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In an attempt to clarify the effective method of learning the proper usage of “wa” and “ga”, the Japanese language ability and the learning/instruction methods of the two-year and four-year upper-class undergraduate students of the Department of Japanese at the National Kaohsiung First University of Science and Technology were studied over a period of one year.
The use of “wa” and “ga” of the two groups of students were tested three times over the one-year period of study. The results indicated no significant difference in the abilities of the two-year and four-year students. Furthermore, neither of the groups scored better on the third test than the first. Some even forgot the correct usage they had previously acquired. Through a questionnaire survey, it was found that not many students have had the opportunity to study the usage holistically and that not much emphasis was placed on the study of “wa” and “ga” in the university curriculum. From these findings, the author analyzed the problems of the present method of learning and presented a set of proposals for improving the students’ acquisition of “wa” and “ga”.
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