This study focuses on beliefs that learners hold about language learning, called language learning beliefs. They influence EFL learners' learning methods and ultimately affect the success or failure of second language learning. It aims to clarify undergraduate EFL learners' language learning beliefs, how they relate to their English proficiency, and whether they change after entering college. The survey recruited 63 undergraduates as the participants and was conducted from April to December 2022. A 52-item questionnaire was employed to assess their language learning beliefs, and the participants completed the questionnaire in April (Time 1) and December (Time 2). They took TOEIC® three times during the period. Their language learning beliefs were analyzed using the Time 1 TOEIC® score as an explanatory variable and the TOEIC® score increase as an explanatory variable. The following results were obtained: 1) The participants' language learning beliefs at Time 1 did not differ by their English proficiency, 2) The participants' language learning beliefs at Time 1 did not predict their growth in English proficiency, and 3) The participants' language learning beliefs did not change significantly after entering college. This study discusses that while learners at the B2 level or above are likely to have experiential learning beliefs, those at the B1 level or below are likely to have analytical learning beliefs and that university EFL learners' language learning beliefs would not change without teachers' explicit pedagogical intervention. It finally argues that university English teachers should identify learners' language learning beliefs that relate to successful learning and those that negatively influence language learning.

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The current study is a part of project aiming to improve tourism communication in Japan, in particular for foreign visitors to the country. In this paper, we investigate how (in)appropriately Himeji Castle, a World Heritage Site in Japan and one of the country’s most famous cultural and historical sites, is represented as an attractive sightseeing spot. The research is based on a field study that gathered authentic data in Himeji Castle and the surrounding area. The current study simulates a foreign visitor’s trip and, as preparation for the field work, we also examined the website. In this paper, the ‘original’ Japanese and ‘translated’ English texts (verbatim translations by DeepL, and the Tourist Guide & Map authorized by Himeji City) describing Himeji Castle are comparatively analyzed from the perspectives of stylistics and translation (Boase-Beier 2014; Boase-Beier et al. 2018), as well as that of cross-cultural understanding, to examine whether and to what extent the original Japanese messages are retained, modified, or even deleted in the foreign language. By focusing on the representation of Japanese culture, history, and customs in tourist communication, we explore the relationship between the value of Himeji Castle as a cultural heritage site and stylistic choices.

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This study examined the sources of difficulties in literary narrative reading experienced by 22 intermediate Japanese EFL university students based on two analytical frameworks for general EFL reading and poetry difficulties. Both genre-neutral and -specific sources were identified on the basis of responses to items on reading that target specific parts of texts in which obstacles to meaning construction were expected. The study identified six (three genre-neutral and three genre-specific) sources of difficulties in literary narrative reading, namely, lack of word (general), grammar (general), topics (general), figurative language, inexplicit coherence, and lack of subjectivity. This study also offers suggestions for teaching practice and future research to alleviate the reading difficulties that foreign language learners may encounter when reading literary narratives in the classroom.

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This study aims to clarify the effects of music workshop-style classes on elementary school children. A short-term intensive learning format characterizes music workshop-style classes. In recent years, workshop-style classes that emphasize independent and collaborative participation by participants have gained attention, rather than a one-sided style of knowledge transfer such as lectures. A questionnaire survey was conducted among 2,251 elementary school students who attended music workshop-style classes taught by professional musicians, including the first author. More than 98% of the children responded positively about the music-viewing party, saying it was fun. Of these, 87% of the children increased their motivation to engage in expressive activities and play music themselves. On the other hand, around 13% of children did not show interest in engaging in expressive activities despite having a favorable impression of appreciation activities, which implies that just listening to great music is not enough to encourage them to feel like playing the instrument themselves. While the lower grades of elementary school students are likely to view abilities as something that can be changed, the upper grades tend to think that abilities are fixed. In addition to popularizing music workshop-style classes, it is also essential to cultivate a flexible mindset in children to encourage them to think that anything can be achieved with effort.

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The purpose of the current study is to reconsider what English reading proficiency means. We recently had a symposium on this topic at the 11th National Meeting of JAILA (The Japan Association of International Liberal Arts), which was planned and held as a follow-up to the symposium at the 94th General Meeting of ELSJ (The English Literary Society of Japan) on the same topic. Inspired by all the discussions in both symposia on the definitions of English reading proficiency, this paper explores another way of defining it by looking at the issue from a different perspective. It focuses on the classroom activities at a Japanese university in which students read a part of a literary work and write a sequel to it, and then analyses their writing and the result of a questionnaire survey. The findings suggest that the students’ writing and their responses to the activity may show some aspects of English reading proficiency when they are engaged in creative writing based on their reading of the original literary texts.

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In the age of globalisation, the promotion of intercultural relationships among children is of the utmost importance. Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) has emerged as a method that promotes interaction between people from different backgrounds. This study focuses on the effectiveness of CLIL in teaching Japanese as a foreign language to beginners in Mongolia. The study aims to explore (1) what mediations were employed in the classroom and (2) what kinds of learning environment helped students to commit to the CLIL class in their unlearned language. Specifically, the research centres on a Japanese and music integrated lesson delivered to fourth-grade students in Ulaanbaatar. Through a qualitative analysis of inter-participant discourse, we observed the teachers' management of lesson atmosphere under soft control and the assessment of student concentration. As a result, students chose mediational tools to commit deeply to the class and to overcome their new foreign language. This contributed significantly to the students’ sense of ownership in the class community.

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The purpose of this study is to address common misconceptions surrounding extensive reading (ER) and ER programs. These misunderstandings can be summarized in three key points: 1) the confusion between ER and speed reading, 2) the misunderstanding of school-based ER programs for an ER exercise as self-study at home, and 3) the misinterpretation of ER’s goals. While many English teachers and researchers in English education mistakenly perceive ER as a speed-reading exercise solely aimed at enhancing learners’ fluency, this study aims to clarify that an ER program can be designed to encourage learners to engage with English books to become autonomous readers. Here, a qualitative research design was employed to dispel these misconceptions. A total of 1,176 comments were collected from 42 participants regarding their reading experiences in a 10-month ER program conducted at a private university in Japan. These comments were then analyzed thematically, utilizing a narrative approach. Simultaneously, a quantitative survey was conducted for triangulation. The results reveal that the participants engaged in profound and recurrent reflection on what books to read and how to enjoy reading in English throughout the program. Furthermore, the findings suggest that this ER program, in which an experienced ER instructor introduced multiple reading strategies to promote participants' autonomous reading for pleasure, positively changed the learners' attitudes toward reading.

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The purpose of the present study is to analyze how Kenneth Koch's poetry writing pedagogies can be applied and explored in Japanese High School EFL classrooms. Koch published Wishes, Lies and Dreams and Sleeping on the Wing on poetry writing pedagogies based on his experiences to teach students at public schools in NYC. In this study, Koch's writing pedagogies are introduced and analyzed to produce a teaching model for poetry writing which can be applied to Japanese High School EFL classrooms. Furthermore, his pedagogies are based on the process of being influenced by other poems or songs so that students can write poetry in their own subjective and autonomous way of learning. As a result, this research aims to exemplify English poetry writing in Japanese High School EFL classrooms as a suitable teaching practice toward subjective learning along with dialogical and in-depth learning as shown in the Course of Study as a part of the recent educational reform.

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Hospital information system operation classes are being held at the university to which the authors are affiliated. The purpose of this study was to develop a proprietary video chat system that could be used in conjunction with existing hospital information systems to simulate an online interview between a doctor and patient. Assuming doctor-to-patient (D to P) communication, a simple configuration was designed using inexpensive equipment. The developed video chat system presents an affordable solution that does not require a dedicated server and can obtain video and audio directly from web cameras. It was used in conjunction with the existing hospital information system in the laboratory. This video chat system can be cost-effective and easy to implement, making it an effective solution. Further, the authors reported some important findings on issues to consider for practical use, such as web camera connections, configuring special settings on existing work terminals, selecting the appropriate web cameras to be used, and managing the noise generated by terminals. The next step is to obtain system evaluations from volunteer students during simulation lessons.

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The purpose of this paper is to examine how the narrative approach is useful in the reception studies of oral interpretation to clarify the roles and functions of interpreters. For this purpose, the author’s two articles were reviewed, both of which analyzed the narratives of users of the interpretation services but utilizing different research methods: categorization by coding and a narrative approach. In this paper, the categorical analysis in the first article was re-analyzed with a narrative approach to find out whether different insights can be brought to light. Results revealed that the focus on the sequence of the interviewees’ narratives and on their way of talking, which is part of the narrative approach, provided clues to specific meanings of the words in their narratives. This suggests that different meanings attributed to the words in the narratives could become more evident by focusing on how the narratives are composed, presented and developed.

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The purpose of this study is to describe the awareness of elementary school children about English phonemic and phonological features that might be gain through singing English songs in foreign language classes. The first author carried out activities ofsinging English songs that sung in Japanese were familiar to children for 5th and 6th graders. The analysis of lyrics and worksheets of children showed that the phonemes that Japanese language did not have, linking, reduction and assimilation were difficult for children to listen to and pronounce. In addition, some of 6th grade children mentioned that they did not have to pronounce all of letters or words and should just sing as they heard. On the other hand, it was not possible by this study to clarify the awareness and difficulties of children who did not need to write katakana or who could not represent what they heard in katakana on their worksheets with lyrics.

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The importance of high school-university articulation has been recognized in recent years. To ensure a smooth transition for students from high school to university, it is essential for university English teachers to understand the English activities in which students have engaged in high school. Focusing on first-year students entering a regional national university (n = 1396) in spring 2023, who spent their three years of high school life amid the COVID-19 pandemic, this paper aims to describe their experiences with English class activities in high schools. Findings from both quantitative and qualitative studies have revealed that most students had predominantly traditional learning and writing activities, with limited exposure to speaking and interactive learning activities. The paper discusses possible explanations for these experiences in English classes and offers cautions for university English teachers to consider when designing their own class activities.

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The purpose of this study is to explore the process of gradual change in elementary school teacher’s beliefs and actual instructions about teaching English phonetic and phonological features. The first author conducted participant observation of 135 lessons taught by the second author who was an early-career elementary school teacher with high English proficiency and had interactive reflection sessions about lessons. The analysis showed that the teacher had an ambivalent perception of the difference in pronunciations of herself and ALTs. In addition, narratives of the teacher included not only the aspect of “an English teacher in an elementary school,” but also “ESL speaker,” “a teaching partner of ALT,” “a foreign language learner who was interested in the differences between languages,” and “a parent.” These results suggest that self-multiplicity of the teacher brought different perception of occurrencesin lessons, and the teacher noticed the conflicts between them.

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In any discussion concerning English language teaching/learning in Japan, it would be almost unthinkable to find arguments that make an outright denial of the value and significance of developing learners’ reading proficiency in this specific target language. What has very often been ignored or slighted here, on the other hand, is possible difficulties in defining the term “English reading proficiency,” whose meanings could depend totally on different contexts in which the language is taught/learned. For those who are teaching/learning the English language in Japan in this day and age, it would be relevant to ask, for instance, whose English reading proficiency is at stake, towards what aims this proficiency should be oriented, and how this proficiency could best be cultivated. The eleventh annual conference of JAILA included a symposium addressing this challenging topic, regarding which four panelists presented their views grounded on their educational experience in different contexts. This paper is the report of this meaningful event, with the presentations by three of the four panelists briefly summarised.

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Liberal arts, a concept born in ancient Greece, originally had seven areas: grammar, rhetoric, logic, algebra, geometric, astronomy, and music. However, its contents could change according to the era and region because people have different needs, values, and opinions. Therefore, sport could be one of the new areas of liberal arts today because many people in many countries play, watch, and talk about it. It seems people cannot live without it. Unfortunately, however, most Japanese universities do not seem to treat sport appropriately because it has been taught neither as one of the liberal arts subjects nor as humanities or social science subjects. This symposium therefore aims to redefine the value(s) of sport in the current academic setting. It also aims to introduce exceptional practices of teaching sport as liberal arts subjects so that many other academics in Japan can do so in their own way.

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