[in Japanese]

View full abstract

This paper addresses the issue of kokusai-kyotsu-go (an international common language), emphasizing a necessity of interpreting the terminologies ideologically used. The word kokusai-kyotus-go itself may not be difficult to be interpreted and appears to be used among learners and practitioners without much resistance in Japan. Moreover, native speakerism blinds them to the reality that people use different Englishes as a common language. Consequently, the paper problematizes the uncritical perception of English as kokusai-kyotsu-go. It is challenging for practitioners to provide instruction and tasks with reflecting current language use outside classroom. However, in order to address practical concerns, the history and socio-political backgrounds underlying popularity of the jargon need to be fully understood. Finally, the paper suggests that English education should be situated within a framework of ecological pedagogy, which connects classroom and society. It is critical to note that English education cannot be independent from Japanese language and social issues.

View full abstract

[in Japanese]

View full abstract

Although the English variant ‘Japanese English’ is not yet widely known and accepted, some characteristics of Japanese English influenced by the mother tongue do exist and have both explicit and implicit effects on English. The purpose of this study is to confirm, through analysis of the phenomenon of“heavyuse of ‘I think’ in Japanese English”, that modality usages of Japanese have a possibility to influence and characterize Japanese English. In this study, based on the hypothesis that heavyuse of ‘I think’ is partly caused by attitudinal modality of the corresponding Japanese phrase ‘to-omou’, the author analyzed translated sentences containing　 ‘to-omou’, and revealed the fact that modality functions of ‘to-omou’ are highly relevant to the heavyuse of ‘I think’ in Japanese English.

View full abstract

[in Japanese]

View full abstract

The worldwide spread of the new coronavirus infection forced educators to conduct most courses online. Among the courses the author taught online were Introduction to Applied Linguistics and World Englishes. Both are lecture courses, but English learning activities using LINE were added. The participants first studied target subjects on an LMS and were asked to apply what they had learned to their English study. They were then instructed to send their teacher short voice files in English via LINE. The inclusion of creative answers to the questions about the chapter topics and learners themselves was encouraged. Then feedback was returned to each of the individual learners on LINE. The two courses were both accepted very positively. By drawing on some comments from the participants, the author examines the benefits and drawbacks of the courses. It is hoped that this report will provide some practical benefits to other hard-working language teachers teaching online during these chaotic days.

View full abstract

Traditionally it has been the usual practice of Japanese universities to have students join a seminar (zemi) in their third and fourth year and produce a graduation thesis upon completion of this seminar. This graduation thesis is considered to be the culmination of their 4-year university experience and is supposed to provide students with great educational experiences. Recently, universities have been allowing a wider range of students to enter and it seems therefore, there is an increase in the number of students with low academic skills, low motivation levels and unclear study goals (Kimura & Tatsuno, 2017). This can lead to a gap in the academic skills that students have acquired which are necessary to write an academic graduation thesis in their fourth year. The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) has also called for a more active learning approach in English education that includes an emphasis on 21st century competencies (Kimura & Tatsuno, 2017). The aim of this practice report is to introduce a hybrid form of graduation research that was added to a private Japanese university’s required curriculum as a possible model to help develop alternative options to the traditional graduation thesis paper.

View full abstract