“My resistance disappeared”: Japanese university learners’ feedback to a student-centered English discussion course
-
Matthew Y. Schaefer
and
Anna Bordilovskaya
Abstract
Students leaving the Japanese secondary education system have typically spent hundreds of hours studying English grammatical structures and memorizing vocabulary lists but relatively little time putting that knowledge to communicative use. This lack of language practice can result in feelings of anxiety when faced with compulsory university courses that focus on speaking skills, such as participating in discussions and debates. This study examines first year Japanese student responses to an end-of-semester survey for a course employing a student-centered approach to developing academic Discussion Skills. The authors analyze students’ comments from an open-ended item on the questionnaire asking for feedback regarding any aspect of the course. The results show that many students reported a journey from initial resistance towards speaking English to feelings of confidence and enjoyment. The features of the course that students identified as lowering this resistance included: the enjoyment that came about through pair and group work with classmates; the cognitive discourse functions that provided scaffolding for taking part in discussion; and the consistent and coherent lesson structure that lowered the cognitive load to allow for more focus on communicating and co-constructing ideas. While this study focuses on the Japanese context, it contributes to knowledge across any language center seeking to help students transition to courses with a greater emphasis on spoken communication.
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Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Introduction
- Empowering learners in their critical, creative and autonomous thinking: from a good language learner to a better world citizen
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- “My resistance disappeared”: Japanese university learners’ feedback to a student-centered English discussion course
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Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Introduction
- Empowering learners in their critical, creative and autonomous thinking: from a good language learner to a better world citizen
- Articles
- Podcasting as project-based learning and its effect on the acquisition of linguistic and non-linguistic skills
- Vers une dynamique collaborative d’enseignement/apprentissage au sein de la démarche communic’actionnelle
- A pilot course with project-based learning in an intensive English program
- “My resistance disappeared”: Japanese university learners’ feedback to a student-centered English discussion course
- Critical incidents as a window into simple language management
- Assessing verbal interaction: towards European harmonization. Insights from the co-operation between Spanish and French language exams for Higher Education (CertAcles/CLES)
- Developing a rating scale for integrated assessment of reading-into-writing skills
- The longitudinal development of self-assessment and academic writing: an advanced writing programme
- Self-access learning of English intonation with speech software: examining learners’ perceptions with a focus on their concerns and negative comments
- Non-English major students’ perceptions of aspects of their autonomous language learning
- Identifying ELF programs in Italian University websites: what gaps need to be filled
- General and specialist vocabulary knowledge as predictors of academic success in EMI university programs
- English medium instruction in Higher Education of Afghanistan: students’ perspective
- Development of second language productive skills through CLIL in a Japanese university: a pre-experimental longitudinal study
- Native peers as mediators and experts in language learning in Higher Education
- Activity Report
- Learning languages through virtual exchange: an international university network
