Learning Learning 『学習の学習』 26 (2): Members’ Voices

MEMBERS’ VOICES | メンバーの声
Finding Myself in Self-AccessElizabeth Schlingman
Konan Women’s University
Email: <e.schlingman@gmail.com>
Two years have passed since I became an advisor ata self-access learning center (SALC) and, with a lot
more to learn about this field, I still find it a bit
challenging to explain this context and what I
actually do in an understandable way. Put simply,
SALCs are places where students are encouraged todevelop more autonomous learning skills (seeGardner and Miller, 1999, for the definitive look atthese spaces). In our center, like many others inJapan and abroad, we try to help students acquire
these skills by offering language learning advising,study resources, and social opportunities forlearners to collaborate with peers. Though myofficial title is “language learning advisor,” that is
only one facet of the work I do. It also includes
things like student staff development and running a
conversation program. Usually to casualacquaintances or relatives I keep it simple by saying“I teach at a university.” To those who are interested
I provide more details, but I sometimes feel lessthan eloquent in breaking down the related jargon.
I get caught off guard by reactions like surprise at
the fact that I am not a classroom-based teacher or
confusion about what self-access learning means. I
appreciate that these exchanges challenge me toreflect more deeply on what I do. While not always
easy to define, I’m thankful that I discovered a rolethat allows me to really get to know students andcollaborate with them to find ways to improve theirlearning and make our SALC better.
I’ve always had a natural curiosity about others’
lived experiences—an interest that deepened after I
took part in international exchange programs inhigh school and began to study cultural andlinguistic anthropology in college. Feeling inspiredby my courses and these experiences, I looked formore opportunities to get involved withinternational education. As an undergraduate
orientation leader for international students I was
asked questions that forced me to rethink myassumptions. I had to figure out how to explain
things to groups of people with different
backgrounds and levels of English fluency for the
first time. Through positions like these I learned tolove helping students, getting to know what
motivated them, and trying to understand where
they were coming from. As I was interested inlinguistics and wanted to continue working withinternational students, I decided to make a careerout of it and earned a master’s degree in TESOL.
Before becoming an advisor at my current
institution, I taught English part time at a university
in Japan. This reaffirmed my interest in teaching thisage group, but left me feeling somewhat frustrated.
With big class sizes, only meeting each group once aweek, and having almost no extra time after class tohelp students who were struggling or hadquestions, I felt that I wasn’t able to have much of apositive impact. I could get to know some of thestudents in courses that included interactive
speaking or writing exercises, but it felt like thesemester was over before I knew it and the next
would begin with a totally new batch of students.
When the opportunity came to accept a position
that took me out of the classroom, I jumped at it.
Now, every day, I directly interact with students
in more meaningful ways. I chat with students who
are using the center, catch up with frequent users
on how their studies and off-campus lives are going,
work with a team of domestic and international
student staff in facilitating an English conversation
program, lead one-on-one learning advisingsessions, help to supervise student staff who
contribute to make the center better, andcollaborate with other advisors and teachers. It has
been so rewarding to be able to explore thecomplexity of each student’s relationship withlanguage learning and observe them changing. One
student, initially such a reluctant SALC user that I
did not know her face, suddenly applied to be aconversation partner. After a lot of practice
speaking with other students and chances to

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Learning Learning 『学習の学習』 26 (2): Members’ Voices
explore her insecurities and set goals for herself
it was also being used, with good reason, for tasks
through reflective writing and discussions withlike registering for exams or discussing issues withfellow staff members and me, she has become acoursework, usually done in Japanese. With
role model for other students. She now radiates aprevious issues and student feedback in mind, we
totally different energy than she did before.
hope the improved SALC will enable more active
Another student who enjoyed using English, but
English use and feel more accessible and attractive
was not satisfied with her class placement started
to students from any department within theto make a habit of coming to the center regularly touniversity who want to improve their language
study, often asking questions and telling me andskills. Student staff will have a designated front
other teachers what she was working on. Just
desk, giving them more of a central role, and there
recently she excitedly updated me that she waswill be two main rooms: one for quiet study andable to test out of remedial grammar classes andone for more interactive activities like conversation,
eagerly shared what her next goal was. Seeing
cultural events, and short presentations fromachievements like these, big and small, has not only
students and teachers. The next challenge will bebeen gratifying, it has also made me reflect on mycommunicating how to use the new space, withown experiences and learning habits. For manydifferent features and policies, and supporting thestudents, coming to use the center and taking partcontinuing development of the community within it
in advising sessions provide some of the firstalong with our student staff. I look forward tochances they have ever had to actually think about
helping our students take the lead in making these
how they learn and to meaningfully use English
changes and to the opportunity to learn more
outside of the classroom. I am grateful to be a partabout self-access and reflect on what my role is inof those experiences and in a space that enables
this space.
them to happen.
Taking on this new position forced me toReferencereassess my place in relation to learners. While
Gardner, D., & Miller, L. (1999). Establishing selfadvisors like me have important tasks, theaccess: From theory to practice. Cambridge,
relationships students make with each other may
England: Cambridge University Press.
be the most crucial to an effective SALC, a dynamic I
did not consider as a classroom teacher. Students
supporting each other and sharing ideas, acting asrole models, and socializing peers into the cultureof the center have been for learners the greatest
impacts that I have observed in these two years. For
this to happen organically we as advisors must try
to step into supporting roles to give students thetools to create a better environment. What has
been especially challenging for me has been
becoming a better active listener, learning how tolead students in the right direction without beingprescriptive, and deciding when to give student
staff suggestions and when to let them decide anddiscover what works on their own.
As of writing this our SALC is in the middle ofmajor renovations. Previously containing theEnglish department’s main office, the new space
will be completely dedicated to learning and all
departmental administrative functions will be donein a totally separate room. It was difficult to keep
the expectation that the space be usedpredominantly for studying and using English while
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Learning Learning 『学習の学習』 26 (2): Members’ Voices
students?” and “How might this affect the power
Learning andrelationship at play, and promote inclusion, diversity
and equality in my own practice?” I chose the funds
Researching, aof knowledge approach in the same way as Moll,
Journey
Amanti, Neff, and Gonzalez (1992) describe it as theknowledge that has been historically and culturally
accumulated and evolved for individual use. In my
Natacha Sakamoto
context, funds of knowledge is the English that isNakamura Junior and Senior Girls’
either used by my students in their home context
High School(for instance, through text messages, social
Email: <nipiederriere@gmail.com>
media, ...) or that is around them (local signs, foodwrappers, songs, ...). I chose this particular“I should check my classmate’s work? Well, that’s
approach as I wanted to make a link between thethe teacher’s job.” This was what one of my seniorclassroom, and the knowledge and skills thathigh school students muttered under her breath
students have access to in their home context. I
after I asked my class to check each other’s work
found this approach useful as it builds on theand underline things that they were unsure of. I
partnership between the students and the teachers
joined the Learner Development SIG for the firstdescribed by Fielding (2004).
time back in 2013, after my friend and colleague,
In order to carry out this research, I used photo
Caroline, highly recommended it to me. When I
elicitation,
an unstructured interview, and field
heard this comment, I was only just starting tonotes for my methodology. I was inspired by how
experiment with learner development and I was aNind, Boorman, and Clarke (2012) used digital
little taken aback by it. I could very well understandtechnologies and focused on visual methods, rather
the feeling. My own journey as a learner (language
than textual, so that their young participants could
or otherwise) did not really equip me with mucheasily express themselves. As my students are notautonomy. I had never been asked to read what
native speakers of English, I had hoped that thisanything that my friends had just written. I had
photo elicitation method would help them tonever been asked to write any comments about aefficiently show how English is present in theirpresentation a classmate had just given, or to grade
everyday lives. I chose to give an unstructured
my own performance after watching a video of it.
interview, as I wanted my participants to be
Now I was asking my students to do so, andinvolved in the direction of the interview as muchnaturally, some of them were reluctant. Going toas possible (Costley, Elliott, & Gibbs, 2010). I also
the SIG get-togethers in Tokyo helped me greatly towanted to find out the reasons behind why theyrefine what, how and why I was asking my students
would choose particular pictures, and their views
to check each other’s work or write comments. I
on the English that is present in their everyday lives.
needed to be more specific about what I wanted
Tomson and Gunter (2007) point out thatthem to check for, and guide them, so that theyknowledge is linked to power. My expectations
would know what to look for. I also needed to fully
were that the photo elicitation would show me
understand myself why the process of reviewing
what my students recognized to be the English thatand reflecting is important for students.
they have available around them. McLaren
Between 2015 and 2019 I took a break from the(1989/2013) adds that critical theory questions the
Learner Development SIG after becoming a parent,
reasons behind the construction of knowledge andtwice, but my journey to improve my knowledge on
how some constructions are expected and notthis topic did not stop then. In 2013, I also started aothers. In this regard, I had hoped to find evidence
three-year-long part-time, online Masters degree inof my students’ knowledge through theireducation. During that time, I undertook an insiderphotographs. An interview would thenled transformative research into my own practice.
subsequently help me to discuss and further
My main research questions were “How would
understand my students’ knowledge, leading me tostudents as co-researchers and a funds ofconnect with them and transform my practice byknowledge approach help me connect with myrebalancing the power that I held with regards to
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Learning Learning 『学習の学習』 26 (2): Members’ Voices
my dominant position as a teacher and being
Moll, L.C., Amanti, C., Neff, D., & Gonzalez, N.
regarded as holding the knowledge of English. I(1992). Funds of knowledge for teaching: using
have certainly endeavoured to keep this status quo
a qualitative approach to connect homes andthrough requiring my students to only use English inclassrooms. Theory and Practice, 31(2), 132-41.
the classroom—which I would characterise as aNind, M., Boorman, G., & Clarke, G. (2012). Creating
personal choice as much as a perceived
spaces to belong: listening to the voice of girls
requirement from my colleagues and superiors.
with behavioural, emotional and social
During the research process, I experienced
difficulties through digital visual and narrative
several setbacks such as the difficulty of recruiting
methods. International Journal of Inclusive
participants, finding myself influencing the direction
Education, 16(7), 643–56.
of the interview the whole time rather than giving
Thomson, P., & Gunter, H. (2007). The methodology
my students the opportunity to take chargeof students-as-researchers: Valuing and using(Costley, et al., 2010). In addition, I did not have theexperience and expertise to develop methods.
time to include my students in the research process
Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics ofby transcribing the interviews and analysing them
Education, 28(3), 327-42.
together with my students. Now that I am backfrom the haze of parental leave and coming to
Active Learning in an Accepting“some” of the get-togethers in 2019, I would verymuch like to continue researching this topic. It is
Learner-centered Environment
quite clear that the setbacks described above are
related to the idea of power relationships, and I
would like to address this issue both in my research
Lorna Asami
and in the classroom. I hope that this study will help
Keisen University
my students become more involved in their own
Email: <lornaasami@ymail.com>
learning. I also hope to show that English is not theproperty of native speakers. Through my research I
Something I appreciate about the place that I grew
would like to find out more about what my students
up is the general acceptance of people of different
already know, how I can incorporate this diversity ofEnglish language use into my practice, andbackgrounds. Hawaii has the largest population ofsubsequently prepare lessons that are more
multi-ethnic people (people of two or more races)
relevant to my students’ everyday lives.
in the United States at 23.8%, far surpassing thesecond largest population in Alaska, which trails at
References
8.5% (United States Census Bureau, 2017).
Costley, C., Elliott, G., & Gibbs, P. (2010). Doing
Everyone is a minority in Hawaii. The largest group
work-based research: Approaches to enquiry forinsider-researchers. London, England: Sage.
at 38% is Asian but usually identified by locals withFielding, M. (2004). Transformative approaches totheir subgroup such as Japanese, Filipinos, Chinese,student voice: theoretical underpinnings,
and others. The next largest ethnic group is Whites
recalcitrant realities. British Educational
who make up 25.1%. Again, locals will often identify
Research Journal, 30(2), 295-311.
with their subgroup as German, Irish, or others,
McLaren, P. (1989). Life in schools: An introduction
further breaking up into smaller entities. Native
to critical pedagogy in the foundations of
Hawaiian or Pacific Islanders follow at 10% andeducation. New York, NY: Longmans.
McLaren, P. (2013). Critical pedagogy. In J. Soler, C.
other ethnic groups represented by even smaller
S. Walsh, A. Craft, A., J. Rix, & K. Simmonds
percentages. Seeing people from an array of(Eds.), Transforming practice: Critical issues inlanguage and cultural backgrounds communicating
equity, diversity and education (pp. 3-18). Stokewith each other cultivates tolerance,
on-Trent, England: Trentham Books/Open
understanding, and even a sense of humor, which
University. (Original work published in 1989)
Barack Obama referred to as the “Aloha
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Learning Learning 『学習の学習』 26 (2): Members’ Voices
spirit” (Obama, 2019; Velasquez-Manoff, 2019). I
course, and I’ll be able to use information on
never expected to find any similarity to this kind ofarticulation characteristics and common syntactic
environment in Japan. After living in Japan for overand morphological differences of Asian languages
25 years, I became used to teaching English
from Shipley and McAfee’s (2016) textbook called
primarily to Japanese students in exclusive schools.
“Assessment in Speech-Language Pathology.” In thisThis changed when I accepted a full-time position
last term, I could hardly understand some of myseveral years ago at a downtown Tokyo junior andstudents’ spoken English, so I anticipate doing somesenior high school and found the student body
articulation coaching.
included Korean, Chinese, and Filipino students. I
There are many things that Keisen University
hadn’t known that schools like this existed.
includes in its curriculum to foster learner-centeredNow, in my present position at a four-yearclasses. Teachers are encouraged to set weekly
women’s university, I am once again delighted togoals in our courses, so I will start off with a minifind my class roster with Vietnamese, Chinese,
needs analysis to discover what each student’s
South American, and Malaysian names. It hadn’t
thoughts are regarding their current pronunciation
occurred to me that the decreasing Japaneseability and have them set some feasible personal
population would prompt universities to accept
goals. Nunan’s (2003) “Nine Steps to Learnermore students from abroad. My students have
Autonomy” is one of my go-to papers when I am
responded to me with an “Aloha!” and a smile
setting up a course. Nunan discusses helping
when I tell them that our diverse class feels like astudents to form goals and raise their awareness oflittle piece of Hawaii. I grew up in middle classtheir learning styles and learning processes, as wellneighborhoods with Chinese, Japanese, Filipino,as have students teach each other and research
Hawaiian, German, and Portuguese families allwhat interests them. In order to encourage
living on the same street. From the time that I was areflection in a course, Keisen University requires
child, my friends and I were used to hearing that sostudents to keep a paper-based portfolio of theirand-so’s mother only spoke Japanese, or Korean, or
work to be able to review their learning and
we heard broken or pidgin (Creole) English andprogress. This portfolio is assessed at the end of the
responded accordingly. Of course the food fromterm as part of their course grade. My students
different cultures was fantastic and shared during
have also stored some of their work in their Google
various celebrations. It is my intention to cultivate
Classroom file. To increase the incentive to organizethat atmosphere of inclusion and warmth totheir paper-based portfolios, I had my students takeencourage students to be open and take risks toan open portfolio test where they could use
learn (Bonwell & Eison, 1991). I’ve noticed thatwhatever was in their file to answer both closed
when I take the time to personally talk withand open questions of the issues we covered in
students and show them that I accept their ideas
class. I gave out a list of topics and questions toand opinions, their attitude in class improves andthink about and prepare for and hoped thatthey participate more willingly in class.
students would review and synthesize ideas we
One of my present challenges will be to teachdiscussed in class. Some of those discussions
an elective pronunciation class this autumn. As my
include the 8 or 10% consumption tax increase
undergraduate degree from the University ofcoming on October 1, being forced to wear highHawaii is in speech pathology and audiology, I
heels to work, and social justice issues of
couldn’t be happier to be given this opportunity. I
utilitarianism and libertarianism. In the test, I again
have pulled out my old faithful Ladefoged’s (1982)
asked students to tell me what kind of society theyphonetics textbook to give myself a refresher
want to have in Japan. We had discussed this
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Learning Learning 『学習の学習』 26 (2): Members’ Voices
question many times in class with students often
how to pronounce something. It would be ideal if ascrambling for their portfolios to quote things they
student teaches us how to pronounce something in
had written earlier. As for my personal reflection ofanother language they speak besides English. Herethis term, I need to ask more metacognitiveis where the students who struggle in English butquestions to encourage students to evaluate theirspeak other languages can turn the tables on theirstudy methods and success at learning. I hope toteacher and classmates. I am looking forward to a
improve and take more advantage of this portfolio
great term and can’t wait to see how all thetask by creating reference materials to file in theirstudents in my class (myself included as I study
portfolio that will help them to become more aware
Japanese) personally develop as learners whileof how they can and are improving theirimproving our language ability.
pronunciation skills.
I also hope to inspire my class to think about
References
different ways they might be able to demonstrate
Bonwell, C., & Eison, J. (1991). Active learning:
their progress on their pronunciation. Keisen
Creating excitement in the classroom. 1991
University requires their first- and second-year
ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report (pp. iv-v).
students to enroll in an online program to do
Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/
extensive listening as well as participate in a
ED336049.pdf
separate online program for extensive reading. I
Ladefoged, P. (1982). A course in phonetics. San
want students to come up with ways they can use
Diego, CA: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.
these materials for their pronunciation. One easy
Nunan, D. (2003). Nine steps to learner autonomy.
way is that the online program has a built-in
Symposium, 2003. Retrieved from https://pronunciation practice for words the student
www.andrasprak.su.se/polopoly_fs/
selects from a short video they watch. The program
1.84007.1333707257!/menu/standard/file/judges the student’s pronunciation of each word
2003_11_Nunan_eng.pdf
and gives them a percentage of their accuracy. I
Obama, B. [BarackObama]. (2019, July 4). I’m
also want each student to pick a particular
admittedly biased, but this article gibes with myphoneme (the smallest unit of sound thatexperience about what all of us might take away
distinguishes one word from another) to focus on
from the “aloha spirit.” [Tweet]. Retrieved from
improving. They can find a book from the extensive
https://twitter.com/BarackObama/status/
reading section in our library, and identify the1146460662832541697
places where the phoneme appears in a short
Shipley, K., & McAfee, J. (2016). Assessment inreading selection. Then, after receiving coaching inspeech-language pathology: A resource manualclass, they can practice using the reading selection(4th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
of their choice. I want them to realize that the
To Hawaii.com Travel Guide. (n.d.). Hawaii ethnicity.
phoneme will generally be easier in an initial
Retrieved from https://www.to-hawaii.com/
position in a word, more difficult at the end, andethnicity.php
most difficult in the middle because of the soundUnited States Census Bureau. (2017). American
being sandwiched between two others, and so they
community survey demographic and housing
might be able to say it in one position, but not in
estimate for Hawaii. Retrieved from https://
another. I might break the students into groups
factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/
according to the phoneme they are working on andpages/productview.xhtml?src=CF
have them practice with each other. We will finish
Velasquez-Manoff, M. (2019, June 28). Want to be
off the course with students teaching each otherless racist? Move to Hawaii. The New York
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Learning Learning 『学習の学習』 26 (2): Members’ Voices
Times. Retrieved from https://Moving into my current role, it became clear to me
www.nytimes.com/2019/06/28/opinion/that Japanese elementary school teachers take onsunday/racism-hawaii.html
multiple roles and teach various disparate
disciplines besides managing English lessons andthe inclusion of English within the broader course of
Conducting Relevant Researchstudy. This is different from my home country basedon conversations I have had with elementary schoolwith Effective Application inteachers in Canada, who do not conduct foreign
Elementary Schools
language lessons. How teachers manage to fulfill
their duties is still unimaginable to me, something I
Mike Kuziw
truly respect. Is much of the work dependent on
Fukui City Board of Education
good time management? Or do teachers tend to
Email: <mike.kuziw@gmail.com>
focus this attention on aspects most appealing orpressing? Thus, my query of relevant research andThis past spring I conducted my first research
its implementation as it applies to the overallseminar for a local elementary school in Fukui City,
growth of teacher practice and school development
which brought together 13 teachers, including thebegan, in particular the impact it may have on HRTs
school’s principal and head of teachers. Before
when it comes to EFL teaching in elementary
conducting the seminar, which focused on ways toschools.
use English storybooks for children, the way to
While the HRTs are required to fulfill the
break into the world of research at elementary
requirement of teaching English, they do notschools felt like foreign territory. Unfortunately, no
necessarily have the training or experience to do so.
map or guide was provided to make clear what was
Frequent professional development can encourage
truly unfamiliar. Fellow elementary school teachers
new conversations about effective practices in the
who have an interest in pursuing research mayclassroom, in effect enabling them to see changeshare my sentiment. By sharing here some insights
and growth as teachers. I approached myinto my own experiences as a teacher-researcher, I
interactions with my colleagues with several goals. I
hope to unpack some of the realities of researchwanted to appreciate how talented they are as
conducted at public elementary schools with aprofessional elementary school teachers. I hoped
focus on the available opportunities for buddingthat I would be able to undertake with themEnglish as foreign language (EFL) practitionerrelevant research about teacher development
researchers.
within our shared elementary school work. I also
I work with Japanese homeroom teachers
wished to ease any tension or anxiety brought on(HRTs) on a daily basis conducting team-teaching
by English language teaching. Although I find it
lessons for students ages 8-12 across sevenchallenging to voice my exact thoughts about theelementary schools in Fukui City. The mainneed for the research that I feel passionately about,
responsibilities of my work include teaching skills in
I want to respect my colleagues and develop any
the four language areas, while also exposing
inquiries in close partnership with them, filling
students to natural and communicative English
potential gaps in the path towards successful
language. Beyond the classroom hours, I havelanguage acquisition.
fostered close relationships with the HRTs in an
When it comes to EFL, in my experience, I’ve
effort to better manage and execute lessons
noticed that HRTs are open to considering practicalthrough curriculum and instruction development.
methodologies that can be used in the English
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Learning Learning 『学習の学習』 26 (2): Members’ Voices
classroom. Aside from the disciplined observation
Facilitation of Motivation Amonglessons teachers frequently take part in, the Boards
Non-English Major Studentsof Education are adamant about creating better
teachers, ones that are more than simply familiar
Through Practical Project-basedwith the material of the EFL discipline. Recently,
Learning
development has focused on the building ofteachers’ repertoire of English language teaching
Olya Yazawa
skills, which has led to an ambitious move toShowa Women’s University
improve overall language proficiency and pedagogic
Email: <o-yazawa@swu.ac.jp>
versatility. Teachers are aware of the challenges
they may face, and their openness is certainly
I have been an EFL teacher in Japan for almost
refreshing. I have found this, for example, when I
two decades and clearly can see that English
have discussed with my colleagues my researchlanguage education here has failed to facilitate
project on English storybooks for children. Teachers
learner motivation and to cultivate sufficient
communicative English abilities in students. In mywere moved by the passion I spoke with regarding
current research on motivation, I rely on Selfthe benefits of including children’s books in the
Determination Theory (SDT). According to thisclassroom. In many ways, I believe my foresight wastheory, individuals are more internally motivatedshared among teachers who felt a connection towhen the following three basic psychological needs
children’s books in their own ways, either throughare satisfied: autonomy, competence, andtheir students’ interests or through other disciplines
relatedness (Deci & Ryan, 2002). When these needs
in which children’s books appear.
are satisfied, students feel psychologically happier,Bringing this all together, I would like to leave
more autonomous, and more motivated to learn inyou with some words of wisdom when approaching
the classroom. There are many ways teachers canresearch in-house as a non-Japanese teacher. First,
provide support to satisfy psychological needs intake time to talk to your fellow co-workers on a
the English language classroom. Autonomyfrequent basis. You’ll find out their true passions;
supportive teachers facilitate students’ autonomy
what impacts their teaching on a daily basis andby providing students choices and opportunities to
how they want to make an impact on students. It
take responsibility and initiative for the learningoften leads one to find a niche in which research
process. An autonomy need is not a need forcan be applied. Second, you’ll notice that schools
independence as some may think, but rather athemselves have a lot of leeway when it comes todesire for personal internal acceptance, purpose,
learning a new skill or bringing effective measuresand endorsement of one’s own learning. If theinto the classroom. With the transition of thestudents’ need for autonomy is satisfied, they are
current curriculum and the introduction of English
more willing to participate actively in the classroom
as a subject for 5th and 6th graders in 2020, theand show higher achievement and lessprocrastination. I try to provide students with small
timing is favorable for conducting such research.
choices of additional activities they have to do in
While there may be some hurdles to overcome,class and their order, for example: playing Quizlet
good hard work will lead to rewarding connections(an online education platform) games, doing aand impacts that will serve both students andvideo quiz or working on a project with groups. I
teachers well. This should also lead to invaluable
also give them the chance to choose test dates andresearch results that will hopefully be included inproject themes.
future teaching. Give it a try!
I have conducted two studies addressing selfdetermined motivation in high school and college
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Learning Learning 『学習の学習』 26 (2): Members’ Voices
students in Japan (Yazawa, 2019). The first study
vocabulary by discovering and figuring out thewas conducted in a Tokyo metropolitan high school
meaning of new words. Discovery is a very
where the academic level is ranked just slightly
important process for self-determination. By notabove the national average. First- and second-year
giving out answers and allowing students to figure
students were asked to participate in this study atout the meanings by themselves positively reflects
the end of the academic year. The second study wason the autonomy need support. In the next stage,
conducted in a private middle rank women’s college
the new vocabulary is reviewed in content-basedin central Tokyo. The students in both studies
texts and videos of relevant marketing topics. In thecompleted a questionnaire adapted from a new SDTlast stage, the students are involved in role-playing
motivational scale created by Agawa and Takeuchi
games. The role-playing games are indispensable(2016). One of the most distinctive similarities
for satisfying student relatedness need and thus
between these two studies is that older students
enhancing their self-determination. An example ofdemonstrate a lower perceived autonomy needsuch a game is “Journey: Pros and Cons”, in which
fulfillment relative to first-year students. Secondstudents are actively involved in team work.
year high school students and third-year college
Students are divided into two groups: the firststudents had a higher proficiency level in English
group are tourists who love to travel, and therelated to the first-year students; but despite thissecond group are those who do not like traveling.
fact, they also reported a greater drop in
The first group has to persuade the second group ofsatisfaction with English teachers as facilitators ofstudents to go with them on a journey.
their autonomy in the classroom.
After preparation, students are finally embarked
One of the reasons why students lose
on a project, which allows them to do andmotivation over time to learn English, as they get
independent research and creates autonomy
older, is the change in goals and priorities for older
supportive atmosphere in the classroom. The goal
students. For example, college students do notof the project is to create an advertising travelneed to pass difficult entrance examinations
brochure using existing and accumulated
anymore; and memorization and grammar-basedknowledge. They present their final products in thelearning that they relied so heavily on to prepare
form of a presentation on behalf of imaginary travel
for the tests, are no longer useful in college. At thiscompanies. I allow students to choose their travel
point, some students fail to envision new goals fordestination by themselves, they also choose thelearning English altogether; others are notcategories which they want to include into theequipped with enough means to pursue them. Skillbrochure. The only requirement is the number ofbased classes replace grammar-based instructions
categories, which is usually limited to the number
during their first year, but students continue toof team members. Each group of students
grow more and more helpless in acquiring English.
represents independent experts who decide during
To satisfy the autonomy need better in thirdthe discussion which advertising techniques shouldyear students taking a Business English course, I
be used. The duration of the project and thehave started using a practical speciality-relatedpresentation is usually about four weeks. Groupproject-based teaching and learning approach.
work should be equally divided between all project
There are usually two creative and content-based
participants: someone is responsible forprojects that students enrolled in my Businessresearching, someone for the design and so on.
English classes must prepare each semester ofEach student takes active participation in the groupstudy. One such project is creating an
discussion and chooses the area of his or her
advertisement brochure. Preparation for theexpertise. In carrying out the project, students learn
project’s presentation is carried out in several
how to be responsible for their own learning,stages. In the first stage, students study new
evaluate their own work, give feedback to team
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Learning Learning 『学習の学習』 26 (2): Members’ Voices
members—in other words, how to act morelearning activities. And it is more likely thanautonomously in learning English.
anything else to trigger directed motivational
While SDT is still one of the most popularcurrents.
theoretical frameworks currently employed in the
I hope the results of my current and future
Japanese context, in the last few years, a newresearch and work will be useful for educators andtheory of Directed Motivational Currents (DMC) has
researchers in the learner development field to link
emerged in psycholinguistics, and has not yet been
the theory of English learning motivation with
sufficiently researched in Japanese educational
practice and further explore methods andsettings (Dörnyei, Ibrahim, & Muir, 2015). By
techniques to facilitate long-term motivation andconcentrating on this new theory in my further
create a more autonomy-supportive educational
studies, I hope to reach a better understanding ofenvironment in Japan.
what motivates Japanese English learners in tertiary
References
educational levels, and how teachers can influence
Agawa, T., & Takeuchi, O. (2016). A new
this motivation in group settings.
questionnaire to assess Japanese EFL learners’
One of the initial proposals of the DMC theory is
motivation: Development and validation.
that it is possible for teachers to facilitate directed
Annual Review of English Language Education in
motivational currents in the foreign language
Japan, 27, 1-16.
classroom. Project learning is considered to be theDeci, E., & Ryan, R. (2002). Handbook of selfbest framework to launch and maintain a long-term
determination. Rochester, NY: University ofEnglish learning motivation according to this theory.
Rochester Press.
It connects the real world with the classroom,
Dörnyei, Z., Ibrahim, Z., & Muir, C. (2015). Directedbrings authenticity, autonomy and relatedness tomotivational currents: Regulating complex
dynamic systems through motivational surges.
the learning environment. All of the students in the
In Z. Dörnyei, P. MacIntyre, & A. Henry (Eds.),
Business Design Department of the university I
Motivational dynamics in language learning
work for go on a long-term study abroad program at(pp. 95-105). Bristol, England: Multilingual
the end of their freshman year. A study-abroad
Matters.
period by definition can work as a trigger to launch
Roberts, C., Byram, M., Barro, A., Jordan, S., &group DMC, as students need to commit to this goal
Street, B. (2001). Language learners as
at the very beginning of their studies. I am currently
ethnographers. Clevedon, England: Multilingual
working on creating a suitable project framework,
Matters.
similar to the study-abroad preoperational program
Yazawa, O. (2019). Research report: Multiple casedeveloped by Roberts, Byram, Barro, Jordan, andstudy comparison of high school and university
students’ perceptions of motivational factors in
Street (2001) as a way to induce motivationalclasses with foreign and local English teachers.
currents in the classroom.
Gakuen, 941, 33-47.
English is a compulsory subject for the majority
of college students in Japan. Having an autonomy
supportive teacher to teach English adds positively
to the students’ motivation to learn the language.
Project work is one of the modern methods ofteaching a foreign language that supports students’autonomy needs and self-determined motivation.
The motivational value of the project-basedlearning lies in the fact that students can see theirreal work results, correct mistakes, supplement andevaluate outcome. It puts a new meaning inNewsletter of the JALT Learner Development SIG <http://ld-sig.org>

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