Fostering learner autonomy in language learning has increasingly been seen as important by educational institutions in Japan. Previous studies have shown that metacognitive strategies (MS) are strongly linked to one’s degree of autonomy. Despite its well-known significance, however, there are few empirical studies investigating whether or not autonomy can be developed by enhancing students’ MS use in secondary school settings. This article examines how students’ MS use and learner autonomy were fostered by adopting a learning-recording tool called a logbook, which enables learners to make learning visible and make reflection easier. In an 11-week logbook intervention, pre- and post-questionnaires related to participants’ MS use and semi-structured interviews were conducted and analyzed from the dataset of 79 Japanese high school students. The findings revealed that those students who used logbooks on a weekly basis became aware of their increasing use of MS, while the way of logbook use as well as the frequency was important for a higher level of MS use and greater autonomy. Based on these results, pedagogical implications for teachers who seek to utilize this reflective tool are discussed.

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This study investigates the effects of vocabulary knowledge and field independence on second language (L2) reading comprehension. The study focuses on two reading dimensions: literal understanding and inferential comprehension. The study also investigates the extent to which the role of vocabulary knowledge and field independence varies across L2 proficiency levels. The participants were 102 Japanese EFL learners. They completed the L2 reading comprehension test, vocabulary level test, and modified group embedded figures test. The results showed that vocabulary knowledge was more predictive of L2 reading performance than field independence. Vocabulary knowledge and field independence were more strongly associated with L2 reading comprehension in the higher proficiency group than in the lower proficiency group. More specifically, the degree of field independence still accounted for the unique variance in literal comprehension in L2 reading after adjusting for L2 vocabulary knowledge in the higher proficiency group. The results suggest that the role of field independence in L2 reading test performance was affected by L2 readers’ proficiency and reading task characteristics. These findings highlight the role of field independence as an important construct of cognitive abilities affecting L2 reading comprehension.

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This study investigated the development of auditory-phonological and visualorthographic word recognition and the relationship between both performance types in 155 Japanese elementary school students learning English as a foreign language (EFL). Although reading activities are included in the new Course of Study (MEXT, 2018a), the extent to which young Japanese learners can read English words is unclear. Auditoryphonological and visual-orthographic word recognition by fifth- and sixth-grade students was assessed using 40 multiple-choice test items. The results showed that, first, sixthgrade students statistically surpassed fifth-grade students in both auditory-phonological and visual-orthographic recognition; second, auditory-phonological recognition was stronger than visual-orthographic recognition in both grades; third, sixth-grade students’ visual-orthographic recognition was more strongly correlated with their auditoryphonological recognition than the correlation among fifth-grade students; and finally, regression analysis found that auditory-phonological word recognition was the strongest predictor of visual-orthographic word recognition in both reading proficiency groups. The similarity of Roman character reading was second strongest, and was more significant in the low reading proficiency group. This implies that students with higher reading proficiency utilize other strategies, and that seems to be a process of reading English words among young Japanese EFL students.

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In this study, we conducted an intensive 42-day Shadowing Marathon program in which learners shadowed unlearned materials in a bottom-up way to promote their perception and imitation skills. The learners shadowed a given model utterance three times, script-shadowed it, and read it aloud. Their utterances were analyzed automatically using advanced speech technologies to calculate separate scores for correct perception and imitation. Based on these scores and their TOEIC and Versant scores, we aimed to answer the following research questions: 1) How did the perception scores and imitation scores change during the 42 days? 2) What were the correlations between the two kinds of shadowing scores and the TOEIC and Versant scores? 3) To Language Education & Technology 59 (2022) 77 － 105 what extent did the frequency of participation in the marathon influence the TOEIC and Versant scores? Statistical analysis showed the following: 1) The perception scores tended to increase significantly, while the imitation scores remained unchanged. 2) The correlations between the perception scores and the TOEIC listening scores and between the imitation scores and the Versant speaking scores were significant, except for the pitch-based shadowing scores. 3) Frequent participation in the marathon was associated with significant improvements in the Versant scores for pronunciation and vocabulary.

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The present study developed a training program that intended to improve Japanese high school students’ English oral interaction skills, as well as devised methods to evaluate their achievement in the program. The main characteristics of the training are that: 1) the speaking activities can be implemented for a short time, 2) the curriculum was designed referring to previous studies on communication strategy training, 3) the goal was clearly set, and functions of language that can help achieve the goal were chosen from the list in the Course of Study, and 4) the same tasks were repeatedly used. As for the development of the evaluation methods, it was prudently deliberated how to assess the three evaluation points of the Course of Study. As a result of conducting the training at a high school, the participants’ speaking performance significantly improved. In addition, the results of survey research demonstrated that the participants generally enjoyed the training and recognized improvement in their speaking skills. The validity, reliability, and practicality of the evaluation methods were basically high, though further modification is needed.

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