Around 2010, the Japanese government started to focus on developing global human resources in cooperation with many universities by further promoting study-abroad programs. For students considering studying abroad, on-campus study-abroad advisors are very reliable resources, but their actual use has not been clarified until now. A questionnaire survey was conducted among 500 men and women between the ages of 20 and 35 who had studied abroad. The survey showed that 18.4% of respondents used the study-abroad advising service while they were in school. However, they did not appreciate the on-campus advisors more than those in the business sector, pointing out the former’s lack of professional knowledge. To improve this situation, it is desirable to implement more specialized trainings for on-campus advisors; the current circumstances are extremely insufficient. In this paper, while acknowledging the economic and time constraints of individual universities implementing training programs individually and independently, the widespread use of academic societies and professional associations is proposed as a more viable alternative.

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When literary materials are used in the classroom, it is essential to evaluate learners’ literary engagement performance through classroom-based assessment (CBA). Recently, a new literary competence model, the Innsbruck Model of Literary Competence (IMLC), has been proposed. It is expected to be used to construct a CBA test to assess learners’ class achievement in literary engagement performance and to apply the test results for effective feedback to further improve learners’ literary reading. This study reanalyzes Nishihara’s (2015) data using a Bayesian estimation method, which has been the focus of much attention in recent years. Specifically, it investigates: (1) whether the subcomponents of the IMLC are appropriately differentiated; and (2) whether IMLC-based performance assessment scores are discriminatory from other performance measures that are related to literary engagement but are not expected to correlate strongly with it (general class participation and the scores on the reading section of the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC)). The analysis results were generally positive on both of these issues, supporting the usefulness of the IMLC as a tool to design a CBA test to assess learners’ literary engagement performance.

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In the stream of educational reforms in Japan, collaborative teaching with English-speaking Assistant Language Teachers (ALTs) will consequently play an important role in foreign language classrooms. While the quality and impact of the ALTs on their lessons tend to be argued by many, there is still a possibility existing that the manner in which ALTs enrich their lives in Japan will exert a synergistic effect on their collaborative English teaching skills. This project focused on the life stories of ALTs, utilized the narrative approach to analyze and conduct interviews, and explored how they engage and commit to Japanese foreign language education. Utilizing thematic analysis, the study conducted semi-structured interviews with six ALTs under the Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme for 2021. As the starting point of being ALTs, this study investigated their perspective before and after their arrival to Japan and revealed two major themes that emerged from their psychological states, and each theme has divided further into the following sub-concepts (1) self-awareness: sense of anticipation and expectation, and (2) cognitive dissonance: concerns and discomfort and contemplation.

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This study examines predictive associations between psychosocial variables as independent variables and “Change in Time Spent Studying by Students” as the dependent variable. Data collected by the Cabinet Office of Japan amid the COVID-19 pandemic are analyzed with multivariate models to screen for the best combination of variables that can account for the effects on the dependent variable. A series of binary logistic regression analyses illuminates that the model with motivation to study, anxiety, life satisfaction, satisfaction with health status, and satisfaction with social bonds as explanatory variables is the fittest of all tested models. In particular, the importance of motivation, anxiety, and life satisfaction is deliberated regarding their effects on study-related variables. Furthermore, these variables’ implications for evidence-based school policies and curricula are discussed.

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The purpose of this study is to explore the process of gradual change in elementary school teachers’ beliefs about teaching English phonetic and phonological features. The junior teacher who participated in this study has a high English proficiency level and is in the early stages of her career in elementary school. The author observed the teacher’s 39 lessons for 5th and 6th graders and had a one-hour reflection session with her after the classes. In the session, she mentioned that she had experienced some ambivalence toward her teaching and beliefs and expressed her uncertainty. The analysis identified the following struggles between (1) what students want to say and what they can actually say, (2) accepting the varieties of English pronunciation and valuing the “proper” rhythm of the language, and (3) the different types of roles as a part-time instructor and a language teacher. The “fluctuations” in her beliefs indicate that she is integrating the different types of expertise in teaching as an elementary school teacher and a language instructor.

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The purpose of this study is to examine the anxiety about using English in the classroom by college students who want to be elementary school teachers. This study aims to equip them to continue teaching English in English without any anxiety or burden. A questionnaire survey was administered to undergraduate students in elementary teacher training programs to determine whether they had any concerns about teaching English in English. The study results indicate that the participants experience anxiety while using foreign languages and while teaching English in English. Therefore, the study provides suggestions for college students who want to become elementary school teachers and for junior high school English teachers with short teaching experience to teach English using versatile vocabulary and expressions, without feeling anxious or burdened.

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The purpose of this coauthored paper is to critically review the progress of international liberal arts over the past 10 years and to consider the future of the relevant fields from the viewpoints of communication (chapter 2), transdisciplinary research (chapter 3), inequality and poverty of children (chapter 4), the state of the university and academic society (chapter 5), and English education in Japanese universities. This paper is based on JAILA’s 10th anniversary symposium entitled “Looking Back at 10 years’ Progress of JAILA－For the Future of International Liberal Arts－” and each chapter further explores a theme discussed at the symposium.

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