translation. The project team reviewed the translated versions before the instruments were evaluated by cognitive debriefing interviews with samples of five Spanish (US) and five Japanese IBS-D patients. Results Linguistic and cultural adaptation concerns identified during the translatability assessment required minor revisions, mainly the presentation of dates/times and word structure. During the cognitive debriefing interviews, two of five Spanish respondents misunderstood the term “bowel movement” to mean only diarrhea in the Spanish version. Consequently, the term was changed from “movimiento intestinal” to “evacuaciones”. None of the Japanese respondents identified issues with the Japanese version. Conclusion

  1. Cultural adaptation: translatability assessment and linguistic validation of the patient-reported outcome instrument for irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea.

    PubMed

    Delgado-Herrera, Leticia; Lasch, Kathryn; Popielnicki, Ana; Nishida, Akito; Arbuckle, Rob; Banderas, Benjamin; Zentner, Susan; Gagainis, Ingrid; Zeiher, Bernhardt

    2016-01-01

    Following a 2009 US Food and Drug Administration guidance, a new patient-reported outcome (PRO) instrument was developed to support end points in multinational clinical trials assessing irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea (IBS-D) symptom severity. Our objective was to assess the translatability of the IBS-D PRO instrument into ten languages, and subsequently perform a cultural adaptation/linguistic validation of the questionnaire into Japanese and US Spanish. Translatability assessments of the US English version of the IBS-D PRO were performed by experienced PRO translators who were native speakers of each target language and currently residing in target-language countries. Languages were Chinese (People's Republic of China), Dutch (the Netherlands), French (Belgium), German (Germany), Japanese (Japan), Polish (Poland), Portuguese (Brazil), Russian (Russia), Spanish (Mexico), and Spanish (US). The project team assessed the instrument to identify potential linguistic and/or cultural adaptation issues. After the issues identified were resolved, the instrument was translated into Spanish (US) and Japanese through a process of two forward translations, one reconciled translation, and one backward translation. The project team reviewed the translated versions before the instruments were evaluated by cognitive debriefing interviews with samples of five Spanish (US) and five Japanese IBS-D patients. Linguistic and cultural adaptation concerns identified during the translatability assessment required minor revisions, mainly the presentation of dates/times and word structure. During the cognitive debriefing interviews, two of five Spanish respondents misunderstood the term "bowel movement" to mean only diarrhea in the Spanish version. Consequently, the term was changed from "movimiento intestinal" to "evacuaciones". None of the Japanese respondents identified issues with the Japanese version. The translatability of the IBS-D PRO instrument into ten target languages was

  2. Auditory Modeling for Noisy Speech Recognition.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2000-01-01

    multiple platforms including PCs, workstations, and DSPs. A prototype version of the SOS process was tested on the Japanese Hiragana language with good...judgment among linguists. American English has 48 phonetic sounds in the ARPABET representation. Hiragana , the Japanese phonetic language, has only 20... Japanese Hiragana ," H.L. Pfister, FL 95, 1995. "State Recognition for Noisy Dynamic Systems," H.L. Pfister, Tech 2005, Chicago, 1995. "Experiences

  3. Interlanguage Pragmatics Study of Indirect Complaint among Japanese ESL Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Baba, Junko

    2010-01-01

    This interlanguage pragmatics study of linguistic expressions of affect focuses on how Japanese learners of English may express themselves in an affect-laden speech act of indirect complaint. The English as a Second Language (ESL) learners' data are compared with the baseline data of native speakers of Japanese (JJ) and American English (AA). The…

  4. Research Paper Writing Strategies of Professional Japanese EFL Writers.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Matsumoto, Kazuko

    1995-01-01

    Four Japanese university professors were interviewed on their strategies for writing a research paper in English as a Foreign Language (EFL). Results indicate that these writers use strategies similar to those used by skilled native English writers and proficient writers of English as a Second Language. (35 references) (Author/CK)

  5. [Catalan version of Barcelona Test's verbal subtests].

    PubMed

    Lluent Vallet, R; Peña-Casanova, J; Böhm, P

    2002-03-01

    Test Barcelona. Bilingüismo catalán-castellano. Adaptación lingüística de instrumentos neuropsicológicos. The present paper develops the Catalan version of the language subtests of the Barcelona Test (Peña-Casanova,1986) the original version of which was published in Spanish. To reach the Catalan version of the test it has been necessary to analyse the psycholinguistic variables of every item to then establish linguistically equivalent correlations. There are some subtests for which no modifications have been needed. Nevertheless, and because of some psycholinguistic features of Catalan (Catalan's spelling is not completely free of ambiguity) some subtests have suffered substantial modifications. The following paper presents the justification of every modification based on the features of the Catalan language and also based on the original goals of the test. An appendix contains the final version of the Catalan adaptation for the language subtests of the Barcelona Test. The present paper represents an advance in the assessment of neurological patients with language disfunctions. It will permit an appropiate assessment for the Spanish-Catalan bilingual patients.

  6. Keys of Japanese Prosody and Didactical-Technical Analysis of OJAD (Online Japanese Accent Dictionary)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Delgado Algarra, Emilio José

    2016-01-01

    Most of the studies focus on the teaching of foreign languages indicate that little attention is paid to the prosodic features both didactic materials and teaching-learning processes (Martinsen, Avord and Tanner, 2014). In this context and throughout this article, an analysis of the didactical and technical dimensions of OJAD (Japanese Accent…

  7. Trust in One’s Physician: The Role of Ethnic Match, Autonomy, Acculturation, and Religiosity Among Japanese and Japanese Americans

    PubMed Central

    Tarn, Derjung M.; Meredith, Lisa S.; Kagawa-Singer, Marjorie; Matsumura, Shinji; Bito, Seiji; Oye, Robert K.; Liu, Honghu; Kahn, Katherine L.; Fukuhara, Shunichi; Wenger, Neil S.

    2005-01-01

    PURPOSE Trust is a cornerstone of the physician-patient relationship. We investigated the relation of patient characteristics, religiosity, acculturation, physician ethnicity, and insurance-mandated physician change to levels of trust in Japanese American and Japanese patients. METHODS A self-administered, cross-sectional questionnaire in English and Japanese (completed in the language of their choice) was given to community-based samples of 539 English-speaking Japanese Americans, 340 Japanese-speaking Japanese Americans, and 304 Japanese living in Japan. RESULTS Eighty-seven percent of English-speaking Japanese Americans, 93% of Japanese-speaking Japanese Americans, and 58% of Japanese living in Japan responded to trust items and reported mean trust scores of 83, 80, and 68, respectively, on a scale ranging from 0 to 100. In multivariate analyses, English-speaking and Japanese-speaking Japanese American respondents reported more trust than Japanese respondents living in Japan (P values <.001). Greater religiosity (P <.001), less desire for autonomy (P <.001), and physician-patient relationships of longer duration (P <.001) were related to increased trust. Among Japanese Americans, more acculturated respondents reported more trust (P <.001), and Japanese physicians were trusted more than physicians of another ethnicity. Among respondents prompted to change physicians because of insurance coverage, the 48% who did not want to switch reported less trust in their current physician than in their former physician (mean score of 82 vs 89, P <.001). CONCLUSIONS Religiosity, autonomy preference, and acculturation were strongly related to trust in one’s physician among the Japanese American and Japanese samples studied and may provide avenues to enhance the physician-patient relationship. The strong relationship of trust with patient-physician ethnic match and the loss of trust when patients, in retrospect, report leaving a preferred physician suggest unintended

  8. The Relationship between Global Competence and Language Learning Motivation: An Empirical Study in Critical Language Classrooms

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Semaan, Gaby; Yamazaki, Kasumi

    2015-01-01

    This article examines the relationship between global competence and second language learning motivation in critical language classrooms. Data were collected from 137 participants who were studying critical languages (Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Persian) at two universities on the East and West Coasts of the United States, using a 30-item…

  9. Neural networks involved in learning lexical-semantic and syntactic information in a second language.

    PubMed

    Mueller, Jutta L; Rueschemeyer, Shirley-Ann; Ono, Kentaro; Sugiura, Motoaki; Sadato, Norihiro; Nakamura, Akinori

    2014-01-01

    The present study used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate the neural correlates of language acquisition in a realistic learning environment. Japanese native speakers were trained in a miniature version of German prior to fMRI scanning. During scanning they listened to (1) familiar sentences, (2) sentences including a novel sentence structure, and (3) sentences containing a novel word while visual context provided referential information. Learning-related decreases of brain activation over time were found in a mainly left-hemispheric network comprising classical frontal and temporal language areas as well as parietal and subcortical regions and were largely overlapping for novel words and the novel sentence structure in initial stages of learning. Differences occurred at later stages of learning during which content-specific activation patterns in prefrontal, parietal and temporal cortices emerged. The results are taken as evidence for a domain-general network supporting the initial stages of language learning which dynamically adapts as learners become proficient.

  10. Psychometric evaluation of a unified Portuguese-language version of the Body Shape Questionnaire in female university students.

    PubMed

    Silva, Wanderson Roberto; Costa, David; Pimenta, Filipa; Maroco, João; Campos, Juliana Alvares Duarte Bonini

    2016-07-21

    The objectives of this study were to develop a unified Portuguese-language version, for use in Brazil and Portugal, of the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ) and to estimate its validity, reliability, and internal consistency in Brazilian and Portuguese female university students. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed using both original (34-item) and shortened (8-item) versions. The model's fit was assessed with χ²/df, CFI, NFI, and RMSEA. Concurrent and convergent validity were assessed. Reliability was estimated through internal consistency and composite reliability (α). Transnational invariance of the BSQ was tested using multi-group analysis. The original 32-item model was refined to present a better fit and adequate validity and reliability. The shortened model was stable in both independent samples and in transnational samples (Brazil and Portugal). The use of this unified version is recommended for the assessment of body shape concerns in both Brazilian and Portuguese college students.

  11. Language-Specific Developmental Differences in Speech Production: A Cross-Language Acoustic Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Li, Fangfang

    2012-01-01

    Speech productions of 40 English- and 40 Japanese-speaking children (aged 2-5) were examined and compared with the speech produced by 20 adult speakers (10 speakers per language). Participants were recorded while repeating words that began with "s" and "sh" sounds. Clear language-specific patterns in adults' speech were found,…

  12. Validity and reliability of the Cognitive Complaints in Bipolar Disorder Rating Assessment (COBRA) in Japanese patients with bipolar disorder.

    PubMed

    Toyoshima, Kuniyoshi; Fujii, Yutaka; Mitsui, Nobuyuki; Kako, Yuki; Asakura, Satoshi; Martinez-Aran, Anabel; Vieta, Eduard; Kusumi, Ichiro

    2017-08-01

    In Japan, there are currently no reliable rating scales for the evaluation of subjective cognitive impairment in patients with bipolar disorder. We studied the relationship between the Japanese version of the Cognitive Complaints in Bipolar Disorder Rating Assessment (COBRA) and objective cognitive assessments in patients with bipolar disorder. We further assessed the reliability and validity of the COBRA. Forty-one patients, aged 16-64, in a remission period of bipolar disorder were recruited from Hokkaido University Hospital in Sapporo, Japan. The COBRA (Japanese version) and Frankfurt Complaint Questionnaire (FCQ), the gold standard in subjective cognitive assessment, were administered. A battery of neuropsychological tests was employed to measure objective cognitive impairment. Correlations among the COBRA, FCQ, and neuropsychological tests were determined using Spearman's correlation coefficient. The Japanese version of the COBRA had high internal consistency, good retest reliability, and concurrent validity-as indicated by a strong correlation with the FCQ. A significant correlation was also observed between the COBRA and objective cognitive measurements of processing speed. These findings are the first to demonstrate that the Japanese version of the COBRA may be clinically useful as a subjective cognitive impairment rating scale in Japanese patients with bipolar disorder. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Foreign Language Maintenance Classes for Returnees.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yashiro, Kyoko

    Recent studies by the Management and Coordination Agency of the Japanese government and the Japan Overseas Educational Services (JOES) reveal that Japanese students returning from overseas want to retain their foreign language, and that a majority undertake various maintenance activities. Maintenance classes are widely adopted. Research indicates…

  14. Now you hear it, now you don't: vowel devoicing in Japanese infant-directed speech.

    PubMed

    Fais, Laurel; Kajikawa, Sachiyo; Amano, Shigeaki; Werker, Janet F

    2010-03-01

    In this work, we examine a context in which a conflict arises between two roles that infant-directed speech (IDS) plays: making language structure salient and modeling the adult form of a language. Vowel devoicing in fluent adult Japanese creates violations of the canonical Japanese consonant-vowel word structure pattern by systematically devoicing particular vowels, yielding surface consonant clusters. We measured vowel devoicing rates in a corpus of infant- and adult-directed Japanese speech, for both read and spontaneous speech, and found that the mothers in our study preserve the fluent adult form of the language and mask underlying phonological structure by devoicing vowels in infant-directed speech at virtually the same rates as those for adult-directed speech. The results highlight the complex interrelationships among the modifications to adult speech that comprise infant-directed speech, and that form the input from which infants begin to build the eventual mature form of their native language.

  15. Foreign Language Houses: Identities in Transition

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bown, Jennifer; Dewey, Dan P.; Martinsen, Rob A.; Baker, Wendy

    2011-01-01

    This study examined the lived experience of students participating in foreign language houses to improve their skills in Russian, French, or Japanese. American students residing in apartments with other language learners and a native-speaking resident facilitator were required to speak with one another exclusively in the target language and…

  16. High School Foreign Language Students' Perceptions of Language Learning Strategies Use and Self-Efficacy.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Capital Language Resource Center, Washington, DC.

    This study investigated the relationship of language learning strategies use and self-efficacy of high school students learning Chinese, German, Russian, Japanese, and Spanish. Through two questionnaires, The Language Learning Strategies Questionnaire and The Self-Efficacy Questionnaire, researchers were able to collect and analyze data on…

  17. The suicide assessment scale: psychometric properties of a Norwegian language version.

    PubMed

    Koldsland, Bjørn Odd; Mehlum, Lars; Mellesdal, Liv Solrunn; Walby, Fredrik A; Diep, Lien M

    2012-08-07

    Rating scales are valuable tools in suicide research and can also be useful supplements to the clinical interview in suicide risk assessments. This study describes the psychometric properties of a Norwegian language version of the Suicide Assessment Scale Self-report version (SUAS-S). Participants were fifty-two patients (mean age = 39.3 years, SD = 10.7) with major depression (53.8%), bipolar disorder (25.0%) and/or a personality disorder (63.5%) referred to a psychiatric outpatient clinic. The SUAS-S, the screening section of the Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideation (BSS-5), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck's Hopelessness Scale (BHS), the Symptom Check-List-90 R (SCL-90R) and the Clinical Global Impression for Severity of Suicidality (CGI-SS) were administered. One week later, the patients completed the SUAS-S a second time. Cronbach's alpha for SUAS-S was 0.88 and the test-retest reliability was 0.95 (95% CI: 0.93- 0.97). SUAS-S was positively correlated with the BSS-5 (r = 0.66; 95% CI: 0.47-0.85) for the study sample as a whole and for the suicidal (r = 0.52) and non-suicidal groups (r = 0.50) respectively. There was no difference between the SUAS-S and the BSS-5 in the ability to identify suicidality. This ability was more pronounced when the suicide risk was high. There was a substantial intercorrelation between the score on the SUAS-S and the BDI (0.81) and the BHS (0.76). The sensitivity and specificity of the SUAS-S was explored and an appropriate clinical cut-off value was assessed. The study revealed good internal consistency, test-retest reliability and concurrent validity for the Suicide Assessment Scale Self-report version. The discriminatory ability for suicidality was comparable to that of the BSS-5.

  18. Identifying Residual Speech Sound Disorders in Bilingual Children: A Japanese-English Case Study

    PubMed Central

    Preston, Jonathan L.; Seki, Ayumi

    2012-01-01

    Purpose The purposes are to (1) describe the assessment of residual speech sound disorders (SSD) in bilinguals by distinguishing speech patterns associated with second language acquisition from patterns associated with misarticulations, and (2) describe how assessment of domains such as speech motor control and phonological awareness can provide a more complete understanding of SSDs in bilinguals. Method A review of Japanese phonology is provided to offer a context for understanding the transfer of Japanese to English productions. A case study of an 11-year-old is presented, demonstrating parallel speech assessments in English and Japanese. Speech motor and phonological awareness tasks were conducted in both languages. Results Several patterns were observed in the participant’s English that could be plausibly explained by the influence of Japanese phonology. However, errors indicating a residual SSD were observed in both Japanese and English. A speech motor assessment suggested possible speech motor control problems, and phonological awareness was judged to be within the typical range of performance in both languages. Conclusion Understanding the phonological characteristics of L1 can help clinicians recognize speech patterns in L2 associated with transfer. Once these differences are understood, patterns associated with a residual SSD can be identified. Supplementing a relational speech analysis with measures of speech motor control and phonological awareness can provide a more comprehensive understanding of a client’s strengths and needs. PMID:21386046

  19. C Language Integrated Production System, Ada Version

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Culbert, Chris; Riley, Gary; Savely, Robert T.; Melebeck, Clovis J.; White, Wesley A.; Mcgregor, Terry L.; Ferguson, Melisa; Razavipour, Reza

    1992-01-01

    CLIPS/Ada provides capabilities of CLIPS v4.3 but uses Ada as source language for CLIPS executable code. Implements forward-chaining rule-based language. Program contains inference engine and language syntax providing framework for construction of expert-system program. Also includes features for debugging application program. Based on Rete algorithm which provides efficient method for performing repeated matching of patterns. Written in Ada.

  20. Japan-U.S. Joint Ventures in Higher Education: Language Education in an Uncertain Future.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Clayton, Thomas

    1991-01-01

    Examines Japanese-U.S. joint venture language or U.S.-style education programs in Japan. These programs offer language and cultural education classes for those interested in English and for students who have failed in the Japanese education system. Problems facing these programs and the need to explore new, English-language education markets are…

  1. Panic disorder and perceived parental rearing behavior investigated by the Japanese version of the EMBU scale.

    PubMed

    Someya, T; Kitamura, H; Uehara, T; Sakado, K; Kaiya, H; Tang, S W; Takahashi, S

    2000-01-01

    Although recent studies have found dysfunctional parental rearing behaviour is associated with certain aspects of psychopathology of panic disorder (PD), the results are not in complete agreement. By using a translated Japanese version of the EMBU (Egna Minnen Beträffande Uppfostran), we investigated the parental rearing behavior perceived by 103 normal subjects, 71 PD patients with agoraphobia, and 32 PD patients without agoraphobia. The PD patients scored both parents as more rejecting and overprotective than did the controls. However, subgroup analysis showed that the patients with agoraphobia reported significantly more rejection from both parents and less emotional warmth from mothers, while the patients without agoraphobia, by contrast, reported more overprotection from both parents and more favouring subject from fathers than did the controls. Interestingly, these results were consistent with those documented in the Western literature, which reported "affectionless control" as a parenting style in PD, and, furthermore, indicated a cross-cultural similarity of parental rearing factor. In addition, it was suggested that a lack of care might be associated with the development of agoraphobia in Japan.

  2. A one-year longitudinal study of English and Japanese vowel production by Japanese adults and children in an English-speaking setting

    PubMed Central

    Oh, Grace E.; Guion-Anderson, Susan; Aoyama, Katsura; Flege, James E.; Akahane-Yamada, Reiko; Yamada, Tsuneo

    2011-01-01

    The effect of age of acquisition on first- and second-language vowel production was investigated. Eight English vowels were produced by Native Japanese (NJ) adults and children as well as by age-matched Native English (NE) adults and children. Productions were recorded shortly after the NJ participants’ arrival in the USA and then one year later. In agreement with previous investigations [Aoyama, et al., J. Phon. 32, 233–250 (2004)], children were able to learn more, leading to higher accuracy than adults in a year’s time. Based on the spectral quality and duration comparisons, NJ adults had more accurate production at Time 1, but showed no improvement over time. The NJ children’s productions, however, showed significant differences from the NE children’s for English “new” vowels /ɪ/, /ε/, /ɑ/, /ʌ/ and /ʊ/ at Time 1, but produced all eight vowels in a native-like manner at Time 2. An examination of NJ speakers’ productions of Japanese /i/, /a/, /u/ over time revealed significant changes for the NJ Child Group only. Japanese /i/ and /a/ showed changes in production that can be related to second language (L2) learning. The results suggest that L2 vowel production is affected importantly by age of acquisition and that there is a dynamic interaction, whereby the first and second language vowels affect each other. PMID:21603058

  3. Traditional, Natural, and TPR Approaches to ESL: A Study of Japanese Students.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Furuhata, Hamako

    1999-01-01

    Reports a study of Japanese students' perception of traditional methods versus the natural approach and total physical response (TPR) methods for learning English, and their preferred styles of learning. Subjects were Japanese students attending intensive language schools in the U.S. Students generally preferred innovative methods, such as…

  4. Pedagogical Perspectives on Using Films in Foreign Language Classes. SFC Monograph #4.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Casanave, Christine Pearson, Ed.; Simons, J. David, Ed.

    This collection of articles on use of films in second language instruction, particularly for teaching English as a second language (ESL) in Japanese colleges and universities, includes: "Whole Movies and Engaged Response in the Japanese University ESL Classroom" (David P. Shea); "Films in English Class: Going Beyond a Content…

  5. Emergence of Japanese Infants' Prosodic Preferences in Infant-Directed Vocabulary

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hayashi, Akiko; Mazuka, Reiko

    2017-01-01

    The article examines the role of infant-directed vocabulary (IDV) in infants language acquisition, specifically addressing the question of whether IDV forms that are not prominent in adult language may nonetheless be useful to the process of acquisition. Japanese IDV offers a good test case, as IDV characteristically takes a bisyllabic…

  6. Creating a Global Cultural Consciousness in a Japanese EFL Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Aubrey, Scott

    2009-01-01

    Recently, culture has taken an important role in language education. In this view, creating a global cultural consciousness among second language (L2) students can help bridge the gap between linguistic ability and functional intercultural communication. This paper, which makes reference to Japanese adult EFL learners, justifies the body of…

  7. Cross-cultural adaptation and psychometric properties of an Arabic language version of the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire in Lebanon.

    PubMed

    Saarti, Stéphanie; Jabbour, Hicham; El Osta, Nada; Hajj, Aline; Khabbaz, Lydia Rabbaa

    2016-01-01

    Patients' positive illness perceptions (IPs) significantly contribute to treatment success. The Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (Brief IPQ) is widely used in various diseases for assessing IPs. It was developed in English-speaking countries and studies on it in Arab countries are scarce. This observational cross-sectional study aimed to cross-culturally adapt the Brief IPQ English version into a modern Arabic language version and determine its psychometric properties in a sample of Lebanese cardiac disease patients. This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Saint Joseph University of Beirut, Lebanon. A convenience sample of 30 patients with cardiac disease were recruited during routine visits to cardiologists' offices in Beirut, Lebanon. Inclusion criteria were at least one cardiac disease for at least 6 months with no acute episode or exacerbation of the disease during the 6 preceding months, age ≥ 18 years, and the ability to read and comprehend Arabic. The pre-final version of the Brief IPQ Arabic version was tested for face and content validity. The meaning, comprehensibility, and acceptability were studied by individual interviews. For discriminant validity and internal consistency of the Brief IPQ Arabic version (Brief IPQ-Ar), 100 patients were recruited in a similar manner using the same inclusion criteria. To assess reproducibility, 30 patients, selected randomly from the 100 patients, filled the questionnaire a second time, 3-4 weeks after its first administration and under the same conditions. Psychometric properties of the Brief IPQ-Ar among Lebanese patients suffering from cardiac diseases. Semantic equivalence between the Brief IPQ-Ar questions and patients' descriptions was 100%. Cronbach's alpha was 0.717, which shows good internal consistency. Reproducibility was satisfactory (ICC values>0.776). Moreover, the Brief IPQ-Ar discriminated participants according to the type of cardiac disease and treatment

  8. Cross-cultural adaptation and psychometric properties of an Arabic language version of the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire in Lebanon.

    PubMed

    Saarti, Stéphanie; Jabbour, Hicham; Osta, Nada El; Hajj, Aline; Khabbaz, Lydia Rabbaa

    2016-01-01

    Background Patients' positive illness perceptions (IPs) significantly contribute to treatment success. The Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (Brief IPQ) is widely used in various diseases for assessing IPs. It was developed in English-speaking countries and studies on it in Arab countries are scarce. Objectives, Setting and design This observational cross-sectional study aimed to cross-culturally adapt the Brief IPQ English version into a modern Arabic language version and determine its psychometric properties in a sample of Lebanese cardiac disease patients. This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Saint Joseph University of Beirut, Lebanon. Participants A convenience sample of 30 patients with cardiac disease were recruited during routine visits to cardiologists' offices in Beirut, Lebanon. Inclusion criteria were at least one cardiac disease for at least 6 months with no acute episode or exacerbation of the disease during the 6 preceding months, age≥18 years, and the ability to read and comprehend Arabic. The pre-final version of the Brief IPQ Arabic version was tested for face and content validity. The meaning, comprehensibility, and acceptability were studied by individual interviews. For discriminant validity and internal consistency of the Brief IPQ Arabic version (Brief IPQ-Ar), 100 patients were recruited in a similar manner using the same inclusion criteria. To assess reproducibility, 30 patients, selected randomly from the 100 patients, filled the questionnaire a second time, 3-4 weeks after its first administration and under the same conditions. Main outcome measures Psychometric properties of the Brief IPQ-Ar among Lebanese patients suffering from cardiac diseases. Results Semantic equivalence between the Brief IPQ-Ar questions and patients' descriptions was 100%. Cronbach's alpha was 0.717, which shows good internal consistency. Reproducibility was satisfactory (ICC values>0.776). Moreover, the Brief IPQ-Ar discriminated

  9. Why Japanese workers show low work engagement: An item response theory analysis of the Utrecht Work Engagement scale.

    PubMed

    Shimazu, Akihito; Schaufeli, Wilmar B; Miyanaka, Daisuke; Iwata, Noboru

    2010-11-05

    With the globalization of occupational health psychology, more and more researchers are interested in applying employee well-being like work engagement (i.e., a positive, fulfilling, work-related state of mind that is characterized by vigor, dedication, and absorption) to diverse populations. Accurate measurement contributes to our further understanding and to the generalizability of the concept of work engagement across different cultures. The present study investigated the measurement accuracy of the Japanese and the original Dutch versions of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (9-item version, UWES-9) and the comparability of this scale between both countries. Item Response Theory (IRT) was applied to the data from Japan (N = 2,339) and the Netherlands (N = 13,406). Reliability of the scale was evaluated at various levels of the latent trait (i.e., work engagement) based the test information function (TIF) and the standard error of measurement (SEM). The Japanese version had difficulty in differentiating respondents with extremely low work engagement, whereas the original Dutch version had difficulty in differentiating respondents with high work engagement. The measurement accuracy of both versions was not similar. Suppression of positive affect among Japanese people and self-enhancement (the general sensitivity to positive self-relevant information) among Dutch people may have caused decreased measurement accuracy. Hence, we should be cautious when interpreting low engagement scores among Japanese as well as high engagement scores among western employees.

  10. Regional Classification of Traditional Japanese Folk Songs

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kawase, Akihiro; Tokosumi, Akifumi

    In this study, we focus on the melodies of Japanese folk songs, and examine the basic structures of Japanese folk songs that represent the characteristics of different regions. We sample the five largest song genres within the music corpora of the Nihon Min-yo Taikan (Anthology of Japanese Folk Songs), consisting of 202,246 tones from 1,794 song pieces from 45 prefectures in Japan. Then, we calculate the probabilities of 24 transition patterns that fill the interval of the perfect fourth pitch, which is the interval that maintains most of the frequency for one-step and two-step pitch transitions within 11 regions, in order to determine the parameters for cluster analysis. As a result, we successively classify the regions into two basic groups, eastern Japan and western Japan, which corresponds to geographical factors and cultural backgrounds, and also match accent distributions in the Japanese language.

  11. Relations of social problem solving with interpersonal competence in Japanese students.

    PubMed

    Sumi, Katsunori

    2011-12-01

    To clarify the relations of the dimensions of social problem solving with those of interpersonal competence in a sample of 234 Japanese college students, Japanese versions of the Social Problem-solving Inventory-Revised and the Social Skill Scale were administered. Pearson correlations between the two sets of variables were low, but higher within each set of subscales. Cronbach's alpha was low for four subscales assessing interpersonal competence.

  12. Effects of Sound, Vocabulary, and Grammar Learning Aptitude on Adult Second Language Speech Attainment in Foreign Language Classrooms

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Saito, Kazuya

    2017-01-01

    This study examines the relationship between different types of language learning aptitude (measured via the LLAMA test) and adult second language (L2) learners' attainment in speech production in English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) classrooms. Picture descriptions elicited from 50 Japanese EFL learners from varied proficiency levels were analyzed…

  13. Prueba de Aptitud para el Aprendizaje de Lenguas Extranjeras (PAPALE) Language Aptitude Test (LAT) (First and Second Versions). English for Special Purposes. Emergency Care Attendant.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Muro, Gertrude

    This book contains two versions of the Language Aptitude Test. It is part of a package of materials developed for use in an English for Special Purposes project, which offers classes in reading, grammar, and emergency care attendant training for limited English proficient students. Introductory material describes the parts of two versions and…

  14. Use of spoken and written Japanese did not protect Japanese-American men from cognitive decline in late life.

    PubMed

    Crane, Paul K; Gruhl, Jonathan C; Erosheva, Elena A; Gibbons, Laura E; McCurry, Susan M; Rhoads, Kristoffer; Nguyen, Viet; Arani, Keerthi; Masaki, Kamal; White, Lon

    2010-11-01

    Spoken bilingualism may be associated with cognitive reserve. Mastering a complicated written language may be associated with additional reserve. We sought to determine if midlife use of spoken and written Japanese was associated with lower rates of late life cognitive decline. Participants were second-generation Japanese-American men from the Hawaiian island of Oahu, born 1900-1919, free of dementia in 1991, and categorized based on midlife self-reported use of spoken and written Japanese (total n included in primary analysis = 2,520). Cognitive functioning was measured with the Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument scored using item response theory. We used mixed effects models, controlling for age, income, education, smoking status, apolipoprotein E e4 alleles, and number of study visits. Rates of cognitive decline were not related to use of spoken or written Japanese. This finding was consistent across numerous sensitivity analyses. We did not find evidence to support the hypothesis that multilingualism is associated with cognitive reserve.

  15. Use of Spoken and Written Japanese Did Not Protect Japanese-American Men From Cognitive Decline in Late Life

    PubMed Central

    Gruhl, Jonathan C.; Erosheva, Elena A.; Gibbons, Laura E.; McCurry, Susan M.; Rhoads, Kristoffer; Nguyen, Viet; Arani, Keerthi; Masaki, Kamal; White, Lon

    2010-01-01

    Objectives. Spoken bilingualism may be associated with cognitive reserve. Mastering a complicated written language may be associated with additional reserve. We sought to determine if midlife use of spoken and written Japanese was associated with lower rates of late life cognitive decline. Methods. Participants were second-generation Japanese-American men from the Hawaiian island of Oahu, born 1900–1919, free of dementia in 1991, and categorized based on midlife self-reported use of spoken and written Japanese (total n included in primary analysis = 2,520). Cognitive functioning was measured with the Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument scored using item response theory. We used mixed effects models, controlling for age, income, education, smoking status, apolipoprotein E e4 alleles, and number of study visits. Results. Rates of cognitive decline were not related to use of spoken or written Japanese. This finding was consistent across numerous sensitivity analyses. Discussion. We did not find evidence to support the hypothesis that multilingualism is associated with cognitive reserve. PMID:20639282

  16. Language Adaptive LVCSR Through Polyphone Decision Tree Specialization

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2000-08-01

    transfer models outperform monolingual ones [3], [14]. modeling. Since for the monolingual case the use of larger phonetic context windows has proven to...12.1 2. Multiple Languages German 11.8 61K 200 44.5 43 9.0 For our experiments we developed monolingual LVCSR sys- Japanese 10.0 22K 230 33.8 33 7.9... monolingual recognizer. Since the Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, engines are the same across the languages, differences in the

  17. Factors Affecting the Baseline and Post-Treatment Scores on the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised Japanese Version before and after Whole-Brain Radiation Therapy

    PubMed Central

    Saito, Hirotake; Tanaka, Kensuke; Kanemoto, Ayae; Nakano, Toshimichi; Abe, Eisuke; Aoyama, Hidefumi

    2016-01-01

    Our objectives were to (1) investigate the feasibility of the use of the Japanese version of the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised (HVLT-R); (2) identify the clinical factors influencing the HVLT-R scores of patients undergoing whole-brain radiation therapy (WBRT); and (3) compare the neurocognitive function (NCF) after WBRT in different dose fractionation schedules. We administered the HVLT-R (Japanese version) before (baseline) and at four and eight months after WBRT in 45 patients who received either therapeutic (35Gy-in-14, n = 16; 30Gy-in-10, n = 18) or prophylactic (25Gy-in-10, n = 11) WBRT. Sixteen patients dropped out before the eight-month examination, due mostly to death from cancer. The Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) 80–100 group had significantly higher baseline total recall (TR) scores (p = 0.0053), delayed recall (DR) scores (p = 0.012), and delayed recognition (DRecog) scores (p = 0.0078). The patients aged ≤65 years also had significantly higher TR scores (p = 0.030) and DRecog scores (p = 0.031). The patients who underwent two examinations (worse-prognosis group) had significantly decreased DR scores four months after WBRT compared to the baseline (p = 0.0073), and they were significantly more likely to have declined individual TR scores (p = 0.0017) and DR scores (p = 0.035) at four months. The eight-month HVLT-R scores did not significantly decline regardless of the WBRT dose fractionation. The baseline NCF was determined by age and KPS, and the early decline in NCF is characteristic of the worse-prognosis group. PMID:27827891

  18. The Development and Validation of a Spanish Language Version of the Test Anxiety Inventory for Children and Adolescents

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Unruh, Susan M.; Lowe, Patricia A.

    2010-01-01

    This study details the development and validation of a Spanish language version of the Test Anxiety Inventory for Children and Adolescents (TAICA) for elementary and secondary students. In this study, the TAICA was adapted and administered to a sample of 197 students, 87 males and 110 females, aged 9 to 19 years, in Grades 4 to 12. Results of an…

  19. Pragmatics & Language Learning. Volume 12

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kasper, Gabriele, Ed.; Nguyen, Hanh thi, Ed.; Yoshimi, Dina Rudolph, Ed.; Yoshioka, Jim K., Ed.

    2010-01-01

    This volume examines the organization of second language and multilingual speakers' talk and pragmatic knowledge across a range of naturalistic and experimental activities. Based on data collected on Danish, English, Hawai'i Creole, Indonesian, and Japanese as target languages, the contributions explore the nexus of pragmatic knowledge,…

  20. An investigation of the basic education of Japanese nurses: comparison of competency with European nurses.

    PubMed

    Tateishi, Kazuko; Matsubayashi, Taro; Yoshimoto, Keiichi; Sakemi, Takanobu

    2013-05-01

    A few studies have compared nursing education systems of Japan and Europe, particularly focusing on competency. We evaluated the competency of registered Japanese nurses by comparing it with that of European nurses; the implications of evaluation for the education of nurses are discussed. Subjects were 468 European graduate nurses and 100 Japanese nurses. Study used data from the Graduates in Knowledge Society (REFLEX) survey in Europe and the Japanese language version of REFLEX (2006) used in a survey of Japanese nurses. The questionnaire referred to the survey items of REFLEX modified for use in Japan. Items common to the Japanese and European surveys were (1) The importance placed on university course elements while at university (2) Nineteen items of competency: for the abilities acquired in the present job ('Acquired skills') and those considered necessary to perform the job ('Required abilities on the job') (3) Usefulness of subject matter taught at university to the current job (1) The important course elements in Europe were 'Internship, work placement' and 'Lecture' while those in Japan were 'Theories and paradigms' and 'Lecture'. (2) The mean values for 'Acquired skills' were 5.06 for Europe and 3.73 for Japan and those for 'Required abilities on the job' were 4.86 for Europe and 5.16 for Japan. In Europe, no significant gap was observed between the above two scores, but in Japan, a big gap was found, particularly in relation to 'Ability to assert your authority'. (3) In terms of the usefulness of university-learned nursing education, Japan scored significantly lower on all five items. The content of basic university education for nursing is directly linked to the workplace in Europe but not in Japan. A comparison of competencies shows that in Japan, self-evaluation scores are low and expectations are high. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Altered brain activity for phonological manipulation in dyslexic Japanese children

    PubMed Central

    Yamamoto, Hisako; Oba, Kentaro; Terasawa, Yuri; Moriguchi, Yoshiya; Uchiyama, Hitoshi; Seki, Ayumi; Koeda, Tatsuya; Inagaki, Masumi

    2013-01-01

    Because of unique linguistic characteristics, the prevalence rate of developmental dyslexia is relatively low in the Japanese language. Paradoxically, Japanese children have serious difficulty analysing phonological processes when they have dyslexia. Neurobiological deficits in Japanese dyslexia remain unclear and need to be identified, and may lead to better understanding of the commonality and diversity in the disorder among different linguistic systems. The present study investigated brain activity that underlies deficits in phonological awareness in Japanese dyslexic children using functional magnetic resonance imaging. We developed and conducted a phonological manipulation task to extract phonological processing skills and to minimize the influence of auditory working memory on healthy adults, typically developing children, and dyslexic children. Current experiments revealed that several brain regions participated in manipulating the phonological information including left inferior and middle frontal gyrus, left superior temporal gyrus, and bilateral basal ganglia. Moreover, dyslexic children showed altered activity in two brain regions. They showed hyperactivity in the basal ganglia compared with the two other groups, which reflects inefficient phonological processing. Hypoactivity in the left superior temporal gyrus was also found, suggesting difficulty in composing and processing phonological information. The altered brain activity shares similarity with those of dyslexic children in countries speaking alphabetical languages, but disparity also occurs between these two populations. These are initial findings concerning the neurobiological impairments in dyslexic Japanese children. PMID:24052613

  2. Altered brain activity for phonological manipulation in dyslexic Japanese children.

    PubMed

    Kita, Yosuke; Yamamoto, Hisako; Oba, Kentaro; Terasawa, Yuri; Moriguchi, Yoshiya; Uchiyama, Hitoshi; Seki, Ayumi; Koeda, Tatsuya; Inagaki, Masumi

    2013-12-01

    Because of unique linguistic characteristics, the prevalence rate of developmental dyslexia is relatively low in the Japanese language. Paradoxically, Japanese children have serious difficulty analysing phonological processes when they have dyslexia. Neurobiological deficits in Japanese dyslexia remain unclear and need to be identified, and may lead to better understanding of the commonality and diversity in the disorder among different linguistic systems. The present study investigated brain activity that underlies deficits in phonological awareness in Japanese dyslexic children using functional magnetic resonance imaging. We developed and conducted a phonological manipulation task to extract phonological processing skills and to minimize the influence of auditory working memory on healthy adults, typically developing children, and dyslexic children. Current experiments revealed that several brain regions participated in manipulating the phonological information including left inferior and middle frontal gyrus, left superior temporal gyrus, and bilateral basal ganglia. Moreover, dyslexic children showed altered activity in two brain regions. They showed hyperactivity in the basal ganglia compared with the two other groups, which reflects inefficient phonological processing. Hypoactivity in the left superior temporal gyrus was also found, suggesting difficulty in composing and processing phonological information. The altered brain activity shares similarity with those of dyslexic children in countries speaking alphabetical languages, but disparity also occurs between these two populations. These are initial findings concerning the neurobiological impairments in dyslexic Japanese children.

  3. Measurement Invariance of the Short Version of the Problematic Mobile Phone Use Questionnaire (PMPUQ-SV) across Eight Languages.

    PubMed

    Lopez-Fernandez, Olatz; Kuss, Daria J; Pontes, Halley M; Griffiths, Mark D; Dawes, Christopher; Justice, Lucy V; Männikkö, Niko; Kääriäinen, Maria; Rumpf, Hans-Jürgen; Bischof, Anja; Gässler, Ann-Kathrin; Romo, Lucia; Kern, Laurence; Morvan, Yannick; Rousseau, Amélie; Graziani, Pierluigi; Demetrovics, Zsolt; Király, Orsolya; Schimmenti, Adriano; Passanisi, Alessia; Lelonek-Kuleta, Bernadeta; Chwaszcz, Joanna; Chóliz, Mariano; Zacarés, Juan José; Serra, Emilia; Dufour, Magali; Rochat, Lucien; Zullino, Daniele; Achab, Sophia; Landrø, Nils Inge; Suryani, Eva; Hormes, Julia M; Terashima, Javier Ponce; Billieux, Joël

    2018-06-08

    The prevalence of mobile phone use across the world has increased greatly over the past two decades. Problematic Mobile Phone Use (PMPU) has been studied in relation to public health and comprises various behaviours, including dangerous, prohibited, and dependent use. These types of problematic mobile phone behaviours are typically assessed with the short version of the Problematic Mobile Phone Use Questionnaire (PMPUQ⁻SV). However, to date, no study has ever examined the degree to which the PMPU scale assesses the same construct across different languages. The aims of the present study were to (i) determine an optimal factor structure for the PMPUQ⁻SV among university populations using eight versions of the scale (i.e., French, German, Hungarian, English, Finnish, Italian, Polish, and Spanish); and (ii) simultaneously examine the measurement invariance (MI) of the PMPUQ⁻SV across all languages. The whole study sample comprised 3038 participants. Descriptive statistics, correlations, and Cronbach's alpha coefficients were extracted from the demographic and PMPUQ-SV items. Individual and multigroup confirmatory factor analyses alongside MI analyses were conducted. Results showed a similar pattern of PMPU across the translated scales. A three-factor model of the PMPUQ-SV fitted the data well and presented with good psychometric properties. Six languages were validated independently, and five were compared via measurement invariance for future cross-cultural comparisons. The present paper contributes to the assessment of problematic mobile phone use because it is the first study to provide a cross-cultural psychometric analysis of the PMPUQ-SV.

  4. Speaking Politely, Kindly, and Beautifully: Ideologies of Politeness in Japanese Business Etiquette Training

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dunn, Cynthia Dickel

    2013-01-01

    In recent years, politeness theory has increasingly focused on speakers' own conceptualizations of polite behavior, viewing politeness concepts as a type of language ideology. This article examines the construction of Japanese politeness concepts in the business etiquette training provided for new employees in Japanese companies. Drawing on…

  5. Synthetic Biology Open Language (SBOL) Version 2.0.0.

    PubMed

    Bartley, Bryan; Beal, Jacob; Clancy, Kevin; Misirli, Goksel; Roehner, Nicholas; Oberortner, Ernst; Pocock, Matthew; Bissell, Michael; Madsen, Curtis; Nguyen, Tramy; Zhang, Zhen; Gennari, John H; Myers, Chris; Wipat, Anil; Sauro, Herbert

    2015-09-04

    Synthetic biology builds upon the techniques and successes of genetics, molecular biology, and metabolic engineering by applying engineering principles to the design of biological systems. The field still faces substantial challenges, including long development times, high rates of failure, and poor reproducibility. One method to ameliorate these problems would be to improve the exchange of information about designed systems between laboratories. The Synthetic Biology Open Language (SBOL) has been developed as a standard to support the specification and exchange of biological design information in synthetic biology, filling a need not satisfied by other pre-existing standards. This document details version 2.0 of SBOL, introducing a standardized format for the electronic exchange of information on the structural and functional aspects of biological designs. The standard has been designed to support the explicit and unambiguous description of biological designs by means of a well defined data model. The standard also includes rules and best practices on how to use this data model and populate it with relevant design details. The publication of this specification is intended to make these capabilities more widely accessible to potential developers and users in the synthetic biology community and beyond.

  6. High School Student Perceptions of First Language Literacy Instruction: Implications for Second Language Writing.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kobayashi, Hiroe; Rinnert, Carol

    2002-01-01

    Investigated Japanese students' first language (L1) writing experience and instruction received in high school in order to help their university English-as-a-Second-Language writing teachers understand their needs. Analysis of interview data suggests ways teachers can draw on students' strengths in terms of their literacy background to help them…

  7. [Reliability and validity of the modified Perceived Health Competence Scale (PHCS) Japanese version].

    PubMed

    Togari, Taisuke; Yamazaki, Yoshihiko; Koide, Syotaro; Miyata, Ayako

    2006-01-01

    In community and workplace health plans, the Perceived Health Competence Scale (PHCS) is employed as an index of health competency. The purpose of this research was to examine the reliability and validity of a modified Japanese PHCS. Interviews were sought with 3,000 randomly selected Japanese individuals using a two-step stratified method. Valid PHCS responses were obtained from 1,910 individuals, yielding a 63.7% response rate. Reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha coefficient (henceforth, alpha) to evaluate internal consistency, and by employing item-total correlation and alpha coefficient analyses to assess the effect of removal of variables from the model. To examine content validity, we assessed the correlation between the PHCS score and four respondent attribute characteristics, that is, sex, age, the presence of chronic disease, and the existence of chronic disease at age 18. The correlation between PHCS score and commonly employed healthy lifestyle indices was examined to assess construct validity. General linear model statistical analysis was employed. The modified Japanese PHCS demonstrated a satisfactory alpha coefficient of 0.869. Moreover, reliability was confirmed by item-total correlation and alpha coefficient analyses after removal of variables from the model. Differences in PHCS scores were seen between individuals 60 years and older, and younger individuals. These with current chronic disease, or who had had a chronic disease at age 18, tended to have lower PHCS scores. After controlling for the presence of current or age 18 chronic disease, age, and sex, significant correlations were seen between PHCS scores and tobacco use, dietary habits, and exercise, but not alcohol use or frequency of medical consultation. This study supports the reliability and validity, and hence supports the use, of the modified Japanese PHCS. Future longitudinal research is needed to evaluate the predictive power of modified Japanese PHCS scores, to examine

  8. The development of perceptual grouping biases in infancy: a Japanese-English cross-linguistic study.

    PubMed

    Yoshida, Katherine A; Iversen, John R; Patel, Aniruddh D; Mazuka, Reiko; Nito, Hiromi; Gervain, Judit; Werker, Janet F

    2010-05-01

    Perceptual grouping has traditionally been thought to be governed by innate, universal principles. However, recent work has found differences in Japanese and English speakers' non-linguistic perceptual grouping, implicating language in non-linguistic perceptual processes (Iversen, Patel, & Ohgushi, 2008). Two experiments test Japanese- and English-learning infants of 5-6 and 7-8 months of age to explore the development of grouping preferences. At 5-6 months, neither the Japanese nor the English infants revealed any systematic perceptual biases. However, by 7-8 months, the same age as when linguistic phrasal grouping develops, infants developed non-linguistic grouping preferences consistent with their language's structure (and the grouping biases found in adulthood). These results reveal an early difference in non-linguistic perception between infants growing up in different language environments. The possibility that infants' linguistic phrasal grouping is bootstrapped by abstract perceptual principles is discussed. Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Incremental Sentence Processing in Japanese: A Maze Investigation into Scrambled and Control Sentences

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Witzel, Jeffrey; Witzel, Naoko

    2016-01-01

    This study investigates preverbal structural and semantic processing in Japanese, a head-final language, using the maze task. Two sentence types were tested--simple scrambled sentences (Experiment 1) and control sentences (Experiment 2). Experiment 1 showed that even for simple, mono-clausal Japanese sentences, (1) there are online processing…

  10. Why Some Imperfectives Are Interpreted Imperfectly: A Study of Chinese Learners of Japanese

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gabriele, Alison; McClure, William

    2011-01-01

    The study investigates whether advanced second language (L2) learners can extend beyond the grammatical properties of the first language (L1) to successfully acquire tense and aspect. We examine the acquisition of the semantics of the imperfective marker "te-iru" in Japanese by native speakers of Mandarin Chinese, a language that…

  11. Efficacy and safety of memantine in patients with moderate-to-severe Alzheimer's disease: results of a pooled analysis of two randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials in Japan

    PubMed Central

    Nakamura, Yu; Kitamura, Shin; Homma, Akira; Shiosakai, Kazuhito; Matsui, Daiju

    2014-01-01

    Background: With the increase in the aging population, there is a pressing need to provide effective treatment options for individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Memantine is an N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist used to treat AD in > 80 countries worldwide, and studies in the USA and Europe have shown it to be effective in improving language deficits; however, there are currently no data on language improvements in Japanese patients treated with memantine. Objectives: To clarify the efficacy and safety of memantine in Japanese outpatients with moderate to severe AD, using a pooled analysis of two multicenter randomized placebo-controlled trials, a phase 2 dose-finding study and a phase 3 study. Results: The final analysis comprised 633 patients (318 receiving memantine and 315 placebo). Memantine produced better outcomes in terms of Severe Impairment Battery-Japanese version, Clinician's Interview-Based Impression of Change plus-Japanese version, Behavioral Pathology in AD Rating Scale, and language scores, versus placebo. The overall incidence of adverse events and adverse reactions was similar between groups. Conclusion: In this pooled analysis of Japanese patients, memantine achieved better outcomes than placebo in terms of cognition, including attention, praxis, visuospatial ability and language, and behavioral and psychological symptoms, including activity disturbances and aggressiveness. PMID:24673497

  12. CALL Vocabulary Learning in Japanese: Does Romaji Help Beginners Learn More Words?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Okuyama, Yoshiko

    2007-01-01

    This study investigated the effects of using Romanized spellings on beginner-level Japanese vocabulary learning. Sixty-one first-semester students at two universities in Arizona were both taught and tested on 40 Japanese content words in a computer-assisted language learning (CALL) program. The primary goal of the study was to examine whether the…

  13. Ready To Read: Laying the Foundation for School Success. Satellite Town Meeting #77: March 20, 2001. Spanish Language Version. [Videotape].

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Department of Education, Washington, DC.

    This interactive teleconference (in VHS format, Spanish language version) presents renowned national experts, local educators, and community leaders who share ideas on how to improve schools and reach the National Educational Goals. The 60-minute Satellite Town Meeting focuses on laying the foundation for school success through readiness to read.…

  14. Reliability and Validity of Kurdish Language Version of Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile II among Kurdish Healthcare Providers Kurdish Version of HPLP-II.

    PubMed

    Kamali, Aram Salih Mohammed Amin; Sadeghi, Roya; Tol, Azar; Yaseri, Mahdi

    2016-12-01

    Unhealthy lifestyles pose significant threat to public health. This study aimed to assess the validity and reliability of a Kurdish version of the HPLP-II instrument among Kurdish healthcare providers, whose society and culture differ from that of North America and Spain, where the instrument was developed. The instrument was translated into Kurdish, back translated, and pilot tested to ascertain cultural sensitivity. It was then evaluated using a convenience sample of 460 healthcare providers in the Kurdistan region, northern Iraq using a principal components factor analysis. The order of factors was entirely identical to those isolated previously during the psychometric assessment of the English language version. The majority of our study participants were male (55%). In addition, 39.2% of participants were nurses. In addition, 42% of participants had less than five years of working experience. Furthermore, 82.1% of our study population held a high school diploma. The mean (SE) of Physical Activities dimension was low (15.3 ± 4.8) compared to Spiritual Growth dimension (24.5 ± 4.4). Moreover, the Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the overall HPLP-II questionnaire was 0.870; however, the nutrition dimension was low (0.622) compared to Physical Activities dimension (0.792). Furthermore, the correlation between items ranged from 0.099 to 0.611. The Kurdish version of the HPLP-II demonstrated initial reliability and validity. It is a precious tool to evaluate and assess lifestyle and lifestyle interventions built to improve the health of Kurds.

  15. The Development of Perceptual Grouping Biases in Infancy: A Japanese-English Cross-Linguistic Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yoshida, Katherine A.; Iversen, John R.; Patel, Aniruddh D.; Mazuka, Reiko; Nito, Hiromi; Gervain, Judit; Werker, Janet F.

    2010-01-01

    Perceptual grouping has traditionally been thought to be governed by innate, universal principles. However, recent work has found differences in Japanese and English speakers' non-linguistic perceptual grouping, implicating language in non-linguistic perceptual processes (Iversen, Patel, & Ohgushi, 2008). Two experiments test Japanese- and…

  16. Why Japanese workers show low work engagement: An item response theory analysis of the Utrecht Work Engagement scale

    PubMed Central

    2010-01-01

    With the globalization of occupational health psychology, more and more researchers are interested in applying employee well-being like work engagement (i.e., a positive, fulfilling, work-related state of mind that is characterized by vigor, dedication, and absorption) to diverse populations. Accurate measurement contributes to our further understanding and to the generalizability of the concept of work engagement across different cultures. The present study investigated the measurement accuracy of the Japanese and the original Dutch versions of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (9-item version, UWES-9) and the comparability of this scale between both countries. Item Response Theory (IRT) was applied to the data from Japan (N = 2,339) and the Netherlands (N = 13,406). Reliability of the scale was evaluated at various levels of the latent trait (i.e., work engagement) based the test information function (TIF) and the standard error of measurement (SEM). The Japanese version had difficulty in differentiating respondents with extremely low work engagement, whereas the original Dutch version had difficulty in differentiating respondents with high work engagement. The measurement accuracy of both versions was not similar. Suppression of positive affect among Japanese people and self-enhancement (the general sensitivity to positive self-relevant information) among Dutch people may have caused decreased measurement accuracy. Hence, we should be cautious when interpreting low engagement scores among Japanese as well as high engagement scores among western employees. PMID:21054839

  17. French-language version of the World Health Organization quality of life spirituality, religiousness and personal beliefs instrument

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Background A valid assessment of spirituality and religiousness is necessary for clinical and research purposes. We developed and assessed the validity of a French-language version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life Spirituality, Religiousness and Personal Beliefs Instrument (WHOQOL-SRPB). Methods The SRPB was translated into French according to the methods recommended by the WHOQOL group. An Internet survey was conducted in 561 people in 2010, with follow-up 2 weeks later (n = 231, 41%), to assess reliability, factor structure, social desirability bias and construct validity of this scale. Tests were performed based on item-response theory. Results A modal score of 1 (all answers=”not at all”) was observed for Faith (in 34% of participants), Connectedness (27%), and Spiritual Strength (14%). All scales had test-retest reliability coefficients ≥0.7. Cronbach’s alpha coefficients were high for all subscales (0.74 to 0.98) and very high (>0.9) for three subscales (Connectedness, Spiritual Strength and Faith). Scores of Faith, Connectedness, Spiritual Strength and Meaning of Life were higher for respondents with religious practice than for those who had no religious practice. No association was found between SRPB and age or sex. The Awe subscale had a low information function for all levels of the Awe latent trait and may benefit from inclusion of an additional item. Conclusions The French language version of the SRPB retained many properties of the original version. However, the SRPB could be improved by trimming redundant items. The strength of SRPB relies on its multinational development and validation, allowing for cross-cultural comparisons. PMID:22515747

  18. The Experiences of Anxiety of Japanese EFL Learners: A Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Leichsenring, Andrew

    2010-01-01

    Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety is an educational phenomenon that has gained growing attention among researchers over the past three decades. It is a form of anxiety that can be debilitating and arises from various sources. This research examined foreign language classroom-based anxiety experiences of two adult Japanese English language…

  19. The Effects of Frequency, Distribution, Mode of Presentation, and First Language on Learning an Artificial Language

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Miyata, Munehiko

    2011-01-01

    This dissertation presents results from a series of experiments investigating adult learning of an artificial language and the effects that input frequency (high vs. low token frequency), frequency distribution (skewed vs. balanced), presentation mode (structured vs. scrambled), and first language (English vs. Japanese) have on such learning.…

  20. Assessment of Proficiency in Japanese as a Foreign Language. Conference Proceedings of an International Working Group Sponsored by the Asian Studies Council (Canberra, Australia, June 12-14, 1990).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wylie, Elaine, Ed.

    The proceedings of a working group conference on proficiency testing of Japanese as a second language contain a brief background paper distributed to conference invitees, a list of items included in the pre-conference portfolio, an advance organizer of potential discussion topics, a 77-item annotated list of bibliographies on second language…

  1. Learning Styles and Individual Differences in Learning English Idioms via Computer Assisted Language Learning in English as a Second Language.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Viteli, Jarmo

    The purpose of this study was to determine the learning styles of English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students and individual differences in learning English idioms via computer assisted language learning (CALL). Thirty-six Hispanic students, 26 Japanese students, and 6 students with various language backgrounds from the Nova University Intensive…

  2. Orthographic Reading Deficits in Dyslexic Japanese Children: Examining the Transposed-Letter Effect in the Color-Word Stroop Paradigm

    PubMed Central

    Ogawa, Shino; Shibasaki, Masahiro; Isomura, Tomoko; Masataka, Nobuo

    2016-01-01

    In orthographic reading, the transposed-letter effect (TLE) is the perception of a transposed-letter position word such as “cholocate” as the correct word “chocolate.” Although previous studies on dyslexic children using alphabetic languages have reported such orthographic reading deficits, the extent of orthographic reading impairment in dyslexic Japanese children has remained unknown. This study examined the TLE in dyslexic Japanese children using the color-word Stroop paradigm comprising congruent and incongruent Japanese hiragana words with correct and transposed-letter positions. We found that typically developed children exhibited Stroop effects in Japanese hiragana words with both correct and transposed-letter positions, thus indicating the presence of TLE. In contrast, dyslexic children indicated Stroop effects in correct letter positions in Japanese words but not in transposed, which indicated an absence of the TLE. These results suggest that dyslexic Japanese children, similar to dyslexic children using alphabetic languages, may also have a problem with orthographic reading. PMID:27303331

  3. Orthographic Reading Deficits in Dyslexic Japanese Children: Examining the Transposed-Letter Effect in the Color-Word Stroop Paradigm.

    PubMed

    Ogawa, Shino; Shibasaki, Masahiro; Isomura, Tomoko; Masataka, Nobuo

    2016-01-01

    In orthographic reading, the transposed-letter effect (TLE) is the perception of a transposed-letter position word such as "cholocate" as the correct word "chocolate." Although previous studies on dyslexic children using alphabetic languages have reported such orthographic reading deficits, the extent of orthographic reading impairment in dyslexic Japanese children has remained unknown. This study examined the TLE in dyslexic Japanese children using the color-word Stroop paradigm comprising congruent and incongruent Japanese hiragana words with correct and transposed-letter positions. We found that typically developed children exhibited Stroop effects in Japanese hiragana words with both correct and transposed-letter positions, thus indicating the presence of TLE. In contrast, dyslexic children indicated Stroop effects in correct letter positions in Japanese words but not in transposed, which indicated an absence of the TLE. These results suggest that dyslexic Japanese children, similar to dyslexic children using alphabetic languages, may also have a problem with orthographic reading.

  4. Synesthetic colors for Japanese late acquired graphemes.

    PubMed

    Asano, Michiko; Yokosawa, Kazuhiko

    2012-06-01

    Determinants of synesthetic color choice for the Japanese logographic script, Kanji, were studied. The study investigated how synesthetic colors for Kanji characters, which are usually acquired later in life than other types of graphemes in Japanese language (phonetic characters called Hiragana and Katakana, and Arabic digits), are influenced by linguistic properties such as phonology, orthography, and meaning. Of central interest was a hypothesized generalization process from synesthetic colors for graphemes, learned prior to acquisition of Kanji, to Kanji characters learned later. Results revealed that color choices for Kanji characters depend on meaning and phonological information. Some results suggested that colors are generalized from Hiragana characters and Arabic digits to Kanji characters via phonology and meaning, respectively. Little influence of orthographic information was observed. The findings and approach of this study contributes to a clarification of the mechanism underlying grapheme-color synesthesia, especially in terms of its relationship to normal language processing. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Reliability and validity of the PedsQL™ Multidimensional Fatigue Scale in Japan.

    PubMed

    Kobayashi, Kyoko; Okano, Yoshiyuki; Hohashi, Naohiro

    2011-09-01

    To examine the reliability and validity of the Japanese-language version of the PedsQL™ Multidimensional Fatigue Scale and to investigate the agreement between child self-reported fatigue and parent proxy-reported fatigue. The Japanese-language version of the PedsQL™ Multidimensional Fatigue Scale was administered to 652 preschoolers and schoolchildren aged 5-12 and their parents, and to 91 parents of preschool children aged 1-4. Internal consistency reliability was 0.62-0.87 for children and 0.81-0.93 for parents. Known-group validity was examined between a group of healthy samples (n = 530) and chronic condition sample (n = 102); the chronically ill group reported a significantly higher perceived fatigue problem. Correlations between child self- and parent proxy reports ranged from poor to fair. In subgroups identified by cluster analysis based on child self-reported scores, the greatest agreement between child and parent reports was seen in the good HRQOL group, while the least occurred in the poor HRQOL group. The parents overestimated their child's fatigue more when the child's HRQOL was low. The Japanese-language version of the PedsQL™ Multidimensional Fatigue Scale demonstrated good reliability and validity and could be useful in evaluating Japanese children in school and health care settings.

  6. An Overview of Computer-Based Natural Language Processing.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gevarter, William B.

    Computer-based Natural Language Processing (NLP) is the key to enabling humans and their computer-based creations to interact with machines using natural languages (English, Japanese, German, etc.) rather than formal computer languages. NLP is a major research area in the fields of artificial intelligence and computational linguistics. Commercial…

  7. An Analysis of Japanese Medical Periodicals

    PubMed Central

    Taniguchi, Mayumi

    1965-01-01

    Medical periodicals published in Japan were studied by analyzing the journals abstracted in Igaku Chuo Zasshi (ICZ), the most comprehensive abstracting service for Japanese medical journal articles. Since the inauguration of medical periodicals in 1869, the number of journals has increased remarkably. In 1963 ICZ abstracted 1,074 journals published in Japan (960 in Japanese and 114 in other languages). Of these 1,074 titles, 855 were on medical sciences, of which 740 were substantive. A subject analysis of the substantive journals in ICZ, as compared to the 124 Japanese journals currently indexed in Index Medicus, was also made. Data were presented relating the number of periodicals to the size of the medical scene in Japan and the United States, and it was pointed out that good control of the literature, by whatever methods, requires a knowledge of the extent of the publications. PMID:14223738

  8. The suicide assessment scale: Psychometric properties of a Norwegian language version

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Background Rating scales are valuable tools in suicide research and can also be useful supplements to the clinical interview in suicide risk assessments. This study describes the psychometric properties of a Norwegian language version of the Suicide Assessment Scale Self-report version (SUAS-S). Methods Participants were fifty-two patients (mean age = 39.3 years, SD = 10.7) with major depression (53.8%), bipolar disorder (25.0%) and/or a personality disorder (63.5%) referred to a psychiatric outpatient clinic. The SUAS-S, the screening section of the Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideation (BSS-5), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck’s Hopelessness Scale (BHS), the Symptom Check-List-90 R (SCL-90R) and the Clinical Global Impression for Severity of Suicidality (CGI-SS) were administered. One week later, the patients completed the SUAS-S a second time. Results Cronbach’s alpha for SUAS-S was 0.88 and the test–retest reliability was 0.95 (95% CI: 0.93– 0.97). SUAS-S was positively correlated with the BSS-5 (r = 0.66; 95% CI: 0.47–0.85) for the study sample as a whole and for the suicidal (r = 0.52) and non-suicidal groups (r = 0.50) respectively. There was no difference between the SUAS-S and the BSS-5 in the ability to identify suicidality. This ability was more pronounced when the suicide risk was high. There was a substantial intercorrelation between the score on the SUAS-S and the BDI (0.81) and the BHS (0.76). The sensitivity and specificity of the SUAS-S was explored and an appropriate clinical cut-off value was assessed. Conclusions The study revealed good internal consistency, test–retest reliability and concurrent validity for the Suicide Assessment Scale Self-report version. The discriminatory ability for suicidality was comparable to that of the BSS-5. PMID:22870950

  9. Language, Thought, and Real Nouns

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Barner, David; Inagaki, Shunji; Li, Peggy

    2009-01-01

    We test the claim that acquiring a mass-count language, like English, causes speakers to think differently about entities in the world, relative to speakers of classifier languages like Japanese. We use three tasks to assess this claim: object-substance rating, quantity judgment, and word extension. Using the first two tasks, we present evidence…

  10. "Doing" Language: Making New Links.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Larson, Phyllis

    1999-01-01

    Describes a Japanese language program at a small liberal arts college in Minnesota that is making connections with the general studies program of the college. Four cultural studies courses are intended to demonstrate to students the symbiosis between language and culture and to provide a context for the students' study in Japan. (Author/VWL)

  11. How to Reason with Economic Concepts: Cognitive Process of Japanese Undergraduate Students Solving Test Items

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Asano, Tadayoshi; Yamaoka, Michio

    2015-01-01

    The authors administered a Japanese version of the Test of Understanding in College Economics, the fourth edition (TUCE-4) to assess the economic literacy of Japanese undergraduate students in 2006 and 2009. These two test results were combined to investigate students' cognitive process or reasoning with specific economic concepts and principles…

  12. Adult perceptions of phonotactic violations in Japanese

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fais, Laurel; Kajikawa, Sachiyo; Werker, Janet; Amano, Shigeaki

    2004-05-01

    Adult Japanese speakers ``hear'' epenthetic vowels in productions of Japanese-like words that violate the canonical CVCVCV form by containing internal consonant clusters (CVCCV) [Dupoux et al., J. Exp. Psychol. 25, 1568-1578 (1999)]. Given this finding, this research examined how Japanese adults rated the goodness of Japanese-like words produced without a vowel in the final syllable (CVC), and words produced without vowels in the penultimate and final syllables (CVCC). Furthermore, in some of these contexts, voiceless vowels may appear in fluent, casual Japanese productions, especially in the Kanto dialect, and in some, such voiceless vowels may not appear. Results indicate that both Kanto and Kinki speakers rated CVC productions for contexts in which voiceless vowels are not allowed as the worst; they rated CVC and CVCC contexts in which voiceless vowel productions are allowed as better. In these latter contexts, the CVC words, which result from the loss of one, final, vowel, are judged to be better than the CVCC words, which result from the loss of two (final and penultimate) vowels. These results mirror the relative seriousness of the phonotactic violations and indicate listeners have tacit knowledge of these regularities in their language.

  13. The Frame Constraint on Experimentally Elicited Speech Errors in Japanese.

    PubMed

    Saito, Akie; Inoue, Tomoyoshi

    2017-06-01

    The so-called syllable position effect in speech errors has been interpreted as reflecting constraints posed by the frame structure of a given language, which is separately operating from linguistic content during speech production. The effect refers to the phenomenon that when a speech error occurs, replaced and replacing sounds tend to be in the same position within a syllable or word. Most of the evidence for the effect comes from analyses of naturally occurring speech errors in Indo-European languages, and there are few studies examining the effect in experimentally elicited speech errors and in other languages. This study examined whether experimentally elicited sound errors in Japanese exhibits the syllable position effect. In Japanese, the sub-syllabic unit known as "mora" is considered to be a basic sound unit in production. Results showed that the syllable position effect occurred in mora errors, suggesting that the frame constrains the ordering of sounds during speech production.

  14. Reliability and validity of the Japanese Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS) Questionnaire.

    PubMed

    Iigaya, Miho; Sakai, Fumihiko; Kolodner, Kenneth B; Lipton, Richard B; Stewart, Walter F

    2003-04-01

    This study was designed to assess the test-retest reliability, internal consistency, and validity of a Japanese translation of the Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS) Questionnaire in a sample of Japanese patients with headache. Previous studies have demonstrated that the English-language version of the MIDAS Questionnaire is a reliable and valid instrument for the assessment of migraine-related disability. Any translations of the MIDAS Questionnaire must also be assessed for reliability and validity. Study participants were recruited from the patient population attending either the Neurology Department of Kitasato University or an affiliated clinic. Participants were eligible for study entry if they had 6 or more primary headaches per year. For reliability testing, participants completed the MIDAS Questionnaire on 2 occasions, exactly 2 weeks apart. To assess validity, patients were also invited to participate in a 90-day daily diary study. Composite measures from the 90-day diaries were compared to equivalent MIDAS measures (ie, 5 questions on headache-related disability and 1 question each on average pain intensity and headache frequency in the last 3 months) and to the total MIDAS score obtained from a third MIDAS Questionnaire completed at the end of this 90-day period. One hundred one patients between the ages of 21 and 77 years were recruited (81 women and 20 men). Ninety-nine patients (80 women and 19 men) participated in the diary study. At baseline, 46.5% of patients were MIDAS grade I or II (minimal, mild, or infrequent disability), 22.2% were MIDAS grade III (moderate disability), and 31.3% were MIDAS grade IV (severe disability). Test-retest Spearman correlations for the 5 disability questions and the questions on average pain intensity and headache frequency ranged from 0.59 to 0.80 (P<.0001). The test-retest Spearman correlation coefficient for the total MIDAS score was 0.83 (P<.0001). The degree to which individual MIDAS questions correlated with

  15. Cross-cultural adaptation and psychometric properties of an Arabic language version of the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire in Lebanon

    PubMed Central

    Saarti, Stéphanie; Jabbour, Hicham; El Osta, Nada; Hajj, Aline; Khabbaz, Lydia Rabbaa

    2016-01-01

    Background Patients’ positive illness perceptions (IPs) significantly contribute to treatment success. The Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (Brief IPQ) is widely used in various diseases for assessing IPs. It was developed in English-speaking countries and studies on it in Arab countries are scarce. Objectives, Setting and design This observational cross-sectional study aimed to cross-culturally adapt the Brief IPQ English version into a modern Arabic language version and determine its psychometric properties in a sample of Lebanese cardiac disease patients. This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Saint Joseph University of Beirut, Lebanon. Participants A convenience sample of 30 patients with cardiac disease were recruited during routine visits to cardiologists’ offices in Beirut, Lebanon. Inclusion criteria were at least one cardiac disease for at least 6 months with no acute episode or exacerbation of the disease during the 6 preceding months, age≥18 years, and the ability to read and comprehend Arabic. The pre-final version of the Brief IPQ Arabic version was tested for face and content validity. The meaning, comprehensibility, and acceptability were studied by individual interviews. For discriminant validity and internal consistency of the Brief IPQ Arabic version (Brief IPQ-Ar), 100 patients were recruited in a similar manner using the same inclusion criteria. To assess reproducibility, 30 patients, selected randomly from the 100 patients, filled the questionnaire a second time, 3–4 weeks after its first administration and under the same conditions. Main outcome measures Psychometric properties of the Brief IPQ-Ar among Lebanese patients suffering from cardiac diseases. Results Semantic equivalence between the Brief IPQ-Ar questions and patients’ descriptions was 100%. Cronbach's alpha was 0.717, which shows good internal consistency. Reproducibility was satisfactory (ICC values>0.776). Moreover, the Brief IPQ

  16. The Development of Japanese Society and the Modernization of Japanese at the Time of the Meiji Restoration.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Takada, Makoto

    Japan experienced a period of great social change in the middle of the nineteenth century, ending a long period of national isolation. This was the period of the Meiji Restoration. During the modernization and westernization that followed, the government made great advances in modernizing the Japanese language. This process had two phases: (1)…

  17. Japanese for Business Purposes: A Simulation Approach.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Urabe, Sadako

    An innovative curriculum at New York University (NYU) for teaching business Japanese is described. Theoretical foundations for the approach used are reviewed, including research on language simplification and comprehensible input for classroom learning, the concept of importing the real world into classroom interaction, the role of specific tasks…

  18. The Classroom and Beyond: Creating a Learning Environment to Support Learners of Japanese at CEFR Levels A2.2 towards B1

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ijichi, Nobuko

    2016-01-01

    Japanese is a popular choice amongst higher education students on IWLPs (Institution-Wide Language Programmes), but the language presents challenges for many learners. Students on university elective programmes begin their courses with enthusiasm but often become discouraged and drop out at the post-beginner stage. Thus Japanese elective…

  19. Innovations in Foreign Language Educator Assessment in California.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Silvestro, John R.; And Others

    California has developed a new series of credential examinations for foreign language teachers to make it possible to test the competence of teachers in six languages less frequently taught than Spanish and French. These languages are German, Japanese, Mandarin, Punjabi, Russian, and Vietnamese. Each assessment is based on the specifications…

  20. Annotated Bibliography of Materials for Elementary Foreign Language Programs.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dobb, Fred

    An annotated bibliography contains about 70 citations of instructional materials and materials concerning curriculum development for elementary school foreign language programs. Citations are included for Arabic, classical languages, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish. Items on exploratory language courses and general works on…

  1. Validation of the Persian version of the brief assessment of cognition in schizophrenia in patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls.

    PubMed

    Mazhari, Shahrzad; Parvaresh, Nooshin; Eslami Shahrbabaki, Mahin; Sadeghi, Mohammad M; Nakhaee, Nouzar; Keefe, Richard S E

    2014-02-01

    The Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia (BACS) is designed for assessment of cognitive function in patients with schizophrenia. Versions of the BACS in English and other languages have been shown to be as sensitive to cognitive dysfunction as a standard test battery, with the advantage of brief administration and scoring time. The present study aimed to test the concurrent validity of the Persian version of the BACS (Persian-BACS). A group of 50 patients with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders and a group of 50 healthy controls received the Persian-BACS in a first session, and in a second session a standard neurocognitive battery. Cronbach's alpha for the Persian-BACS was 0.74. All the Persian-BACS subscales were significantly correlated with the corresponding standard neurocognitive subscales and the Pearson correlation of the composite scores from the two instruments was 0.71. Moreover, a one-factor solution was found that accounted for 67.9% of the variance. Finally, the Persian-BACS demonstrated high ability to discriminate patients with schizophrenia from healthy controls. Good psychometric properties of the Persian-BACS suggest that it is a useful tool for assessing cognition in schizophrenic patients with Persian as their primary language. © 2013 The Authors. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences © 2013 Japanese Society of Psychiatry and Neurology.

  2. Profiling Mobile English Language Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Byrne, Jason; Diem, Robert

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to use an app-embedded survey to profile language learner demographics. A total of 3,759 EFL language learners from primarily eight L1 backgrounds (French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Spanish and Thai) responded to the survey embedded within a popular English grammar app. This app has over 500,000…

  3. Japanese Parents Bringing Up Their Children in English. Monographs on Bilingualism No. 2.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yukawa, Emiko

    This monograph describes the experience of a Japanese family raising their children bilingually in Japan by adopting English as the home language. Both parents are native Japanese who went to graduate school in the United States and now teach English at the college level. Although both parents are very proficient in English, they recognize they…

  4. What factors are associated with good performance in children with cochlear implants? From the outcome of various language development tests, research on sensory and communicative disorders project in Japan: nagasaki experience.

    PubMed

    Kanda, Yukihiko; Kumagami, Hidetaka; Hara, Minoru; Sainoo, Yuzuru; Sato, Chisei; Yamamoto-Fukuda, Tomomi; Yoshida, Haruo; Ito, Akiko; Tanaka, Chiharu; Baba, Kyoko; Nakata, Ayaka; Tanaka, Hideo; Fukushima, Kunihiro; Kasai, Norio; Takahashi, Haruo

    2012-04-01

    We conducted multi-directional language development tests as a part of the Research on Sensory and Communicative Disorders (RSVD) in Japan. This report discusses findings as well as factors that led to better results in children with severe-profound hearing loss. We evaluated multiple language development tests in 33 Japanese children with cochlear implants (32 patients) and hearing aid (1 patient), including 1) Test for question and answer interaction development, 2) Word fluency test, 3) Japanese version of the Peabody picture vocabulary test-revised, 4) The standardized comprehension test of abstract words, 5) The screening test of reading and writing for Japanese primary school children, 6) The syntactic processing test of aphasia, 7) Criterion-referenced testing (CRT) for Japanese language and mathematics, 8) Pervasive development disorders ASJ rating scales, and 9) Raven's colored progressive matrices. Furthermore, we investigated the factors believed to account for the better performances in these tests. The first group, group A, consisted of 14 children with higher scores in all tests than the national average for children with hearing difficulty. The second group, group B, included 19 children that scored below the national average in any of the tests. Overall, the results show that 76.2% of the scores obtained by the children in these tests exceeded the national average scores of children with hearing difficulty. The children who finished above average on all tests had undergone a longer period of regular habilitation in our rehabilitation center, had their implants earlier in life, were exposed to more auditory verbal/oral communication in their education at affiliated institutions, and were more likely to have been integrated in a regular kindergarten before moving on to elementary school. In this study, we suggest that taking the above four factors into consideration will have an affect on the language development of children with severe

  5. Music recognition by Japanese children with cochlear implants.

    PubMed

    Nakata, Takayuki; Trehub, Sandra E; Mitani, Chisato; Kanda, Yukihiko; Shibasaki, Atsuko; Schellenberg, E Glenn

    2005-01-01

    Congenitally deaf Japanese children with cochlear implants were tested on their recognition of theme songs from television programs that they watched regularly. The children, who were 4-9 years of age, attempted to identify each song from a closed set of alternatives. Their song identification ability was examined in the context of the original commercial recordings (vocal plus instrumental), the original versions without the words (i.e., karaoke versions), and flute versions of the melody. The children succeeded in identifying the music only from the original versions, and their performance was related to their music listening habits. Children gave favorable appraisals of the music even when they were unable to recognize it. Further research is needed to find means of enhancing cochlear implants users' perception and appreciation of music.

  6. Reliability and validity of a Japanese version of the Cambridge depersonalization scale as a screening instrument for depersonalization disorder.

    PubMed

    Sugiura, Miyuki; Hirosawa, Masataka; Tanaka, Sumio; Nishi, Yasunobu; Yamada, Yasuyuki; Mizuno, Motoki

    2009-06-01

    The Cambridge Depersonalization Scale (CDS) is an instrument that has obtained reliability and validity in some countries for use in detecting depersonalization disorder under clinical conditions, but not yet in Japan under non-psychiatric conditions. The purposes of this study were to develop a Japanese version of the CDS (J-CDS) and to examine its reliability and validity as an instrument for screening depersonalization disorder under non-clinical conditions. The CDS was translated from English into Japanese and then back-translated into English by a native English-speaking American. After making the J-CDS, we examined its reliability and validity. Questionnaires that were composed of J-CDS, the Dissociative Experience Scale (DES), the Zung self-rating scale and the Maudsley Obsessional-Compulsive Inventory were administrated to 59 participants (12 patients with depersonalization disorder, 11 individuals who had recovered from depersonalization and 36 healthy controls). Cronbach's alpha and split-half reliability were 0.94 and 0.93, respectively. The J-CDS score in the depersonalization group was significantly higher than in the healthy control group. The J-CDS score was significantly correlated with scores of total DES, and DES-depersonalization. The best compromise between the true positive and false negative rate was at a cut-off point of 60, yielding a sensitivity of 1.00 and a specificity of 0.96. In this study, J-CDS showed good reliability and validity. The best cut-off point, when we use this for distinguishing individuals with depersonalization disorder from individuals without psychiatric disorders, is 60 points.

  7. Assessing reliability and validity of the Arabic language version of the Post-traumatic Diagnostic Scale (PDS) Symptom Items

    PubMed Central

    Norris, Anne E.; Aroian, Karen J.

    2009-01-01

    Arab immigrant women are vulnerable to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) because of gender, higher probability of being exposed to war-related violence, traditional cultural values, and immigration stressors. A valid and reliable screen is needed to assess the incidence of PTSD in this population. This study evaluated the reliability and validity of an Arabic language version of the symptom items in the Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale (PDS) in a sample of Arab immigrant women (n = 453). Reliability was supported by Cronbach’s alpha values for the Arabic language version (0.93) and its subscales (0.77-0.91). Results of group comparisons supported validity: Among women who had lived in a refugee camp and had emigrated from Iraq – a country where exposure to war and torture is common -- those who were exhibiting depressive symptoms (CES-D score above 16) or who reported moderate-to-severe impairment in functioning had significantly higher mean PDS total and symptom subscale scores than women who had not had these experiences or were not exhibiting depressive symptoms. Scores on the PDS and its subscales were also positively correlated with the Profile of Mood States (POMS) depression and anxiety subscales and negatively correlated with the POMS vigor subscale. PMID:18718671

  8. Orthography and Learning to Decode in Japanese.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Muraishi, Shozo

    The Language Play Method (LPM), a teaching method developed to systematically instruct preschool children in the structure of Japanese and Hiragana letters, is described in this paper. LPM develops three fundamental abilities which contribute to oral skill and literacy in kindergartners: the ability to recognize letters, the ability to decode…

  9. Information Systems for the Museum of Japanese History, Archaeology and Folklore

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Terui, Takehiko

    General idea and outline of museums of Japanese history, archaeology and folklore are introduced, and the relationship between exhibits and information in them is described. Then the information systems of these museums are explained in some detail. As an example, the author describes the information systems for the museum of Japanese history, archaeology and folklore by comparing the computer system with the traditional manual system. Japanese language processing and image handling derived from the systems are also described. Significance and problems of nationwide information network linking these museums each other, and problems of staffs in the information sections are mentioned.

  10. Sources of Materials for Minority Languages: A Preliminary List.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education, Arlington, VA.

    A list is presented of resources for information on bilingual programs and materials in languages other than Spanish. The entries are arranged in four categories: "East Asian,""Native American,""Territories of the Pacific," and "Other Languages." The specific languages listed are: Cambodian, Chinese, Hmong, Japanese, Korean, Laotian, Thai,…

  11. Neural Measures of a Japanese Consonant Length Discrimination by Japanese and American English Listeners: Affects of Attention

    PubMed Central

    Hisagi, Miwako; Shafer, Valerie L.; Strange, Winifred; Sussman, Elyse S.

    2015-01-01

    This study examined automaticity of discrimination of a Japanese length contrast for consonants (miʃi vs. miʃʃi) in native (Japanese) and non-native (American-English) listeners using behavioral measures and the event-related potential (ERP) mismatch negativity (MMN). Attention to the auditory input was manipulated either away from the auditory input via a visual oddball task (Visual Attend), or to the input by asking the listeners to count auditory deviants (Auditory Attend). Results showed a larger MMN when attention was focused on the consonant contrast than away from it for both groups. The MMN was larger for consonant duration increments than decrements. No difference in MMN between the language groups was observed, but the Japanese listeners did show better behavioral discrimination than the American English listeners. In addition, behavioral responses showed a weak, but significant correlation with MMN amplitude. These findings suggest that both acoustic-phonetic properties and phonological experience affects automaticity of speech processing. PMID:26119918

  12. The Functional Unit in Phonological Encoding: Evidence for Moraic Representation in Native Japanese Speakers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kureta, Yoichi; Fushimi, Takao; Tatsumi, Itaru F.

    2006-01-01

    Speech production studies have shown that the phonological form of a word is made up of phonemic segments in stress-timed languages (e.g., Dutch) and of syllables in syllable timed languages (e.g., Chinese). To clarify the functional unit of mora-timed languages, the authors asked native Japanese speakers to perform an implicit priming task (A. S.…

  13. HAL/S language specification. Version IR-542

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1980-01-01

    The formal HAL/S language specification is documented with particular referral to the essentials of HAL/S syntax and semantics. The language is intended to satisfy virtually all of the flight software requirements of NASA programs. To achieve this, HAL/S incorporates a wide range of features, including applications oriented data types and organizations, real time control mechanisms, and constructs for systems programming tasks.

  14. A Cross-Cultural Study of Japanese Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Petry, John R.

    The homogeneity of the Japanese people is a major component in their educational achievements. The success of the educational system is linked to various factors, such as the state of the national health, the excellence of the transportation system, a common language, and other cultural attitudes and values. Parents are considered responsible for…

  15. Validation of the "Chinese Language Classroom Learning Environment Inventory" for Investigating the Nature of Chinese Language Classrooms

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lian, Chua Siew; Wong, Angela F. L.; Der-Thanq, Victor Chen

    2006-01-01

    The Chinese Language Classroom Environment Inventory (CLCEI) is a bilingual instrument developed for use in measuring students' and teachers' perceptions toward their Chinese Language classroom learning environments in Singapore secondary schools. The English version of the CLCEI was customised from the English version of the "What is…

  16. Non-Insertional Code-Switching in English-Japanese Bilingual Children: Alternation and Congruent Lexicalisation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Namba, Kazuhiko

    2012-01-01

    This article investigates English-Japanese children's code-switching (CS) from the structural point of view. Muysken categorises it into three types, that is, insertion, alternation and congruent lexicalisation. Regarding insertion, using Myers-Scotton's matrix language frame (MLF) model, for example, the matrix language (ML) of a bilingual clause…

  17. Systems Biology Markup Language (SBML) Level 2 Version 5: Structures and Facilities for Model Definitions

    PubMed Central

    Hucka, Michael; Bergmann, Frank T.; Dräger, Andreas; Hoops, Stefan; Keating, Sarah M.; Le Novére, Nicolas; Myers, Chris J.; Olivier, Brett G.; Sahle, Sven; Schaff, James C.; Smith, Lucian P.; Waltemath, Dagmar; Wilkinson, Darren J.

    2017-01-01

    Summary Computational models can help researchers to interpret data, understand biological function, and make quantitative predictions. The Systems Biology Markup Language (SBML) is a file format for representing computational models in a declarative form that can be exchanged between different software systems. SBML is oriented towards describing biological processes of the sort common in research on a number of topics, including metabolic pathways, cell signaling pathways, and many others. By supporting SBML as an input/output format, different tools can all operate on an identical representation of a model, removing opportunities for translation errors and assuring a common starting point for analyses and simulations. This document provides the specification for Version 5 of SBML Level 2. The specification defines the data structures prescribed by SBML as well as their encoding in XML, the eXtensible Markup Language. This specification also defines validation rules that determine the validity of an SBML document, and provides many examples of models in SBML form. Other materials and software are available from the SBML project web site, http://sbml.org/. PMID:26528569

  18. Systems Biology Markup Language (SBML) Level 2 Version 5: Structures and Facilities for Model Definitions.

    PubMed

    Hucka, Michael; Bergmann, Frank T; Dräger, Andreas; Hoops, Stefan; Keating, Sarah M; Le Novère, Nicolas; Myers, Chris J; Olivier, Brett G; Sahle, Sven; Schaff, James C; Smith, Lucian P; Waltemath, Dagmar; Wilkinson, Darren J

    2015-09-04

    Computational models can help researchers to interpret data, understand biological function, and make quantitative predictions. The Systems Biology Markup Language (SBML) is a file format for representing computational models in a declarative form that can be exchanged between different software systems. SBML is oriented towards describing biological processes of the sort common in research on a number of topics, including metabolic pathways, cell signaling pathways, and many others. By supporting SBML as an input/output format, different tools can all operate on an identical representation of a model, removing opportunities for translation errors and assuring a common starting point for analyses and simulations. This document provides the specification for Version 5 of SBML Level 2. The specification defines the data structures prescribed by SBML as well as their encoding in XML, the eXtensible Markup Language. This specification also defines validation rules that determine the validity of an SBML document, and provides many examples of models in SBML form. Other materials and software are available from the SBML project web site, http://sbml.org.

  19. Systems Biology Markup Language (SBML) Level 2 Version 5: Structures and Facilities for Model Definitions.

    PubMed

    Hucka, Michael; Bergmann, Frank T; Dräger, Andreas; Hoops, Stefan; Keating, Sarah M; Le Novère, Nicolas; Myers, Chris J; Olivier, Brett G; Sahle, Sven; Schaff, James C; Smith, Lucian P; Waltemath, Dagmar; Wilkinson, Darren J

    2015-06-01

    Computational models can help researchers to interpret data, understand biological function, and make quantitative predictions. The Systems Biology Markup Language (SBML) is a file format for representing computational models in a declarative form that can be exchanged between different software systems. SBML is oriented towards describing biological processes of the sort common in research on a number of topics, including metabolic pathways, cell signaling pathways, and many others. By supporting SBML as an input/output format, different tools can all operate on an identical representation of a model, removing opportunities for translation errors and assuring a common starting point for analyses and simulations. This document provides the specification for Version 5 of SBML Level 2. The specification defines the data structures prescribed by SBML as well as their encoding in XML, the eXtensible Markup Language. This specification also defines validation rules that determine the validity of an SBML document, and provides many examples of models in SBML form. Other materials and software are available from the SBML project web site, http://sbml.org/.

  20. The Teaching of English as an International Language in Japan: An Answer to the Dilemma of Indigenous Values and Global Needs in the Expanding Circle

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hino, Nobuyuki

    2009-01-01

    This paper explores the ambivalent nature of Japanese attitudes toward English vis-a-vis the Japanese language, followed by a discussion of Japanese efforts in incorporating the concept of English as an International Language (EIL) into their educational system and teaching practice as a solution to this dilemma. While the Japanese have an…

  1. Language and the Ingenuity Gap in Science

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tonkin, Humphrey

    2011-01-01

    Over the centuries, first Latin and then French, German, and Russian have receded in perceived importance as languages of science. Other powerful languages with extensive internal scientific discourse, such as Japanese and Chinese, have always been largely excluded. The dominance of English has elevated the reputation of English-language…

  2. The Glasgow Sensory Questionnaire: Validation of a French Language Version and Refinement of Sensory Profiles of People with High Autism-Spectrum Quotient

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sapey-Triomphe, Laurie-Anne; Moulin, Annie; Sonié, Sandrine; Schmitz, Christina

    2018-01-01

    Sensory sensitivity peculiarities represent an important characteristic of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). We first validated a French language version of the Glasgow Sensory Questionnaire (GSQ) (Robertson and Simmons in "J Autism Dev Disord" 43(4):775-784, 2013). The GSQ score was strongly positively correlated with the Autism-Spectrum…

  3. The psychometric properties of the WHOQOL-BREF in Japanese couples

    PubMed Central

    Sun, Yi; Sugawara, Masumi; Matsumoto, Satoko; Sakai, Atsushi; Takaoka, Junko; Goto, Noriko

    2015-01-01

    This study investigated the psychometric properties of the Japanese version of the WHOQOL-BREF among 10,693 community-based married Japanese men and women (4376 couples) who were either expecting or raising a child. Analyses of item-response distributions, internal consistency, criterion validity, and discriminant validity indicated that the scale had acceptable reliability and performed well in preliminary tests of validity. Furthermore, dyadic confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the theoretical factor structure was valid and similar across partners, suggesting that men and women define and value quality of life in a similar way. PMID:28070365

  4. Low-frequency rTMS with language therapy over a 3-month period for sensory-dominant aphasia: case series of two post-stroke Japanese patients.

    PubMed

    Kakuda, Wataru; Abo, Masahiro; Uruma, Go; Kaito, Nobuyoshi; Watanabe, Motoi

    2010-01-01

    To examine the safety and feasibility of therapeutic application of low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) combined with language therapy for post-stroke patients with sensory-dominant aphasia. Two post-stroke Japanese patients with sensory-dominant aphasia were studied. In both patients, 10 sessions of 20-minute low-frequency rTMS with 1 Hz to the Wernicke's area were provided throughout 6-day hospitalization, followed by weekly outpatient rTMS treatment for 3 months. The language therapy was also provided through the period of in- and out-patient treatment. Language function was evaluated using the Token test and the Standard Language Test of Aphasia (SLTA) at the start and end of the in-patient treatment and the end of the outpatient treatment. The therapeutic protocol was well tolerated throughout the in- and out-patient treatments, without any adverse effects. The scores of the Token test and certain sub-categories of SLTA increased in both patients after the in-patient rTMS treatment. Persistent improvement of the score was noted over the 3-month post-discharge period. The proposed protocol of long-term application of low-frequency rTMS to the Wernicke's area and language therapy is considered a safe and feasible therapeutic approach for post-stroke patients with sensory-dominant aphasia.

  5. Validity and reliability of the Spanish-language version of the self-administered Leeds Assessment of Neuropathic Symptoms and Signs (S-LANSS) pain scale.

    PubMed

    López-de-Uralde-Villanueva, I; Gil-Martínez, A; Candelas-Fernández, P; de Andrés-Ares, J; Beltrán-Alacreu, H; La Touche, R

    2016-12-08

    The self-administered Leeds Assessment of Neuropathic Symptoms and Signs (S-LANSS) scale is a tool designed to identify patients with pain with neuropathic features. To assess the validity and reliability of the Spanish-language version of the S-LANSS scale. Our study included a total of 182 patients with chronic pain to assess the convergent and discriminant validity of the S-LANSS; the sample was increased to 321 patients to evaluate construct validity and reliability. The validated Spanish-language version of the ID-Pain questionnaire was used as the criterion variable. All participants completed the ID-Pain, the S-LANSS, and the Numerical Rating Scale for pain. Discriminant validity was evaluated by analysing sensitivity, specificity, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Construct validity was assessed with factor analysis and by comparing the odds ratio of each S-LANSS item to the total score. Convergent validity and reliability were evaluated with Pearson's r and Cronbach's alpha, respectively. The optimal cut-off point for S-LANSS was ≥12 points (AUC=.89; sensitivity=88.7; specificity=76.6). Factor analysis yielded one factor; furthermore, all items contributed significantly to the positive total score on the S-LANSS (P<.05). The S-LANSS showed a significant correlation with ID-Pain (r=.734, α=.71). The Spanish-language version of the S-LANSS is valid and reliable for identifying patients with chronic pain with neuropathic features. Copyright © 2016 Sociedad Española de Neurología. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  6. The Perceptions of Japanese Students toward Academic English Reading: Implications for Effective ESL Reading Strategies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Iwai, Yuko

    2008-01-01

    The population of English as a Second Language (ESL) learners has increased significantly in higher education settings in the United States today. It has been reported that Japanese ESL students are generally unsuccessful when studying in English speaking countries. The typical way of reading in English for Japanese students is the…

  7. Transcultural stress factors of Japanese mothers living in the United Kingdom.

    PubMed

    Ozeki, Nobuko

    2008-01-01

    The aim of this study was to describe the stressors experienced by Japanese mothers living in the United Kingdom. An ethnomethodological design was used by means of an openended, in-depth interview. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 10 Japanese mothers living in the United Kingdom. Analysis was performed using the KJ (Kawakito Jiro) method, equivalent to content analysis and data reduction. The main stressors were participation in the small hierarchical society of the Japanese business climate, isolation, language and cultural barriers, and raising Japanese children in a British cultural context. Unsatisfactory experiences of childbirth, child rearing, and contacts with medical services were reported. Recognizing cultural differences and the difficulties that may be experienced by Japanese clients is a first step. Resources may be provided to help these clients widen their social contacts and improve communication with providers of health care and education for their children.

  8. ["Kaitai-Shinsho": a change of languages and concepts].

    PubMed

    Okada, Masanobu

    2003-07-01

    The translation of "Outleedkundige Tafelen (Dutch) [Anatomische Tabellen (German)]" to "Kaitai-Shinsho" by Gempaku Sugita and others was not the mere substitution of Dutch for Japanese. They responded to the writing according to the situation of the change to modern medicine from the medicine of ancient-medieval times based on Galen's teachings, by using the Japanese culture of those days in a form of "bricolage" (a term used by Claude Levi-Strauss), in combination with Western medicine, leading to its establishment as Japanese medicine. That is, their work was not a mere translation, but an innovation of Japanese medical language system.

  9. An Evaluation of Independent Learning of the Japanese Hiragana System Using an Interactive CD

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Geraghty, Barbara; Quinn, Ann Marcus

    2009-01-01

    As Japanese uses three writing systems (hiragana, katakana, and the ideograms known as kanji), and as materials in the target language include all three, it is a major challenge to learn to read and write quickly. This paper focuses on interactive multi-media methods of teaching Japanese reading which foster learner autonomy. As little has been…

  10. Social Interaction Affects Neural Outcomes of Sign Language Learning As a Foreign Language in Adults.

    PubMed

    Yusa, Noriaki; Kim, Jungho; Koizumi, Masatoshi; Sugiura, Motoaki; Kawashima, Ryuta

    2017-01-01

    Children naturally acquire a language in social contexts where they interact with their caregivers. Indeed, research shows that social interaction facilitates lexical and phonological development at the early stages of child language acquisition. It is not clear, however, whether the relationship between social interaction and learning applies to adult second language acquisition of syntactic rules. Does learning second language syntactic rules through social interactions with a native speaker or without such interactions impact behavior and the brain? The current study aims to answer this question. Adult Japanese participants learned a new foreign language, Japanese sign language (JSL), either through a native deaf signer or via DVDs. Neural correlates of acquiring new linguistic knowledge were investigated using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The participants in each group were indistinguishable in terms of their behavioral data after the instruction. The fMRI data, however, revealed significant differences in the neural activities between two groups. Significant activations in the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) were found for the participants who learned JSL through interactions with the native signer. In contrast, no cortical activation change in the left IFG was found for the group who experienced the same visual input for the same duration via the DVD presentation. Given that the left IFG is involved in the syntactic processing of language, spoken or signed, learning through social interactions resulted in an fMRI signature typical of native speakers: activation of the left IFG. Thus, broadly speaking, availability of communicative interaction is necessary for second language acquisition and this results in observed changes in the brain.

  11. Effects of cognitive stimulation therapy Japanese version (CST-J) for people with dementia: a single-blind, controlled clinical trial

    PubMed Central

    Yamanaka, Katsuo; Kawano, Yoshiyuki; Noguchi, Dai; Nakaaki, Shutaro; Watanabe, Norio; Amano, Takashi; Spector, Aimee

    2013-01-01

    Objectives Cognitive stimulation therapy (CST) has shown to have significant benefits in improving the cognitive function and quality of life (QOL) in people with mild-to-moderate dementia in a UK randomized controlled trial (RCT). We developed and examined the Japanese version of group CST (CST-J) in a single-blind, controlled clinical trial. Method CST-J consisting of 14 sessions was administered to a treatment group (n = 26) twice a week for 7 weeks. The treatment group was compared with a control group (n = 30). Based on single-blindness, cognition was evaluated by a researcher, and QOL and mood were rated by the participants themselves. Additionally, QOL and mood of participants were rated by care workers who were not blind but who observed them most directly in their daily life (important for social validity). Results A linear mixed model was used for analyses of cognition and QOL. There were significant improvements in cognition [COGNISTAT (Neurobehavioral Cognitive Status Examination) and MMSE (Mini-Mental State Examination)] for the treatment group compared with the control group (p < 0.01). Regarding QOL, the EQ-5D was significant (p = 0.019) and the QoL-AD (Quality of Life – Alzheimer's Disease) showed a positive trend (p = 0.06) when rated by care workers, although not when rated by the participants themselves. Using a nonparametrical analysis, there were significant improvements in the face scale for mood when rated by both the participants (p < 0.01) and the care workers (p = 0.017). Conclusion The CST-J shows promising improvements in cognition, mood, and aspects of QOL for people with dementia in Japanese care settings. A large RCT is now needed. PMID:23550665

  12. THE STRATEGY OF THE TOTAL PHYSICAL RESPONSE--AN APPLICATION TO LEARNING JAPANESE.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    ASHER, JAMES J.; KUNIHIRA, SHIROU

    AN EXPERIMENT WAS DEVISED TO TEST ASHER'S HYPOTHESIS OF A TOTAL PHYSICAL RESPONSE, WHICH STATES THAT LISTENING COMPREHENSION FOR A FOREIGN LANGUAGE CAN BE ACCELERATED IF STUDENTS ARE REQUIRED TO EMIT A RESPONSE WITH THE ENTIRE BODY. THE SUBJECTS WERE 88 COLLEGE STUDENTS WHO HAD NO PRIOR KNOWLEDGE OF JAPANESE, NO FLUENCY IN A LANGUAGE OTHER THAN…

  13. Ada Compiler Validation Summary Report: Certificate Number: 880318W1. 09041, International Business Machines Corporation, IBM Development System for the Ada Language, Version 2.1.0, IBM 4381 under VM/HPO, Host and Target

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1988-03-28

    International Business Machines Corporation IBM Development System for the Ada Language, Version 2.1.0 IBM 4381 under VM/HPO, host and target DTIC...necessary and identify by block number) International Business Machines Corporation, IBM Development System for the Ada Language, Version 2.1.0, IBM...in the compiler listed in this declaration. I declare that International Business Machines Corporation is the owner of record of the object code of the

  14. [Validation of a German-language Version of the Body Checking Questionnaire (BCQ) in Adolescents with Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa].

    PubMed

    Steinfeld, Beate; Bauer, Anika; Waldorf, Manuel; Engel, Nicole; Braks, Karsten; Huber, Thomas J; Vocks, Silja

    2017-01-01

    Body-related checking behavior, as a behavioral manifestation of a disturbed body image, fosters the development and maintenance of eating disorders. The Body Checking Questionnaire (BCQ) is the most commonly used questionnaire for measuring body-related checking behavior internationally. To date, validation studies are only available for adult populations. Therefore, the aim of this study was to statistically test the German-language version of the BCQ in adolescents. A total of N=129 female adolescents were examined, comprising n=57 with Anorexia Nervosa, n=24 with Bulimia Nervosa, and n=48 healthy female adolescents. A confirmatory factor analysis supports the subdivision of the BCQ into a general factor and the subfactors "overall appearance", "specific body parts" and "idiosyncratic checking", which was also found in the original version. The internal consistencies are good (α≥0.81), and the BCQ is able to differentiate well between adolescents with and without eating disorders. Significant correlations between the BCQ and other body image questionnaires point to a good convergent validity. The German-language BCQ thus constitutes a valid and reliable instrument for measuring body-related checking behavior among adolescents in clinical research and practice. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

  15. FORM version 4.0

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kuipers, J.; Ueda, T.; Vermaseren, J. A. M.; Vollinga, J.

    2013-05-01

    We present version 4.0 of the symbolic manipulation system FORM. The most important new features are manipulation of rational polynomials and the factorization of expressions. Many other new functions and commands are also added; some of them are very general, while others are designed for building specific high level packages, such as one for Gröbner bases. New is also the checkpoint facility, that allows for periodic backups during long calculations. Finally, FORM 4.0 has become available as open source under the GNU General Public License version 3. Program summaryProgram title: FORM. Catalogue identifier: AEOT_v1_0 Program summary URL:http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/summaries/AEOT_v1_0.html Program obtainable from: CPC Program Library, Queen's University, Belfast, N. Ireland Licensing provisions: GNU General Public License, version 3 No. of lines in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 151599 No. of bytes in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 1 078 748 Distribution format: tar.gz Programming language: The FORM language. FORM itself is programmed in a mixture of C and C++. Computer: All. Operating system: UNIX, LINUX, Mac OS, Windows. Classification: 5. Nature of problem: FORM defines a symbolic manipulation language in which the emphasis lies on fast processing of very large formulas. It has been used successfully for many calculations in Quantum Field Theory and mathematics. In speed and size of formulas that can be handled it outperforms other systems typically by an order of magnitude. Special in this version: The version 4.0 contains many new features. Most important are factorization and rational arithmetic. The program has also become open source under the GPL. The code in CPC is for reference. You are encouraged to upload the most recent sources from www.nikhef.nl/form/formcvs.php because of frequent bug fixes. Solution method: See "Nature of Problem", above. Additional comments: NOTE: The code in CPC is for reference. You are encouraged

  16. Ada Compiler Validation Summary Report: Certificate Number: 890420W1. 10066 International Business Machines Corporation, IBM Development System for the Ada Language, AIX/RT Ada Compiler, Version 1.1.1, IBM RT PC 6150-125

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1989-04-20

    International Business Machines Corporation, IBM Development System. for the Ada Language AIX/RT Ada Compiler, Version 1.1.1, Wright-Patterson APB...Certificate Number: 890420V1.10066 International Business Machines Corporation IBM Development System for the Ada Language AIX/RT Ada Compiler, Version 1.1.1...TEST INFORMATION The compiler was tested using command scripts provided by International Business Machines Corporation and reviewed by the validation

  17. Reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the Work Limitations Questionnaire in employees of multiple private companies.

    PubMed

    Ida, Hiromasa; Nakagawa, Kazumi; Tanoue, Asuka; Nakamura, Kentarou; Okamura, Tatsuya

    2017-01-31

    Previous studies reported that presenteeism costs the enterprises more than absenteeism. It becomes more important for corporate management to evaluate the outcomes of health promotion initiatives for their employees using work performance scales in Japan. We previously developed a Japanese version of Work Limitations Questionnaire (WLQ-J), a presenteeism scale developed by Lerner D. et al., and conducted an internet survey to examine the reliability and validity of WLQ-J with 710 employees from an IT company and a medical institution as subjects and reported the study results (Ida et al, 2012). The objective of the present study is to examine the reliability and validity of WLQ-J with employees from more companies and industries than those included in the previous study. We analyzed for 4,440 employees from 14 companies and 9 industries as subjects, who were selected from a total of 4,712 employees who answered both WLQ-J and Brief Job Stress Questionnaire (BJSQ) on the internet or paper survey conducted from September 2014 to January 2015. The subjects' average age was 40.3±11.8 years (33.2±9.5 years in the previous study), with the percentage of males and females being 77.9% and 21.1%, respectively. The factor structure of WLQ-J accorded with that of the original version of WLQ. This supports the factorial validity of WLQ-J. In addition, sufficient internal consistency was recognized by Cronbach's alpha of the whole scale (0.87 for the present study and 0.97 for the previous study) and the subscales (0.77-0.94 for the present study and 0.88-0.95 for the previous study). The four subscale scores of WLQ-J were significantly correlated with the stress response of BJSQ with correlation coefficients of 0.28-0.64 for the present study and 0.39-0.60 for the previous study (p < 0.01 for both studies). Moreover, criterion-related validity of WLQ-J was also supported by the significant dose-response relationship between the subscale scores of WLQ-J and stress response

  18. Communicating Effectively in Japanese for Business. Second Year.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hijirida, Kyoko; Sato, Carrie N.

    Designed for university students majoring in business with specific occupational goals involving the tourist industry, this textbook was developed to meet both academic and society needs by providing a clear relationship between the Japanese language class and the student's major field of study. The textbook focuses on three objectives: to produce…

  19. Vocabulary Learning Strategies of Japanese Life Science Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Little, Andrea; Kobayashi, Kaoru

    2015-01-01

    This study investigates vocabulary learning strategy (VLS) preferences of lower and higher proficiency Japanese university science students studying English as a foreign language. The study was conducted over a 9-week period as the participants received supplemental explicit VLS instruction on six strategies. The 38 participants (14 males and 24…

  20. Effect of Animated Graphic Annotations and Immediate Visual Feedback in Aiding Japanese Pronunciation Learning: A Comparative Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hew, Soon-Hin; Ohki, Mitsuru

    2004-01-01

    This study examines the effectiveness of imagery and electronic visual feedback in facilitating students' acquisition of Japanese pronunciation skills. The independent variables, animated graphic annotation (AGA) and immediate visual feedback (IVF) were integrated into a Japanese computer-assisted language learning (JCALL) program focused on the…

  1. Note on the development of a Brazilian version of a noise annoyance scale

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Günther, Hartmut; Iglesias, Fabio; de Sousa, Juliana Moraes

    2007-11-01

    In order to compare community responses to environmental noise across cultures and languages, international standardized annoyance scales are necessary. ICBEN Team 6 has organized the development of scales for eight European languages and for Japanese. More recently, scales for three other Asian languages were added. The present study reports on the use of the ICBEN method to construct an annoyance scale for Brazilian Portuguese.

  2. Translation, validity and reliability of the British Sign Language (BSL) version of the EQ-5D-5L.

    PubMed

    Rogers, Katherine D; Pilling, Mark; Davies, Linda; Belk, Rachel; Nassimi-Green, Catherine; Young, Alys

    2016-07-01

    To translate the health questionnaire EuroQol EQ-5D-5L into British Sign Language (BSL), to test its reliability with the signing Deaf population of BSL users in the UK and to validate its psychometric properties. The EQ-5D-5L BSL was developed following the international standard for translation required by EuroQol, with additional agreed features appropriate to a visual language. Data collection used an online platform to view the signed (BSL) version of the tests. The psychometric testing included content validity, assessed by interviewing a small sample of Deaf people. Reliability was tested by internal consistency of the items and test-retest, and convergent validity was assessed by determining how well EQ-5D-5L BSL correlates with CORE-10 BSL and CORE-6D BSL. The psychometric properties of the EQ-5D-5L BSL are good, indicating that it can be used to measure health status in the Deaf signing population in the UK. Convergent validity between EQ-5D-5L BSL and CORE-10 BSL and CORE-6D BSL is consistent, demonstrating that the BSL version of EQ-5D-5L is a good measure of the health status of an individual. The test-retest reliability of EQ-5D-5L BSL, for each dimension of health, was shown to have Cohen's kappa values of 0.47-0.61; these were in the range of moderate to good and were therefore acceptable. This is the first time EQ-5D-5L has been translated into a signed language for use with Deaf people and is a significant step forward towards conducting studies of health status and cost-effectiveness in this population.

  3. Japan's hiropon panic: resident non-Japanese and the 1950s meth crisis.

    PubMed

    Alexander, Jeffrey W

    2013-05-01

    This qualitative historical policy analysis explores Japan's early postwar market for hiropon (methamphetamine/meth) and the impact of its anti-hiropon campaigns. The paper traces the origins of medical methamphetamine production in prewar Japan; known at that time by its former brand-name, 'Philopon' (pronounced hiropon), and argues that the anti-meth 'shock-horror' campaigns of the 1950s were exacerbated by long-simmering animosity toward non-Japanese residents - especially Koreans and Taiwanese. Through an analysis of both English- and Japanese-language source materials, the paper explores the gritty, frightening themes of Japan's 1950s-era anti-meth propaganda campaigns and the parallel effort by police to arrest, prosecute, and deport members of the resident Korean and Taiwanese communities. The author demonstrates that by incorporating a wider variety of contemporary Japanese-language sources such as news reports and anti-drug propaganda materials about the postwar hiropon trade, we may more fully appreciate the historic, underlying social tensions behind the swift and targeted public response. The author concludes that Japan's postwar federal and municipal governments, together with police and media agencies, cultivated a sensational 'drug panic' designed both to dissuade citizens from using hiropon and to fuel a concerted police campaign against non-Japanese involved in the meth trade. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  4. Communication through Foreign Languages: An Economic Force in Chinese Enterprises.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hildebrandt, Herbert W.; Liu, Jinyun

    1991-01-01

    Second-language use by Chinese business managers illustrates that second-language competence is driven partly by economic and political forces. Although Russian language knowledge is typical of the older managers, English and Japanese are favored by younger managers, reflecting the wane of Russian political influence and the growing importance of…

  5. Comparative intelligibility investigation of single-channel noise-reduction algorithms for Chinese, Japanese, and English.

    PubMed

    Li, Junfeng; Yang, Lin; Zhang, Jianping; Yan, Yonghong; Hu, Yi; Akagi, Masato; Loizou, Philipos C

    2011-05-01

    A large number of single-channel noise-reduction algorithms have been proposed based largely on mathematical principles. Most of these algorithms, however, have been evaluated with English speech. Given the different perceptual cues used by native listeners of different languages including tonal languages, it is of interest to examine whether there are any language effects when the same noise-reduction algorithm is used to process noisy speech in different languages. A comparative evaluation and investigation is taken in this study of various single-channel noise-reduction algorithms applied to noisy speech taken from three languages: Chinese, Japanese, and English. Clean speech signals (Chinese words and Japanese words) were first corrupted by three types of noise at two signal-to-noise ratios and then processed by five single-channel noise-reduction algorithms. The processed signals were finally presented to normal-hearing listeners for recognition. Intelligibility evaluation showed that the majority of noise-reduction algorithms did not improve speech intelligibility. Consistent with a previous study with the English language, the Wiener filtering algorithm produced small, but statistically significant, improvements in intelligibility for car and white noise conditions. Significant differences between the performances of noise-reduction algorithms across the three languages were observed.

  6. The Acquisition of Consonant Clusters by Japanese Learners of English: Interactions of Speech Perception and Production

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sperbeck, Mieko

    2010-01-01

    The primary aim of this dissertation was to investigate the relationship between speech perception and speech production difficulties among Japanese second language (L2) learners of English, in their learning complex syllable structures. Japanese L2 learners and American English controls were tested in a categorical ABX discrimination task of…

  7. Japanese and Chinese Learners' Acquisition of the Narrow-Range Rules for the Dative Alternation in English.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Inagaki, Shunji

    1997-01-01

    Investigated the acquisition of narrow-range rules governing the dative alternation by adult learners of English as a Second Language, native English speakers, and Japanese and Chinese speakers. Suggests that the Japanese and Chinese learners' acquisition of the dative alternation in English is governed by the properties of an equivalent structure…

  8. Development of Japanese Children's Narrative Skills: Linguistic Devices and Strategies To Encode Their Perspective and Emotion.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Minami, Masahiko

    Studies on child language acquisition suggest that Japanese children begin to use a variety of linguistic signs very early. However, even if young Japanese children learned the social pragmatic functions and interactional dimensions of such linguistic means and communicative devices, they might not have acquired the subtleties of those devices…

  9. Japanese Learners' Acquisition of English Manner-of-Motion Verbs with Locational/Directional PPs.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Inagaki, Shunji

    2002-01-01

    Investigated first language influence (L1) on second language (L2) argument structure. In such a situation, a partial fit between the L1 and the L2 may trigger L1 transfer. Tested such predictions by investigating whether Japanese speakers can recognize the directional reading of English manner-of-motion verbs with locational-directional…

  10. Using EIKEN, TOEFL, and TOEIC to Award EFL Course Credits in Japanese Universities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    In'nami, Yo; Koizumi, Rie

    2017-01-01

    Despite the wide use of language tests as a basis for awarding English language course credits at Japanese universities, little has been published about how universities set policies on awarding credits according to external test scores. To narrow this gap, the characteristics of such policies were investigated in relation to the EIKEN Test in…

  11. An Emergent Perspective on the Use of the First Language in the English-as-a-Foreign-Language Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Moore, Paul J.

    2013-01-01

    This study investigates contextual features surrounding the use of a first language (L1) in a Japanese university English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) course during peer interaction in the extended preparation phase leading up to two oral presentation tasks (OP1 and OP3), performed seven months apart. Interaction data were analysed in terms of the…

  12. Discrimination of Phonemic Vowel Length by Japanese Infants

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sato, Yutaka; Sogabe, Yuko; Mazuka, Reiko

    2010-01-01

    Japanese has a vowel duration contrast as one component of its language-specific phonemic repertory to distinguish word meanings. It is not clear, however, how a sensitivity to vowel duration can develop in a linguistic context. In the present study, using the visual habituation-dishabituation method, the authors evaluated infants' abilities to…

  13. Using Computerized Bilingual Dictionaries To help Maximize English Vocabulary Learning at Japanese Colleges.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Loucky, John Paul

    2003-01-01

    Compares various computerized bilingual dictionaries for their relative effectiveness in helping Japanese college students at several language proficiency levels to access new English target vocabulary. (Author/VWL)

  14. Development of the Japanese version of the Council on Nutrition Appetite Questionnaire and its simplified versions, and evaluation of their reliability, validity, and reproducibility.

    PubMed

    Tokudome, Yuko; Okumura, Keiko; Kumagai, Yoshiko; Hirano, Hirohiko; Kim, Hunkyung; Morishita, Shiho; Watanabe, Yutaka

    2017-11-01

    Because few Japanese questionnaires assess the elderly's appetite, there is an urgent need to develop an appetite questionnaire with verified reliability, validity, and reproducibility. We translated and back-translated the Council on Nutrition Appetite Questionnaire (CNAQ), which has eight items, into Japanese (CNAQ-J), as well as the Simplified Nutritional Appetite Questionnaire (SNAQ-J), which includes four CNAQ-J-derived items. Using structural equation modeling, we examined the CNAQ-J structure based on data of 649 Japanese elderly people in 2013, including individuals having a certain degree of cognitive impairment, and we developed the SNAQ for the Japanese elderly (SNAQ-JE) according to an exploratory factor analysis. Confirmatory factor analyses on the appetite questionnaires were conducted to probe fitting to the model. We computed Cronbach's α coefficients and criterion-referenced/-related validity figures examining associations of the three appetite battery scores with body mass index (BMI) values and with nutrition-related questionnaire values. Test-retest reproducibility of appetite tools was scrutinized over an approximately 2-week interval. An exploratory factor analysis demonstrated that the CNAQ-J was constructed of one factor (appetite), yielding the SNAQ-JE, which includes four questions derived from the CNAQ-J. The three appetite instruments showed almost equivalent fitting to the model and reproducibility. The CNAQ-J and SNAQ-JE demonstrated satisfactory reliability and significant criterion-referenced/-related validity values, including BMIs, but the SNAQ-J included a low factor-loading item, exhibited less satisfactory reliability and had a non-significant relationship to BMI. The CNAQ-J and SNAQ-JE may be applied to assess the appetite of Japanese elderly, including persons with some cognitive impairment. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. [Development the Japanese of the Self-Compassionate Reactions Inventory].

    PubMed

    Miyagawa, Yuki; Taniguchi, Junichi

    2016-04-01

    Self-compassion is defined as being compassionate towards the self in times of suffering, and is composed of the following three components: self-kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness. This article reports the development of the Japanese version of the Self-Compassionate Reactions Inventory (SCRI-J). The SCRI-J measures self-compassion based on the degree to which people choose self-compassionate reactions to 8 hypothetical hardships. Study 1: (N = 179) showed that the SCRI-J had sufficient internal consistency. In terms of its validity, results showed a positive correlation between the SCRI-J and the Japanese version of the Self-Compassion Scale, supporting its concurrent validity. In addition, the SCRI-J was positively correlated with self-esteem and negatively correlated with psychological stress responses. Moreover, the association between the SCRI-J and stress responses remained significant when the effect of self-esteem was removed. In Study 2 (N = 90), the SCRI-J demonstrated high test-retest reliability over 3 weeks. Overall, the present study indicates that the SCRI-J has sufficient reliability and validity as a new scale for self-compassion.

  16. Bilingualism, Code-Switching, Language Mixing, Transfer and Borrowing; Clarifying Terminologies in the Literature.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yumoto, Kazuko

    A study of second language acquisition in two Japanese children, and corresponding examination of research literature, led to this effort to clarify terminology related to cross-linguistic influence in language contact situations. Terms include: bilingualism, code-switching, language mixing, language transfer, and borrowing. Two forms of transfer…

  17. Analysis of Bilingual Children's Performance on the English and Spanish Versions of the Woodcock-Muñoz Language Survey-R (WMLS-R)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sandilos, Lia E.; Lewis, Kandia; Komaroff, Eugene; Hammer, Carol Scheffner; Scarpino, Shelley E.; Lopez, Lisa; Rodriguez, Barbara; Goldstein, Brian

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the way in which items on the Woodcock-Muñoz Language Survey Revised (WMLS-R) Spanish and English versions function for bilingual children from different ethnic subgroups who speak different dialects of Spanish. Using data from a sample of 324 bilingual Hispanic families and their children living on the…

  18. Cultural and linguistic transferability of the multi-dimensional OxCAP-MH capability instrument for outcome measurement in mental health: the German language version.

    PubMed

    Simon, Judit; Łaszewska, Agata; Leutner, Eva; Spiel, Georg; Churchman, David; Mayer, Susanne

    2018-06-05

    Mental health conditions affect aspects of people's lives that are often not captured in common health-related outcome measures. The OxCAP-MH self-reported, quality of life questionnaire based on Sen's capability approach was developed in the UK to overcome these limitations. The aim of this study was to develop a linguistically and culturally valid German version of the questionnaire. Following forward and back translations, the wording underwent cultural and linguistic validation with input from a sample of 12 native German speaking mental health patients in Austria in 2015. Qualitative feedback from patients and carers was obtained via interviews and focus group meetings. Feedback from mental health researchers from Germany was incorporated to account for cross-country differences. No significant item modifications were necessary. However, changes due to ambiguous wordings, possibilities for differential interpretations, politically unacceptable expressions, cross-country language differences and differences in political and social systems, were needed. The study confirmed that all questions are relevant and understandable for people with mental health conditions in a German speaking setting and transferability of the questionnaire from English to German speaking countries is feasible. Professional translation is necessary for the linguistic accuracy of different language versions of patient-reported outcome measures but does not guarantee linguistic and cultural validity and cross-country transferability. Additional context-specific piloting is essential. The time and resources needed to achieve valid multi-lingual versions should not be underestimated. Further research is ongoing to confirm the psychometric properties of the German version.

  19. Can a Microwave Heat up Coffee? How English- and Japanese-Speaking Children Choose Subjects in Lexical Causative Sentences

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kanero, Junko; Hirsh-Pasek, Kathy; Golinkoff, Roberta Michnick

    2016-01-01

    Languages differ greatly in how they express causal events. In languages like Japanese, the subjects of causative sentences, or "causers," are generally animate and intentional, whereas in other languages like English, causers range widely from animate beings to inanimate objects (e.g. Wolff, Jeon & Li, 2009). This paper explores…

  20. Ada Compiler Validation Summary Report: Certificate Number 89020W1. 10073: International Business Machines Corporation, IBM Development System for the Ada Language, VM/CMS Ada Compiler, Version 2.1.1, IBM 3083 (Host and Target)

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1989-04-20

    International Business Machines Corporation) IBM Development System for the Ada Language, VN11/CMS Ada Compiler, Version 2.1.1, Wright-Patterson AFB, IBM 3083...890420W1.10073 International Business Machines Corporation IBM Development System for the Ada Language VM/CMS Ada Compiler Version 2.1.1 IBM 3083... International Business Machines Corporation and reviewed by the validation team. The compiler was tested using all default option settings except for the

  1. Learning Languages: The Journal of the National Network for Early Language Learning, 2001-2002.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rosenbusch, Marcia H., Ed.

    2002-01-01

    These three journal issues contain the following articles: "Japanese at Mimosa Elementary School" (Azusa Uchihara); "A Successful Keypal Project Using Varied Technologies" (Jean L. Pacheco); "Promoting a Language-Proficient Society: What You Can Do" (Kathleen M. Marcos and Joy Kreeft Peyton); "Journal Reflections…

  2. The reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the Temperament and Personality Questionnaire for patients with non-melancholic depression.

    PubMed

    Kudo, Yuka; Nakagawa, Atsuo; Tamura, Noriko; Kato, Noriko; Williams, Aya; Aida, Nobuo; Mimura, Masaru

    2016-07-01

    Parker et al. (2006) proposed a new approach to classify specific sub-types of non-melancholic depression caused by various stress factors and premorbid personality styles: the Temperament and Personality Questionnaire (T&P). The current study aim was to develop the Japanese version of the T&P and evaluate its reliability and validity. We studied 114 patients with non-melancholic depression. Reliability was assessed using the test-retest method. Convergent validity of the T&P was compared with the clinician ratings of each patient for the eight personality traits. We also assessed the impact of depressive state on the T&P. The test-retest intraclass correlation coefficients among eight constructs of the T&P ranged from 0.77 to 0.89, indicating good-to-excellent reliability. Anxious Worrying (rho=0.29), Perfectionism (rho=0.17), Personal Reserve (rho=0.18), Irritability (rho=0.38), and Social Avoidance (rho=0.32) showed adequate levels of convergent validity; Rejection Sensitivity (rho=0.16), Self-criticism (rho=-0.02), and Self-focus (rho=0.07) showed relatively weak convergent validity. Perfectionism (rho=-0.06), Social Avoidance (rho=0.17), Anxious Worrying (rho=0.40), Personal Reserve (rho=0.30), Irritability (rho=0.28), Rejection Sensitivity (rho=0.35), Self-criticism (rho=0.49), and Self-focus (rho=0.24) showed minimal sensitivity to mood state effects. Only one site was used. While a Likert scale was used, the clinician-rated personality trait measure had not been validated. The J-T&P is a reliable and valid measure for assessing temperament and personality in Japanese patients with non-melancholic depression. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Gender, age, and cultural differences in the Japanese version of the Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment.

    PubMed

    Yago, Satoshi; Hirose, Taiko; Kawamura, Aki; Omori, Takahide; Okamitsu, Motoko

    2015-01-01

    This study aimed to clarify the characteristics of the Japanese version of the Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment (J-ITSEA), a parentreport questionnaire concerning social-emotional/behavioral problems and delays in competence in 1- to 3-year-old children. The differences in score between genders, ages, and between the J-ITSEA and the original Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment were examined. The data of 617 participants recruited from Saitama prefecture through stratified two-stage sampling were analyzed. The Cronbach's alpha ranged from 0.76 to 0.93. Gender differences emerged for some problems and all competence scales, with boys rated higher in the Externalizing problem domain and Activity/Impulsivity subscale and girls rated higher in the Internalizing problem domain, Inhibition to Novelty subscale, and all Competence scales. The Competence domain score increased across age groups. Compared with a normative sample in the US, participants in this study rated higher in Aggression/Defiance and Separation Distress, and rated lower in Peer Aggression and most of the Competence scales. The results indicate that the J-ITSEA scores should be interpreted in comparison with standard scores assigned for gender and 6-month age groups, and that specific criteria for the cut-off points for the J-ITSEA are required instead of those in the original questionnaire.

  4. The Performance of the Japanese Case Particles in Children's Speech: With Special Reference to "Ga" and "O."

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Miyata, Hiroko

    1993-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that children's use of Japanese case particles obeys the grammatical principles introduced at the earlier stage of language development. In previous studies concerning the acquisition of Japanese case examined through the experimental method, it has been suggested that children acquire the functional use…

  5. Validity and Reliability of a General Nutrition Knowledge Questionnaire for Japanese Adults.

    PubMed

    Matsumoto, Mai; Tanaka, Rie; Ikemoto, Shinji

    2017-01-01

    Nutrition knowledge is necessary for individuals to adopt appropriate dietary habits, and needs to be evaluated before nutrition education is provided. However, there is no tool to assess general nutrition knowledge of adults in Japan. Our aims were to determine the validity and reliability of a general nutrition knowledge questionnaire for Japanese adults. We developed the pilot version of the Japanese general nutrition knowledge questionnaire (JGNKQ) and administered the pilot study to assess content validity and internal reliability to 1,182 Japanese adults aged 18-64 y. The JGNKQ was further modified based on the pilot study and the final version consisted of 5 sections and 147 items. The JGNKQ was administered to female undergraduate Japanese students in their senior year twice in 2015 to assess construct validity and test-retest reliability. Ninety-six students majoring in nutrition and 44 students in other majors who studied at the same university completed the first questionnaire. Seventy-five students completed the questionnaire twice. The responses from the first questionnaire and both questionnaires were used to assess construct validity and test-retest reliability, respectively. The students in nutrition major had significantly higher scores than the students in other majors on all sections of the questionnaire (p=0.000); therefore, the questionnaire had good construct validity. The test-retest reliability correlation coefficient value of overall and each section except "The use of dietary information to make dietary choices" were 0.75, 0.67, 0.67, 0.68 and 0.61, respectively. We suggest that the JGNKQ is an effective tool to assess the nutrition knowledge level of Japanese adults.

  6. A Nationwide Random Sampling Survey of Potential Complicated Grief in Japan

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mizuno, Yasunao; Kishimoto, Junji; Asukai, Nozomu

    2012-01-01

    To investigate the prevalence of significant loss, potential complicated grief (CG), and its contributing factors, we conducted a nationwide random sampling survey of Japanese adults aged 18 or older (N = 1,343) using a self-rating Japanese-language version of the Complicated Grief Brief Screen. Among them, 37.0% experienced their most significant…

  7. Race in Conflict with Heritage: "Black" Heritage Language Speaker of Japanese

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Doerr, Neriko Musha; Kumagai, Yuri

    2014-01-01

    "Heritage language speaker" is a relatively new term to denote minority language speakers who grew up in a household where the language was used or those who have a family, ancestral, or racial connection to the minority language. In research on heritage language speakers, overlap between these 2 definitions is often assumed--that is,…

  8. Japanese Competitiveness and Japanese Management.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Minabe, Shigeo

    1986-01-01

    Analyzes and compares Japanese and American industrial policy and labor practices. Proposes that certain aspects of the Japanese system be adapted by American businesses for purpose of increasing international competitiveness. Proposes specific actions and plans for both the Japanese and American systems. (ML)

  9. Politics of Japanese Naming Practice: Language Policy and Character Use

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Watanabe, Noriko

    2007-01-01

    This paper discusses the collision between government guidelines on "kanji" use in public documents and Japanese naming practice that places significance on written forms. The tension between the state's need to control the legibility of its texts through allowable "kanji" character lists collides with people's rights and desires to name their own…

  10. L2 Japanese Learners' Responses to Translation, Speed Reading, and "Pleasure Reading" as a Form of Extensive Reading

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tabata-Sandom, Mitsue

    2017-01-01

    Fluency development instruction lacks in reading in Japanese as a foreign language instruction. This study examined how 34 upper-intermediate level learners of Japanese responded when they first experienced pleasure reading and speed reading. The participants also engaged in intensive reading, the main component of which was translation. Survey…

  11. Task-Induced Variability in FL Composition: Language-Specific Perspectives.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Koda, Keiko

    1993-01-01

    Investigated ways in which different writing tasks influence quality and quantity of foreign language composition, as well as writing strategies used by American college students when composing in Japanese as a foreign language. Study proposed to compare qualitative and quantitative differences between descriptive and narrative writing tasks; to…

  12. Foreign language identification: First step in the translation process

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Newman, P.

    1987-01-01

    Guidelines are given for identifying 16 European languages that use the Latin alphabet by means of the diacritical marks used with particular letters. It is not necessary to know the languages to identify them. Five Slavic languages can be identified on the basis of the Cyrillic letters they use or do not use. Guidelines are also given for discriminating between Chinese, Japanese and Korean.

  13. The "Common European Framework of Reference for Languages," the European Language Portfolio, and Language Teaching/Learning at University: An Argument and Some Proposals

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Little, David

    2016-01-01

    I begin this article by briefly explaining why I think CercleS should encourage university language centres to align their courses and assessment with the proficiency levels of the "Common European Framework of Reference for Languages" (CEFR) and why they should use a version of the European Language Portfolio (ELP) to support the…

  14. Reliability of the Dutch-language version of the Communication Function Classification System and its association with language comprehension and method of communication.

    PubMed

    Vander Zwart, Karlijn E; Geytenbeek, Joke J; de Kleijn, Maaike; Oostrom, Kim J; Gorter, Jan Willem; Hidecker, Mary Jo Cooley; Vermeulen, R Jeroen

    2016-02-01

    The aims of this study were to determine the intra- and interrater reliability of the Dutch-language version of the Communication Function Classification System (CFCS-NL) and to investigate the association between the CFCS level and (1) spoken language comprehension and (2) preferred method of communication in children with cerebral palsy (CP). Participants were 93 children with CP (50 males, 43 females; mean age 7y, SD 2y 6mo, range 2y 9mo-12y 10mo; unilateral spastic [n=22], bilateral spastic [n=51], dyskinetic [n=15], ataxic [n=3], not specified [n=2]; Gross Motor Function Classification System level I [n=16], II [n=14], III, [n=7], IV [n=24], V [n=31], unknown [n=1]), recruited from rehabilitation centres throughout the Netherlands. Because some centres only contributed to part of the study, different numbers of participants are presented for different aspects of the study. Parents and speech and language therapists (SLTs) classified the communication level using the CFCS. Kappa was used to determine the intra- and interrater reliability. Spearman's correlation coefficient was used to determine the association between CFCS level and spoken language comprehension, and Fisher's exact test was used to examine the association between the CFCS level and method of communication. Interrater reliability of the CFCS-NL between parents and SLTs was fair (r=0.54), between SLTs good (r=0.78), and the intrarater (SLT) reliability very good (r=0.85). The association between the CFCS and spoken language comprehension was strong for SLTs (r=0.63) and moderate for parents (r=0.51). There was a statistically significant difference between the CFCS level and the preferred method of communication of the child (p<0.01). Also, CFCS level classification showed a statistically significant difference between parents and SLTs (p<0.01). These data suggest that the CFCS-NL is a valid and reliable clinical tool to classify everyday communication in children with CP. Preferably

  15. How Do Learners of Japanese Read Texts When They Use Online Pop-Up Dictionaries?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tabata-Sandom, Mitsue

    2016-01-01

    There is a lack of research which examines the effects of online pop-up dictionaries in the context of less commonly taught languages including Japanese as a second and foreign language (JSL and JFL), despite the growing popularity of such tools. This qualitatively-oriented study is an attempt to fill this void. The study investigates differences…

  16. Do you start writing in Japanese or in English?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tanikawa, Kiyotaka

    2004-12-01

    The author sent via e-mail the question as in the title to the TENNET members of the Astronomical Society of Japan. Two hundred members among one thousand replied. It turned out that more than 70% of the members start writing in English and 15% fix initially the framework of the paper in Japanese and then start writing in English. The author reproduces comments attached to the replies, and then discuss the meaning of the result and consider the role of learning foreign languages in promoting the skill in one's native language.

  17. Language in Society; Semantics. Occasional Papers No. 6. University of Essex Language Centre.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Essex Univ., Colchester (England). Dept. of Language and Linguistics.

    This volume consists of three articles. "'Language and Society' in the B.A. Scheme," by L. M. O'Toole, is a revised version of some proposals for incorporating a "Language and Society" course in the second year of the B.A. program at the Language Centre. Ten propositions are offered as a basis for discussion. "Some Soviet…

  18. Enhancing Integrative Motivation: The Japanese-American Collaborative Learning Project

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kato, Fumie

    2016-01-01

    The Collaborative Learning Project is a language exchange program in which American and Japanese university students have the opportunity to interact with native speakers over the course of a three-week period. This paper reports the outcomes of the Collaborative Learning Project in terms of its effectiveness in fulfilling student expectations and…

  19. Contesting Visions at a Japanese School for the Deaf

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hayashi, Akiko; Tobin, Joseph

    2015-01-01

    This paper tells the story of the struggle to introduce a Japanese sign language program in a school for the deaf in Japan that until recently had followed the government's approach that emphasizes oral communication. Our method and conceptual framework is ethnographic, as we emphasize the cultural beliefs that underlie the three competing…

  20. Robo-Sensei's NLP-Based Error Detection and Feedback Generation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nagata, Noriko

    2009-01-01

    This paper presents a new version of Robo-Sensei's NLP (Natural Language Processing) system which updates the version currently available as the software package "ROBO-SENSEI: Personal Japanese Tutor" (Nagata, 2004). Robo-Sensei's NLP system includes a lexicon, a morphological generator, a word segmentor, a morphological parser, a syntactic…