L2 learners' attitudes toward, and use of, mnemonic strategies when learning Japanese kanji

Journal article

This study investigates kanji learning (the memorization of Japanese written characters) of university students of Japanese, in order to evaluate their use of mnemonic strategies. The study applies in-depth qualitative methods to broaden the understanding of how foreign language learners use mnemonics when learning kanji. Data were collected over the duration of a year in the form of interviews, stimulated recall sessions, and a questionnaire on mnemonic usage. The tudy found that while mnemonics are useful to memorize kanji and kanji components when applied in a meaningful way, an over-reliance on this strategy can have negative effects for the learner. The study highlighted numerous accounts of the meaning of a kanji being lost in overly complex mnemonic strategies. Another limitation of mnemonic strategies was associations being made with the meaning of kanji and not with how it was read, causing an inability to read kanji in Japanese.

Authors: Rose, H

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Wiley
• Journal: Modern Language Journal
• Volume: 97
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 981-992
• Publication date: 2013-11-21
• Acceptance date: 2013-11-21
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1540-4781.2013.12040.x
• ISSN: 0026-7902
• Keywords: Kanji; mnemonic; cognition; Japanese; strategies; SLA