The concept of Willingness to Communicate (WTC) is essential for understanding Japanese learners' engagement in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms. WTC, a complex construct that varies throughout interactions, is influenced by several factors, including corrective feedback. This study examines the situational WTC of four Japanese EFL…

This study investigates the developmental trajectory of progressive construction among Chinese and Japanese EFL learners through a usage-based approach. A total of 600 written essays, produced by EFL learners from China and Japan with proficiency levels ranging from elementary to upper-intermediate, were analyzed. The findings reveal that advanced…

The current study proposes a new approach to weakness identification in diagnostic language assessment (DLA) for speaking skills. We also propose to design actionable and contextualised diagnostic feedback through the systematic integration of feedback and remedial learning activities. Focusing on lexical use in second language speaking, the…

The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of what kind of student benefits most from studying under the flipped learning method. A total of 43 Japanese university students studying in a language pedagogy course participated in this quasi-experimental study. Qualitative data was taken from 385 study journal entries and interviews with…

Virtual reality (VR) has attracted increasing interest for its potential to enhance second language acquisition through immersive and interactive experiences. However, effectively integrating VR with established language teaching pedagogy remains a critical challenge. This study addresses that gap by embedding the principles of task-based language…

Most L1 (first language) Japanese speakers in Japan seem to think that they are monolingual. While it appears that Japanese people accept monolingual-ness as normative in the nation, there is little situated understanding of what makes up this Japanese monolingual-ness. This study reports on repeated, long, and mostly unstructured interviews with…

This study examined the impact of collaborative pre-task strategic planning followed by rehearsal on the quantity and novelty of content used in task performances when strategic planning is performed in different language conditions in an online classroom. Forty Japanese university students of English as a foreign language (EFL) from two intact…

Maximizing English as a foreign language (EFL) students' use of their second language (L2), minimizing native language (L1) can help them to develop L2 proficiency. In the monolingual approach, the exclusion of L1 is preferred. However, students' use of their first language (L1) in code-switching or translanguaging can be advantageous. This study…

This qualitative, case-study research explores the English language learning history of a Japanese pre-service teacher by analysing five English-language poems and a self-reflective essay regarding her experiences of learning the target language. The methodology chosen in this study was a poetic inquiry through which the investigator reconstructed…

Modifying and hedging one's claims appropriately is an important characteristic of academic writing. This study focuses on the three main English modal verbs used to express "epistemic possibility" to avoid making strong statements, viz., "may", "might", and "could". The purpose of this corpus-based study is…

In this critical essay, Yumi Matsumoto uses the concept of English as a lingua franca to understand multilinguals' communicative practices and to support an alternative understanding of English language use among international students in US university classrooms. The essay draws on two examples of university classroom interactions involving…

This study investigated how students' self-reported individual differences predicted second language (L2) spoken discussion task output, an objective behavioral outcome, in the Japanese university English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context. Although numerous psychological theories are used as a rationale for task-based language teaching (TBLT),…

This study employed a mixed-methods approach to explore the attitudes of second language (L2) learners and L2 teachers toward the use of learners' first language (L1) in L2 classrooms. Interview data were collected from Japanese college students (n = 91) and their English teachers (n = 9) to identify salient themes related to the reasons for…

This study examined the differences in English learning goals and specific actions for goal achievement according to the degree of willingness to communicate (WTC) among Japanese English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners through qualitative analysis. This study aimed to ascertain: (1) the characteristics of English learning goals among learners…

This study reports findings of a survey about "keigo," Japanese honorifics, and L2-Japanese speakers; survey respondents were teachers of Japanese as a foreign language (JFL). Researchers have studied "keigo" ideologies within Japanese society and documented approaches to "keigo" instruction and learners' efforts to…