IAFOR Journal of Education: Language Learning in Education

Volume 12 – Issue 1 – 2024

Connecting Student Interest and Motivation in English to the Sustainable
Development Goals
Kira Adams
Yamaguchi University, Japan
Sachiko Nakano
Yamaguchi University, Japan243

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Abstract
English education in Japan has traditionally focused on grammar over communication, and thecountry has struggled to compete internationally in terms of English proficiency scores. As thecountry works toward the internationalization of higher education, improving English
education is an important issue. One potential solution is the use of topics that elicit students’interest and make them feel like part of the international community. This paper explored theuse of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a topic due to their global importanceand position, along with English, as a key to furthering the global citizenship of Japan’s youth.
Because of the substantial number of SDGs, not all goals can be realistically addressed in asingle course. Therefore, to find topics tailored to students’ interests in sustainability, this study
examined the relationship between student interest in sustainability, International Posture (IP),and personal connection to SDGs. A survey was given to 266 first-year university students ingeneral education English classes. A separate multiple regression analysis was conducted forthe target variable, “Topic Interest” within English class for each goal, to determine how theeffects and significance of variables differed for each SDG. Results showed that the IP subscale,“Intergroup Approach Tendency,” was significant for 14 and “Personal Value” was significant
for 16 of the goals. For internationally minded students engaged in the study of English as aforeign language, the SDGs could be a useful motivational tool.
Keywords: English Language Teaching (ELT), higher education, interest, International Posture(IP), motivation, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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English education is a highly scrutinized topic in Japan. Despite international success in math,science, and reading scores, Japan has continued to struggle in English results. Even after
spending at least 6 years studying English, many students enter the university lacking
confidence in the subject. This is not to say that the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports,
Science, and Technology (MEXT) lacks the intention to improve English education. On thecontrary, programs like the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) program and widespread useof Assistant Language Teachers have been implemented to bring an international perspective
to the learning environment, and curriculum guidelines phased in from 2013 have encouraged
teachers to employ more communication-based teaching methods (Bartlett, 2017). Despite
these continued efforts, the grammar translation method and audio-lingual method remain thedominant teaching styles in EFL classrooms, continuing to be prioritized over communicationbased methods (Clayton & Yamada, 2022). This has long been attributed to the necessity of
preparing students for the university entrance exams (K. Kikuchi, 2006). Yet, despite
recognition of issues, systematic changes have been slow and faced difficulties in
implementation (Butler et al., 2022).
However, once students have completed the entrance exams, the opportunities for English
education suddenly broaden. Although they may no longer have the native teachers to provide
them with a connection to the global community, students are no longer bound by the pressuresof entrance exams. Despite the negative attitudes toward English that persist until the university,
evidence shows that students at the college level can easily be guided to view English as a
Lingua Franca, and through this change in perspective see the communicative purpose ofEnglish, without focusing too much on grammatical perfection (Ishikawa, 2017). This makes
higher education courses an excellent time to enable students to start viewing and studying
English as a tool for international communication. The relative freedom that university courses
have in curriculum development has the potential to enable this change, and carefully chosen
subject matter could help students to recognize themselves as part of an international
community with which they can interact.
Of the many issues that are relevant in the world today, the SDGs represent content rich themesthat may lead to greater motivation for language development. As the government calls for theincorporation of SDGs into curricula, it is a natural consequence that they would also join the
program of study for English courses. This integration could link students to an imagined global
community of English speakers. However, with seventeen goals, it is difficult to incorporate
all goals into a single class. Therefore, this paper sought to gain a better understanding of which
SDGs could best be incorporated into the English classroom to connect to students’ sense of
global community. Specifically, it examined how interest in studying each SDG is affected byInternational Posture, a construct of motivation in language learning that measures students’sense of connection to the global community.

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Literature Review
English Education and Global Citizenship in JapanThe Japanese government has continued to make efforts to improve English education.
Following the national curriculum, most students began studying English in junior high school
until it was introduced into elementary schools as comprehensive learning in 2002. While thisclass did include some English lessons, the primary focus was on “international awareness”
and not specifically focus on language skills. English was formally adopted as a once-a-weeksubject in 2011 from the fifth grade. Most recently, in 2020, the curriculum was adjusted again
to start in the third year of elementary school. Simultaneously, the number of classes per weekin junior high school was increased from one to two.
The 4th Basic Plan for the Promotion of Education, provided by MEXT lists five fundamental
principles for the future of education in the country (Cabinet of Japan, 2023). The first among
these is equipping humans with the necessary skills to be capable resources while continuing
to study with the goal of contributing to the sustainable development of global society. The
specific goals include increased inbound and outbound study abroad, internationalization, andimproved foreign language education. The indicators for progress, however, specificallyreference achieving certain levels of English by graduation. This push for internationalization
is occurring throughout Japanese education, but a Central Council for Education (2018) plan
cites higher education as a particularly important section for globalization.
Struggles with Japanese English Education
Despite this emphasis on English and globalization, Japan continues to struggle with overall
English attainment levels. In 2023, it ranked at only 87th according to the EF English
Proficiency Index, below fellow Asian countries of China and Korea (Education First, 2023).
The majority of students spend their early years of education focusing on English study
primarily for the purpose of passing tests and succeeding in the university entrance exam
(Yamada, 2018). The grammar translation method has also dominated education methods, due
to its comparative ease as a method for the teacher (Jones, 2019). Despite attempts to introduce
native speakers to support classroom activities and create a natural and authentic outlet for
English use through the employment of Assistant Language Teachers, many students continue
to struggle to build confidence and comfort in English (Hashimoto & Glasgow, 2021).
At the university level, English students are less bound by the necessities of entrance
examinations. While some students may continue to focus on language proficiency tests likethe Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC), university students also havethe option to study English abroad or more in depth because it connects to their major. The
Japanese government has also taken the initiative to attempt to increase the number of Englishmedium instruction courses in universities through the Top Global University Project, an
improvement on previous attempts at internationalizing higher education (Rose & McKinley,2018). In individual courses, syllabi have less need to focus on teaching to the test and can246

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more freely implement a variety of topics and teaching styles. Designing curricula that provide
English learners with a sense of imagined community, interesting topics in which they can
engage, and practical uses of language that encourage communication has the potential to spark
student interest and motivation in English language learning.
The Sustainable Development Goals
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted in 2015 by the United Nations.
Their goal is to achieve sustainable development throughout the world and achieve peace andprosperity for all. Many universities in Japan work to incorporate SDGs into their courses,
cultivate research opportunities around global issues, and rank internationally in theircontributions toward the goals (Ashida, 2023). As universities work to integrate SDG education
throughout their curricula, their potential importance in the English classroom becomesapparent. Not only are they a current and relevant international topic, but their inclusion as aclassroom topic could also be motivational for students as they recognize themselves as part ofthe international community that is trying to achieve the goals.
There are 17 goals, and they cover a wide variety of topics (Table 1). The topics range fromgeneral areas of environment to human rights, and economic development. Considering thelimited length of courses, it would be difficult to incorporate all of the goals into a single course.
Careful consideration should be taken in choosing which goals best mesh with thecommunicative goals of an English class and the sense of international community that courses
aim to foster. Student interest is an important motivating factor in education. Classes tailored
to student interest have the potential to improve learning outcomes, such as improving reading
comprehension (Asgari et al., 2019), and increasing vocabulary learning and recall (Cancino,2023). It is important to select the goals that are most suited to student interests, specificallywithin the second language (L2) classroom.

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Table 1
List of the 17 SDGs
Goal 1. No poverty
Goal 2. Zero hunger
Goal 3. Good health and well-being
Goal 4. Quality education
Goal 5. Gender equality
Goal 6. Clean water and sanitation
Goal 7. Affordable and clean energy
Goal 8. Decent work and economic growth
Goal 9. Industry, innovation and infrastructure
Goal 10. Reduced inequalities
Goal 11. Sustainable cities and communities
Goal 12. Responsible consumption and production
Goal 13. Climate action
Goal 14. Life below water
Goal 15. Life on land
Goal 16. Peace, justice, and strong institutions
Goal 17. Partnership for the goals

Japan’s International PostureDespite this, Japan has often been criticized for a failure to take interest in and respond tointernational society. Before the pandemic, Kuroda et al. (2018) found that despite domestic
statistics showing some increase in outbound study abroad, according to the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Japan’s number of outboundexchange students had been falling. This was attributed to the difference in the more lenient
domestic definition of what was considered study abroad. Many questioned whether thisdownward trend could be attributed to the insular mindset or inward-looking nature of Japaneseyouth, and indeed some studies found evidence that inward-looking natures could lead toincreased concerns towards issues of study abroad (Kojima et al., 2014) or have a polarizing
effect on students in combination with frequently seen low achievement goals (Kikuchi et al.,2015).
While research has examined Japanese students’ inward-looking nature from several angles,
from the perspective of language learning, this study chose to examine international posture(IP). It has relatively widespread and continued use and has clear connections to English
education (Botes et al., 2020), making it of particular relevance to topics in the English
classroom. A motivational factor in the study of English as a foreign language, International
posture can be traced back to “integrativeness” which is a factor by which students of a foreign
language are motivated by a desire to integrate into the native community of the language
which they are learning (Gardner, 1985). However, as English has developed increasingly as a
lingua franca, the established concept of integrativeness has become harder to apply. There is
no longer a singular community of native speakers, and the speakers of English as a second

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language now greatly outnumber native speakers. Thus, without a goal community in which tointegrate, learners of English as a second language are now asked to imagine the international
community in which they hope to be a participant (Yashima, 2002).
The measurement of IP has developed since it was first proposed. The original scale wascomposed of four indicators a) intercultural friendship orientation, b) interest in foreign affairsc) intercultural-approach-avoidance tendency, and d) interest in international occupation or
activities (Yashima, 2002). The scale for intercultural friendship orientation was removed instreamlining the survey and removing overlaps (Yashima et al., 2004). In subsequent research,
the scale was further modified resulting in the current version composed of the two attitudinalbehavioral propensities: a) intercultural approach tendency, b) interest in international
occupation or activities, and the two knowledge orientations: a) interest in international news
and b) having things to communicate to the world (Yashima, 2009). Although the “having
things to communicate” subscale has been questioned (Toyama & Yamazaki, 2020), the general
construct has been used frequently, and in a systematic literature review, was found to a be avalid hypothesis with a verified effect on learning motivation (Botes et al., 2020). Some
research has also suggested that it may be malleable, through experiences such as study abroad(Geoghegan, 2018), which offers possibilities for increasing language motivation. While
integrativeness continues to be used in research and is perceived to be a relevant factor in
English learning motivation, there is also research showing that between integrativeness andinternational posture, the latter is a more significant source of motivation for university students
engaged in learning English as a foreign language (Radosavljević Krsmanović, 2021).
Motivation and Interest in Language Learning
Motivation is an important aspect of learning. It plays a part in student engagement in
activities and influences how much students will gain from those pursuits (Filgona et al.,2020). In the specific context of second-language learning, motivation has been shown toincrease both willingness to communicate and communication frequency in the target
language (Lao, 2020). When teachers employ motivational strategies successfully, both inclass and out-of-class behaviors are significantly influenced resulting in increased
efforts to use self-learning materials, to decrease language errors, and to make use of new
knowledge (Lee et al., 2020). As a complex concept, motivation has a wide range of effects
on various aspects of learning, but it can be viewed overall as a boon to the learning process.
International posture has been shown as a factor that strengthens learning motivation andwillingness to communicate, as well as improving communication in English (Yashima,2019). A strong relation was found between IP and the ideal L2 self, another significant aspectof L2 motivation (Véliz-Campos et al., 2020). It has also been found to positively influence
the L2 experience and negatively affect the ought-to L2 self, which represents obligational
motivation that negatively affected the language learning experience (Zhao et al., 2022). As it
continues to be used in countries throughout the world, understanding about its positiveeffects continues to develop.

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Interest, another factor studied in relation to motivation, is considered an antecedent tomotivation, and the deepened engagement that this motivation leads to can then both strengthen
and extend interest (Sang & Hiver, 2021). It is commonly conceptualized as having two
different parts. First, there is situational interest, which is a more immediate reaction to
structural features, such as humor, or learning conditions, and second there is individual interest,
which is more developed and enduring (Renninger & Hidi, 2017). In compulsory English
courses in Japan, individual interest has been shown to positively affect both self-efficacy andcompetence (Fryer & Ainley, 2019). In a more specific example, Asgari et al. (2019) showedthat employing reading materials tailored to match student interests resulted in significant
improvements in reading comprehension across skill levels, with interested learners tending to
be more diligent and hardworking. In a broader sense, Sang and Hiver (2021) point out
similarities between the effects of interest and that of integrativeness, noting that they both canrelate to attitudes toward the foreign community that allows use of English. However,considering the expansion of the discourse regarding English language learning, thiscomparison should not stop at integrativeness, but the similarities to International Posture
should also be considered.
While the study of IP has focused on its role in motivating English language learners, its
resemblances to other motivating factors like interest suggest that it should be explored more
widely. How might it affect students’ global citizenship practices, or interest in specificinternational topics? Because research has been inclined to focus on a more narrow range ofareas directly related to language education, this study chose to examine the effect that IP could
have on the relevant topic interest in SDGs.
Given the importance of interest, motivation, and creating a curriculum that moves beyond
solely grammar-based teaching, this study sought to identify which SDGs could be best adopted
as topics within an English classroom. Specifically, it asked:
1. How do demographic factors influence interest in learning about different SDGs as
topics in English class?
2. Does International Posture impact students’ level of interest in studying about SDGs in
English class?
3. Which goals are more highly affected by International Posture, and thus more likely tomotivate students to learn English?
Methods
Surveys were conducted at a national comprehensive university in Western Japan. Students
were first-year undergraduate students who were attending English language classes as a partof their general or core education classes. Because English is compulsory in the first year, thischoice of population provided a broader understanding of the general student population, andnot only students who already showed significant interest in taking English as an elective. The
purpose of the study and its voluntary nature was made clear to students. Students were assured
that their participation, or lack thereof, would have no effect on their grades in the course. Both250

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the survey and the informed consent forms provided to the students were approved by theuniversity’s research ethics committee.
Surveys were completed through the university’s online system. Surveys consisted of acollection of questions in Japanese to determine the IP of students as well as their interest in
studying each of the individual SDGs in English classes, and basic demographic information.
For international posture, Yashima’s three well confirmed subscales were used: “Intergroup
Approach Tendency (IAT)” (7 items), “Interest in International Vocation or Activities (IIV)” (6items), and “Interest in International News (IIN)” (4 items) (Toyama & Yamazaki, 2020;
Yashima, 2009). A pilot survey with different students in the first semester did not validate the“Having things to communicate” subscale, and so, it was not included, to reduce burden on thesurvey takers. Answers were on a 6-point Likert-type scale following the example of recent
researchers who used this type of scale (Toyama & Yamazaki, 2020).
In addition, six questions were asked for each of the goals. Three questions were used to
discover interest regarding using the SDG as a topic within English class, “Topic Interest.”Three questions were used to determine the perceived value of the goal in students’ career andlife, “Personal Value.” Questions for Topic Interest were adapted from the Academic Interest
Scale’s emotional interest subscale, addressing the emotional component of interest (Luo et al.,2019). Questions for Personal Value were adapted from the same Academic Interest Scale’svalue subscale, which measures the perceived significance that a topic will have in the students’
lives, addressing the value-related component of interest (Luo et al., 2019). Answers for theinterest and personal value questions used the original scale’s 5-point Likert scale. Results wereanalyzed with the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software Version 28.0 (IBM,Armonk, New York, USA). Finally, students who indicated why they were interested instudying an SDG in English class were asked to select the main reason for their interest froma list of options. They were also able to input their own reason if they felt that the listed reasons
were not applicable.
Results and Analysis
Using the survey data, students’ IP and their Topic Interest and Personal Value for each goal
were analyzed. The analysis also examined differences in gender and the department in which
students were enrolled.
Demographics
Two hundred sixty-six first year university students responded to parts of the survey. Of thestudents studied, the gender distribution was approximately even (141 male, 125 female).
When Japanese students enter university, they enter not into the university as a whole, but rather
join a specific school, or department, which later allows them to choose from a variety ofdifferent majors. The respondents were enrolled in seven different departments, withengineering and humanities being the most common, at 21.1% and 18.8% respectively. Twoclasses each were science, economics, and medicine department students, and one class each251

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was agriculture and education. The departments of veterinary medicine and global and sciencestudies were not surveyed due to their lack of participation in the standard general education
English courses.
Factor Analysis
Exploratory factor analysis with Promax rotation was conducted for the questions pertaining
to International Posture. Individual questions were coded by their subscale name, Intergroup
Approach Tendency (IAT), Interest in International Vocation or Activities (IIV), and Interest inInternational News (IIN) followed by an item number. Analysis of the scree plot suggested
three factors in the final analysis, which was further confirmed using a guideline of eigenvalues> 1. With over 200 responses, items with a factor loading of less than .40, were considered to
be not significant and discarded (Field, 2017). In addition, factors with less than two items
were considered ill-defined and removed (Tabachnick & Fidell, 2019). The first analysis
yielded four factors, and IIV1 was removed due to its low loading, this left factor 4 with only
two items, so IAT6, and IIV5 were also removed. When analysis was repeated, it yielded the
expected three factors (Table 2). The IIV subscale consisted of 4 items (α = .87), the IAT
subscale consisted of 6 items (α = .75), and the IIN subscale consisted of 4 items (α = .76).
Factor scores for each subscale were then calculated using the regression predictor to accountfor the differing weights (Schreiber, 2021).
Table 2
Factor Analysis

Item (no.)
IIV (2)IIV (4)
IIV (6)*
IIV (3)
IAT (7)
IAT (3)
IAT (5)
IAT (1)
IAT (2)*
IAT (4)
IIN (1)IIN (4)*
IIN (3)
IIN (2)

Factor 1

Factor 2

Factor 3

IIV
.93
.88
.69
.47

IAT

IIN

.76
.70
.52
.50
.46
.44
.88
.70
.50
.47

Note: * indicates reverse scored (negatively worded) items

T-tests showed that while there was not a significant difference in IIV or IIN between genders,
there was a significant difference for IAT, with the average score for females (M = 0.15, SD =252

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0.9) being higher than that of males (M = -0.13, SD = 0.9), t = -2.48, p =.014. There were alsosignificant differences in IAT based on students’ area of study. A one-way ANOVA showed that
there were also differences in each IP subscale score based on department for IIV (F(6, 258) =3.82, p = .001.), IAT (F(6, 258) = 3.56, p = .002), and IIN (F(6, 258) = 2.19, p = .04).
Specifically, for IIV, Tukey’s post-hoc showed that students in the department of medicine (M= 0.6, SD = 0.9) had a significantly higher score than students in the departments of engineering(M = -0.2, SD = 0.9), humanities (M = -0.2, SD = 1), and agriculture (M = -0.3, SD = 0.6). For
IAT, students in the department of medicine (M = 0.5, SD = 1) had a significantly higher scorethan students in the departments of engineering (M = -0.3, SD = 0.8), and humanities (M = 0.2, SD = 0.9). Tukey’s post-hoc did not show significant pairwise results for IIN.
Exploratory Factor Analysis was also conducted for the questions regarding Topic Interest andPersonal Value. For all goals, the same two factors were found. Topic Interest and Personal
Value. Factors for all goals showed acceptable reliability with Cronbach's alpha values of over
α = .70, with the majority showing good reliability of α = .80. Loading factors for individualquestions varied somewhat from goal to goal but were all above the 0.40 cut-off for significance.
Factor scores were calculated using the regression predictor to ensure that the differing items
weights were accounted for (Schreiber, 2021).
For the first research question, which was the effects of demographics, T-tests showed that
there were significant differences between genders for Topic Interest for some goals. Goals 1,
2, 3, 5, 6 and 16 showed significant differences, and for each of them, the interest was higher
for female students. The biggest difference was seen for goal 5: Gender Equality. However, aone-way ANOVA did not show significant differences in interest for any of the goals acrossdepartments. Personal Value showed significant differences for goals 5, 7, 9, 10, 14 and 15.
Female students scored higher for goal 5, 10, and male students for goals 7, 9, 14, and 15.
For research question 2, whether International Posture impacts students’ level of interest in
studying about SDGs in English class, multiple regression analysis was repeated with Topic
Interest for each goal as the dependent variable and IIV, IAT, IIN, and Personal Value as
independent variables. Table 3 shows the results of the regression analysis for IAT and Personal
Value for each goal. Neither IIV nor IIN were significant for any of the goals. Non-significant
variables were not included in the table for brevity. IAT had a significant and positive effect for
14 of the goals, and Personal Value had a significant and positive effect for all goals except forgoal 12. This showed that not all subscales of International Posture played a role in determining
students’ topic interest, but the subscale IAT affected topic interest in most of the goals.

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Table 3Significant Regression Analysis Coefficients for Each Goal
SDG

R2

VariableβTpGoal 1:.24

IAT
Personal Value

0.33
0.32

3.41
5.21

<.001
<.001

Goal 2:

.18

IAT

0.36

3.61

<.001

Personal Value

0.25

3.84

<.001

IAT

0.34

3.47

<.001

Personal Value

0.26

4.04

<.001

IAT

0.31

3.09

.002

Personal Value

0.28

4.38

<.001

Goal 3:
Goal 4:.20.17

Goal 5:.20

IAT
Personal Value

0.29
0.30

2.88
4.60

.004
<.001

Goal 6:.11

IAT
Personal Value

0.30
0.18

2.85
2.59

.01
.01

Goal 7:

.16

IAT

0.36

3.57

<.001

Personal Value

0.23

3.46

<.001

Goal 8:.15

Personal Value

0.23

3.52

<.001

Goal 9:.11

IAT
Personal Value

0.31
0.21

3.02
3.08

.003
.002

Goal 10:

.14

IAT

0.31

2.96

.003

Personal Value

0.21

3.01

.003

IAT

0.34

3.25

.001

Personal Value

0.18

2.66

.01

Goal 11:.15

Goal 13:.10

Personal Value

0.19

2.76

.01

Goal 14:.14

IAT
Personal Value

0.27
0.25

2.66
3.74

.01
<.001

Goal 15:

.14

IAT

0.24

2.33

.02

Personal Value

0.26

3.80

<.001

IAT

0.22

2.18

.03

Personal Value

0.27

4.10

<.001

IAT

0.24

2.45

.02

Personal Value

0.36

5.75

<.001

Goal 16:
Goal 17:.18.22

For question 3, regarding which goals were more highly affected by International Posture, both
the R2 value and the β value were examined. The R2 value showed that the independent
variables explained the highest percent of variance in Topic Interest for goals 1, 17, 3 and 5,
whereas for goals 13, 6 and 9, up to 50% less of the variance was explained. The β values werealso examined to compare the effects of IAT and Personal Value for each goal. When IAT was
significant, the standardized beta ranged from 0.22 to 0.36, and when Personal Value was254

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significant, it ranged from 0.18 to 0.36. For many goals, the standardized beta was similar forboth IAT and Personal Value, although there were some goals where the β value for IAT wasnotably higher (Goals 6, 7, 11), and one case where Personal was notably higher (Goal 17).
Students who indicated that they desired to study a goal in English class were asked to select areason for their feelings. There were six reasons provided: 1) usefulness in future work, 2)
desire to research the topic in English, 3) wanting to study global topics in English class, 4)
wanting to converse fluently about international topics, 5) personal interest in the goal, and 6)
awareness that it must be achieved internationally (global nature). Students also had the option
to select “other” and give further explanation. The valid percent for each answer is shown in
Table 4.
Table 4
Reasons for Desire to Study Each Goal within English ClassWork

SelfStudy

Int.
Study
Topic

Conversation

Personal
Interest

GlobalNature

Other

Total

Goal 1
Goal 2
Goal 3

%
4.5
2.8
16.7

%
3.8
9.2
3.9

%
39.1
35.8
26.5

%
36.1
34.9
33.3

%
9.0
7.3
15.7

%
6.0
9.2
2.9

%
1.5
0.9
1

%
100
100
100

Goal 4

10.3

2.6

23.3

22.4

35.3

5.2

0.9

100

Goal 5
Goal 6

4.9
6.9

6.6
8.9

18.9
24.8

26.2
32.7

36.9
8.9

2.5
16.8

4.1
1

100
100

Goal 7
Goal 8

5.4
9.5

10.7
7.4

21.4
10.5

33
33.7

23.2
34.7

3.6
4.2

2.7
0

100
100

Goal 9Goal 10

16.8
5.2

6.3
5.2

15.8
27.4

31.6
32.6

20
20.7

7.4
8.1

2.1
0.7

100
100

Goal 11

8.2

9.6

16.4

27.4

28.8

8.2

1.4

100

Goal 12Goal 13
Goal 14

8.4
2.8
2.1

15.7
5.6
7.4

19.3
27.8
17.9

20.5
35.2
38.9

31.3
24.1
30.5

4.8
4.6
3.2

0
0
0

100
100
100

Goal 15
Goal 16

3.5
7.6

11.6
5.9

25.6
17.8

30.2
36.4

25.6
25.4

3.5
5.1

0
1.7

100
100

Goal 17

7.4

8.5

26.6

26.6

24.5

6.4

0

100

*The most selected answer for each goal is shown in bold

Of students who indicated why they wanted to study a goal, few selected the reasons: relation
to job, desire to be able to research about it on their own, or the need for the goal to be achieved
internationally. Instead, many students who had a desire to study each goal indicated that theywanted to use internationally related topics for English class, that they wanted to be able to talkfluently about international topics, or that they were personally interested in the topic. On

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average, across all the goals, a desire to be able to talk about the subject, was the mostcommonly selected reason (31%), followed by wanting to use international topics in English
class (23%) and personal interest (23%). Two of the top responses supported the significanceof the IAT subscale in determining interest, considering the connections between the overall IP
scale and increased communication, and the specific reference of the IAT subscale in evaluating
students’ desire to interact with different groups of people. Students who chose to provide theirown answer frequently combined aspects of two of the available answers, such as “It is aninternational problem, and I think that there are a lot of materials available in English,” so there
did not appear to be a lack of choices.
Discussion and Recommendations
From these results, it was clear that demographics can affect aspects of IP. Although there was
not a significant difference between genders for IIV or IIN, there was a significant difference
for IAT. This supported the IP scale’s, or at least the IAT subscale’s similarity to integrativeness,considering that Mori and Gobel (2006), in a notably comprehensive study of motivating
factors for Japanese EFL students, found that integrativeness was the only statisticallysignificant difference in language motivation between genders.
For the first research question, demographics had some but limited influence on interest in
learning about SDGs. Similar to the results for IP, though not all goals had significant
differences for gender, when there was a significant difference between goals, female students
consistently showed higher interest. The goals showing a significant difference were related topeople’s well-being, such as zero hunger, gender equality, and peace, suggesting a greater
importance of human connection. However, students’ majors or areas of study did not
significantly affect interest in the goals, suggesting that they c be used to motivate regardlessof students’ area of study.
For the second research question, IAT was found to have an effect on Topic Interest for amajority of the goals. However, goals 8 (decent work and economic growth), 12 (responsible
consumption and production), and 13 (climate action), were not significantly affected. The lackof any significant effect on goal 8, likely stemmed from the focus on work, considering that
IIV was not a significant factor for any of the goals, and few students gave future career as areason for their desire to study a goal in English. Goal 12 is generally enacted on a personallevel, and thus likely did not have the same international image as the other goals. Of all thegoals, it had the highest percentage of students whose desire to study it stemmed from the wish
to research it on their own, which similarly suggested that it was a more personal goal. Finally
Goal 13 was not affected, in contrast to the similarly environment-themed goals 14 (life below
water) and 15 (life on land). This may be attributed to its comparatively broad framing, which
could make it more difficult to discuss.
For the third research question, there was a moderate degree of variation among thestandardized beta values and the percent of variance explained by each model. Consideringboth factors, primarily the people related goals should be strongly considered as topics for256

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English classes, such as goals 1, 2, 3 and 5, with goal 1 as a particularly good candidate. In
addition to the connection to IP, these SDGs are also topics that are in many ways easier toaddress with the language abilities that are available in an EFL classroom. On the other hand,because the differences between most of the goals were moderate, it is easier to suggest thegoals that are less appropriate, namely goals 14 and 15, and the goals that were found to be
insignificantly affected by IAT above for research question 2. Finally, considering that IP has amoderate effect for most of the goals, adapting the class to meet potential student interests
related to work, or department and field of study should also be contemplated.
Considering the educational system of Japan, it is recommended that SDGs be implemented as
topics for English classes in university programs where there is more freedom of curriculum.
Primary and secondary education curricula remain limited by state approved textbooks and thedriving need to prepare students for college entrance exams, although incorporation of SDGs
into the English class at those levels is still suggested when possible.
It is also suggested that teachers do not shy away from including SDGs as a topic out of concernof lack of knowledge or still-undeveloped interest. Even with Japan’s limited curriculum, forexample, Imanishi (2020) found that while the terms SDGs may not be explicitly stated, that
not only does “environment” appear as a topic in most junior high school textbooks in a ruralprefecture of Japan, the use of environment as a topic increased student engagement in writing
activities. Furthermore, a survey of Japanese university students showed at least 73.7% were
aware of the term, and the most common reason for their knowledge was learning in class(Ando et al., 2019). If a majority of students are first learning about the existence of SDGs inclasses, a portion of the students who already show interest in learning about the them, werelikely first introduced to them in their school classes. Therefore, use as a topic in English class
may be the first step in the cycle of exposure and potential for interest development. It should
also be noted that students’ reported knowledge and awareness does not necessarily equate toactual knowledge and awareness levels. In fact, it was shown by Oltra-Badenes et al. (2023)
that students’ actual knowledge surrounding SDGs was higher than they reported, likely due inpart to previously learning about the themes of goals without explicit reference to theterminology. Therefore, it is suggested that incorporating SDGs as a topic may serve as aneffective precursor to knowledge and interest.
Finally, the use of SDGs as a topic for improving motivation in English language education
should also be considered outside of Japan. They are a global topic, and international researchshows that at the university level, there is interest in, if not knowledge of, the goals in a varietyof countries throughout (Bekteshi & Xhaferi, 2020; Novieastari et al., 2022; Smaniotto et al.,2020; The national treasury and planning state department for planning, 2019). Moreover,recent surveys indicate that knowledge of the SDGs is increasing and is particularly highamongst the under-30 population (GlobeScan, 2023). This again suggests that young people
are taking a greater interest in the SDGs and could serve as a motivating factor for language
learners internationally. It is proposed to utilize the topic of SDGs not only at the university
level, but also in the education leading up to it.

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Conclusion
Interest plays an important role in second language learning. This study investigated student
interest in SDGs at a Japanese university in order to answer the following questions: Do genderand department affect interest in studying SDGs? How and to what degree does IP affectinterest in learning SDGs? Findings showed that gender influenced students’ IP and interest,and IP that had an effect on interest in most of the goals.
International Posture is a recognized factor in increasing motivation for English learning, andbased on this study’s findings, is also a factor in increasing interest in learning about many of
the SDGs in an English-speaking environment. Considering its contribution to both of thesefactors, attempting to incorporate SDGs into English curricula can not only lead to selection of
topics that cater to motivated English learners, but it also coincides with one of Japan’s major
goals for educating globally minded students. Therefore, it should be considered as a multipronged approach to further Japan’s goals for the internationalization of higher education.
However, it is important to be aware of the potential differences between students, particularly
based on gender. In the spirit of goals 4 and 5, Quality Education, and Gender Equality, teachers
should also be aware of the needs of male students and consider options to increase their
engagement and sense of international community gained from the subject matter.
There are several limitations to this study. First, while the focus on students in first year general
education courses allowed a broader view into multiple departments, it did not address theperspectives of more advanced or specialized students. Although many first-year students are
not yet sure of what their future holds, students who continue to develop more specialized
majors may wish to focus more directly on an English language community that they are more
likely to encounter in their own future. Second, although the theoretical connection between IP
and interest was confirmed, practical applications in the classroom still need to be addressed,
such as finding appropriate ways to integrate the complex topics raised by SDGs in a levelappropriate manner. Third, students completed the survey without a detailed explanation of theindividual goals. Although student responses to a pilot survey indicated that the large majorityof students consider themselves moderately knowledgeable about SDGs, it is possible that
responses for the less commonly discussed goals were affected by lack of knowledge. Finally,
although the integration of SDGs could be effective for motivating classes that have higher IP,
it may be less effective in classes that have low IP in the first place. If, however, IP is malleable,
then efforts to improve the IP of a class could have particularly positive effects in both interest
and motivation. Considering this fact, future studies could examine the potential for change in
IP and whether classroom-based internationally oriented experiences such as SDG study cancontribute to its change.

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Corresponding author: Kira Adams
Email: kadams@yamaguchi-u.ac.jp262