This paper explores the diverse and dynamic landscape of English language teaching (ELT) in higher education across Asia, highlighting key trends, challenges, and innovations shaping the field. With English serving as a global lingua franca, its integration into Asian higher education systems is crucial for equipping students with the competencies necessary for international participation. Based on the results of a survey conducted with ELT experts in 20 countries and regions, first, the major characteristics of ELT across Asian universities are outlined, including the aim of ELT, English teachers, medium of instruction, the instructional approaches or methods and evaluation, and the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and technology. Second, significant challenges that complicate the implementation of effective ELT programs are identified, such as resource constraints, systemic issues, cultural factors, and student and teacher-related issues. The main innovations in ELT in higher education are also discussed. The paper concludes by emphasizing the importance of adaptive strategies in ELT, calling for international collaborations and partnerships that enrich ELT practices and better prepare students for the demands of a globalized world.

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Despite the increasing use of technology-mediated instruction in EFL teaching, there is a lack of empirical studies on how specific teaching modalities of online platforms affect learning outcomes. This paper investigates the impact of utilizing text-audio and text-video online modalities on technology-mediated EFL speaking instruction at a Japanese university. A quasi-experimental between-subjects design was utilized with two groups of Japanese participants that were taught by the same instructor over a 15-week semester. A group of 25 participants used online text-audio materials, whereas another group of 25 participants used online text-video materials. Data were collected through two oral examinations, a questionnaire on learning attitudes, and semi-structured interviews. This approach enabled the integration of both quantitative and qualitative data through triangulation. The quantitative results demonstrated that the speaking abilities and learning attitudes of the learners were enhanced by the utilization of both text-audio and text-video learning modalities. Nevertheless, there were no notable differences observed between the two groups regarding both their speaking proficiency and their attitudes towards learning. The qualitative findings about learning experiences indicated that students in both groups showed a favorable disposition towards participating in technology mediated EFL speaking instruction in order to improve their EFL speaking abilities.

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This study explores the benefits of leveraging music-generative AI (artificial intelligence) that adds melodies to sentences when teaching English as a foreign language, mainly when practicing reading aloud. To examine the effect of using this technology, we compared two experimental cases: one with ordinary oral readings without melodies and the other using sentences with added melodies with music-generative AI. The result of this experiment is that oral reading practices using melodies are more effective than oral reading without melodies. This result might not simply prove that adding melodies to sentences motivates students to repeat their learning activities of reading aloud because it was found that many students prefer famous songs over sentences that music-generative AI accompanies. However, it can be estimated that adjusting the melody production of music-generative AI could help create more appropriate songs that can motivate students to practice reading sentences aloud. This finding suggests that utilizing music-generative AI could aid in developing teaching materials for reading aloud and increase the motivation of students to repeat their learning practices through reading aloud.

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This research sheds light on the orientation of science students toward English language learning and provides suggestions for educational intervention. Two research questions are based on this objective: RQ1 “What is the relationship between proficiency and goal clarity?” and RQ2 “What is the relationship between emotional polarity and proficiency and learning?” The survey was conducted with students in the science department of a private Japanese university; they answered open-ended questions in a free writing format. The answers were scored on the degree of abstractness and emotional polarity, while statistical analysis and text mining were also conducted. From RQ1, we found that high-proficiency students tend to have clearer goals and emphasize the acceptance of content in English, while, for low-proficiency students, the act of using English itself is the purpose. From RQ2, we found no correlation between proficiency and emotional polarity, but that high-proficiency students tended to strongly emphasize pragmatic extrinsic motives over intrinsic motives. These results suggest that, for science students, it is more effective to emphasize English language learning’s practical aspect, and that it is particularly important to inform low-proficiency students that English is a tool that can be used to expand their options.

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This paper provides a detailed examination of 14 years of TOEIC (Test of English for International Communication) score trends at a Japanese university specializing in computer science and engineering. The report focuses on the various administrative and pedagogical measures taken to improve TOEIC scores among undergraduate students, from an average of 350 in 2011 to 560 in 2023. The paper highlights the significance of TOEIC as a widely recognized tool for measuring English proficiency in Japan and other Asian countries. Several policy implementations, such as setting minimum TOEIC score requirements for course progression and introducing frequent testing opportunities, were found to correlate with increased scores. The paper uses a linear mixed model (LMM) analysis to examine the impact of these measures, showing statistically significant improvements in scores following key interventions. The analysis also discusses challenges related to sustaining score improvements and student motivation. Although the report acknowledges the difficulty in isolating the effect of individual changes, it concludes that stringent requirements and frequent testing contribute to raising TOEIC scores, providing insights for educational institutions seeking to enhance English language proficiency among students.

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