This study examines the effectiveness of a combination of teacher-centered digital storytelling for instruction and project-based learning for practice in an elementary school EFL classroom. Furthermore, it seeks to examine student preferences and whether or not these were related to increased improvement in their oral abilities. It reports the results of a subjectively-rated pre- and posttest and compares these results to a survey. We found that students overall improved significantly (Z=-4.94, p<.001, r=.67) and that students overwhelmingly preferred playing games to any of the specific teaching methodologies. However, we also found that students did enjoy the digital storytelling and project-work to some degree. We also noted that students who enjoyed the learning reported gaining more confidence in speaking, and therefore, some game-like element should likely be retained for young learners. Finally, our results suggest that more advanced students were more likely to gain confidence and to have a wider range of interests in the target language. Therefore, as Japanese EFL learners begin to learn more English from younger ages in the near future, teachers of older children (e.g. junior high school) should note the changing ability-levels and interests of new students and try to match their teaching methodology accordingly.

抄録全体を表示

Scholars, over the years, have been interested in researching on the movie The Wizard of Oz (1939), adapted from Lyman Frank Baum's The Wonderful of Wizard of Oz, published in 1900. These researchers have often adopted literary or economical perspectives; however, little research has been conducted from the English educational standpoint. Carreira Matsuzaki (2012) asked groups of students to compose questions about The Wizard of Oz during their classes, which resulted in an increase in the students' independence and motivation to learn the language.
The author tries to assess the practicality of using the movie to teach English, where teaching exercises were carried out in three English Communication I classes each for 41 first-grade students, 61 second-grade students, and 17 third-grade students that attended a private high school correspondence course in the Kansai area. The three grades' students were taught the movie's theme song, "Over the Rainbow" (1939), during the first English Communication I class; the introduction of the main characters and a general story along with the movie screening during the second class; and English expressions, the life of Baum, and American society in the final class. This paper focuses on the first and second English Communication I classes to analyze the questionnaires completed by the students and assesses the effectiveness of this teaching method in motivating students to learn the language.

抄録全体を表示

The aim of this study is to demonstrate that the movie Coraline (2009) represents the dominant empowerment of femininity by considering the movie from the perspective of gender criticism. There has been a wide range of criticism surrounding the numerous changes from the original novel to the screen version directed by Henry Selick. The critic Lindsay Myers (2012) contends, for instance, that "[a]ll Selick's Coraline wants to do is to get away from the predatory Other Mother, and the film is far more about depriving the Other Mother of her power than it is about empowering its young heroine" (p. 250). However, this essay argues that a more detailed analysis of the characters in the film is necessary, and it will expose a different view of the film. This study thus attempts to show that the structure of the movie maintains the feminine empowerment that other critics claim it lacks, and postulates that, just as Neil Gaiman's novel Coraline (2002) challenges dominant gender stereotypes and conventions prevalent worldwide, so does Henry Selick's movie. Finally, this study also seeks to demonstrate the educational benefit for students in learning about prevalent worldwide gender issues.

抄録全体を表示

Hitchcock's third war-themed movie, Lifeboat, which was produced in America prior to the outbreak of World War II, depicts survivors from a torpedoed merchant marine vessel on a lifeboat. Their survival is threatened when they rescue a Nazi seaman from the wreckage. However, regardless of their differences, the survivors form a strong bond and defeat the capable, competent, and intelligent Nazi seaman. The film is in accordance with the American government's propaganda campaigns during this period; however, it was heavily criticized for its depictions of two characters: the Nazi seaman and a black steward. Nevertheless, these criticisms are heavily biased with respect to the idealism that America was attempting to establish. This paper aims to examine how and why the ostracized characters in Lifeboat are accepted to a unified America in order to reveal the way in which liberal society is built upon the excluded others. The author argues that the idea of harmony represented in Lifeboat overlaps with the multiculturalism in this historical moment. The notion of coexistence with others is established by "resigned acceptance." Underneath the unity of community, there are always ostracized minorities.

抄録全体を表示

This study aims to examine the maternal figures in the Winnie-the-Pooh stories: the novels by A. A. Milne as well as the adaptation films by Disney production. This study primarily focuses on Kanga as the only maternal figure, who is also the only female character in this story. As Finch (2000) indicates, Kanga is "an archetypal example of maternal instinct" in Milne's original stories. Kanga is portrayed as an affectionate mother who is sometimes overprotective of her son Roo. She prefers to constantly take care of her son and the other characters. Crews (2001) articulates harsh criticism on the portrait of Kanga: "Her speech never waves from the blandest and most cloying 'motherese'…" Milne describes Kanga as a mother who dotes on her child and devotes herself to childcare and housework. The problem with such a portrait is that it projects a stereotypical image of a maternal figure, and it seems to dictate what a mother should be. By comparing the images of Kanga in the adaptations mainly produced after the 2000s, this study aims to examine the maternal figures as adapted to the modern era of the 21st century.

抄録全体を表示

Due to Covid-19, the number of hate crimes against Asians has been increasing in many European countries and the US, and the situation has become extremely serious in the US. Amid this crisis, we must pay attention to the possibility that we are not simply seeing ourselves as victims of racial discrimination. We should be aware that we can also be perpetrators ourselves toward other races depending on the situation. For example, more people are coming from foreign countries to work in Japan. The number of these workers has been increasing year by year. We are expected to get along with other races without discrimination. If racial discrimination comes from a prejudice through ignorance, then we can build a good relationship with other races by removing the prejudice. In this research, the author showed one movie to high school students which focused on an American classroom that consists of black and Hispanic teenagers. The author compared students' notion toward other races before and after watching the movie to find evidence of how watching movies can contribute to cultural tolerance.

抄録全体を表示

This paper deals with linguistic phenomena such as compound nouns, double negation and other non-standard English usages, left dislocation, and JB-X DM-Y construction in English movies, thus examining the possibility of using an Oscar-winning film Green Book (2018) as an English grammar teaching material. Many Japanese students of English seem to be unaware of the above linguistic items. Ironically, however, these items are not only used in our daily conversations, but they also appear occasionally in English movies. As a step in raising awareness of the fact, the authors of this paper utilize movie data, into which the items in question are tactically incorporated. Based on the data results, the authors concurrently suggest ways for learners to readily understand what these items are and how they function. The current study will hopefully contribute to further development of education and research through English media, serving as a bridge between theory and practice.

抄録全体を表示