Effectiveness of E-mail exchange between American and Japanese students in the college foreign language classrooms

神奈川県茅ヶ崎市This paper reported the use and effects of E-mail exchange between American and Japanese college students in the foreign language classrooms. This E-mail exchange project was conducted in the CALL English classes at Bunkyo University and in the intermediate Japanese classes at the University of Minnesota. A Bunkyo student and a Minnesota student were paired. After introducing each other via e-mail, they sent their e-mail partner questions which they created in their target language. After several e-mail exchanges, each student wrote an essay based on the information they received from their e-mail partner, and they presented the essay in class. According to the students’ surveys and teachers’ observations, this E-mail project played an important role to students for authentic foreign language learning. The results of the survey showed that this project motivated students to write and read in their target languages. Students also enjoyed communicating with their email partners. This project was also successful in helping students deepen their knowledge about their target language culture and society. In addition, this project was effective in making students be more autonomous foreign language learners. A description of the e-mail exchange project and the advantages of adoption in the foreign language classroom environment are presented in this paper