Japanese English As A Foreign Language Learners Research Articles

Exploring the silence of Japanese EFL learners: Its relationship with the degree of willingness to communicate (WTC)

The concept of willingness to communicate (WTC) is pivotal in understanding student engagement in English as a foreign language (EFL) classrooms. As a dynamic and multifaceted construct, WTC is subject to continual fluctuations throughout the communication process, often changing situationally. Traditionally, learner silence in class or during second language (L2) conversations is perceived negatively, as it can signal a lack of motivation to speak, thereby impeding optimal language acquisition. However, silence can also function as a communicative strategy or reflect learners’ essential feelings and emotions. This study explored the relationship between Japanese EFL learners’ situational WTC and their instances of silence during L2 (English) conversations. Participants were recruited for the study and were asked to deliver short speeches and engage in conversations with a researcher, during which their periods of silence were observed and recorded. All participant utterances were meticulously transcribed and analysed. Additionally, participants self-assessed their WTC for each utterance, and a stimulated recall interview was conducted to gather in-depth qualitative data. The results generally indicated that participants’ WTC was somewhat decreased when silence occurred between and during utterances. However, the findings also revealed the intricate and multifaceted nature of silence in relation to WTC, underscoring the need for a deeper understanding and nuanced consideration of learners’ silence. This study highlights the complexity of the interplay between WTC and silence, suggesting that silence should not be solely viewed as a negative phenomenon but rather as an integral part of the communicative process that warrants careful analysis and understanding.

Incorporating online writing resources into self‐regulated learning strategy‐based instruction: An intervention study

AbstractBackgroundWhile self‐regulated learning (SRL) strategy‐based writing instruction has been proposed in English as a foreign language (EFL) classrooms, there is insufficient evidence with Japanese EFL learners and little discussion on incorporating online resources into SRL strategy‐based writing instruction, despite the availability of various online platforms.ObjectivesThis study proposed an SRL strategy‐based instruction for technology‐assisted writing and explored its immediate and sustained impacts on Japanese tertiary EFL learners' writing performance, reported use of SRL strategies, self‐efficacy beliefs and perceived acceptance of technology.MethodsThe research design used was a pre‐experimental pre‐test, post‐test and delayed post‐test design with a quantitative approach using convenience sampling. Participants were 44 students enrolled in an academic writing course at a Japanese university. Over an 8‐week period, these students received SRL strategy‐based writing instruction supported by online writing resources. The research instruments included writing tests and questionnaires assessing SRL strategies, self‐efficacy and technology acceptance at the beginning of the intervention (Time 1), immediately after the intervention (Time 2) and 1 month after the intervention (Time 3). The data analysis techniques involved ANOVA, post‐hoc tests, and examination of the effect sizes.Results and ConclusionThe results showed statistically significant improvements in students' writing performance, SRL strategy use, self‐efficacy and technology acceptance from Time 1 to Time 2 and persistent impacts at Time 3, suggesting the intervention's potential to improve EFL writing. This study contributes to EFL writing pedagogy by exploring the immediate and sustained impacts of teaching SRL strategies in a technology‐enhanced writing environment.

Japanese EFL learners’ comprehension and perceptions of three different accents in listening assessment

AbstractUnderstanding a single English accent is becoming insufficient for English language learners because they are likely to encounter both first (L1) and second‐language (L2) speakers of English in various contexts. Hence, different English accents have been incorporated into the recordings used for L2 language assessments, specifically listening comprehension (LC) tests. However, the efficacy of tests using various English accents is not definitively established in the English as a foreign language (EFL) literature. Furthermore, there has been limited investigation specifically into how learners perceive the level of difficulty in comprehending various accents during listening assessments. Therefore, this study examined how the LC scores and comprehensibility ratings (ease of understanding) differed depending on accents. Seventy‐nine Japanese adult EFL learners took a multiple‐choice question‐type LC test featuring three different English accents (i.e., American, British, and Japanese) and then rated how difficult it was to understand each accent. The findings showed that, although the LC test scores did not differ significantly by accent, the participants perceived the British and Japanese accents as more difficult to understand than the American accent. The results imply that while sharing L1 with the speakers and familiarity with a certain accent may not affect speech comprehension, greater familiarity with a given accent can ease comprehension. The findings thus can shed light on the inclusion of a variety of accented speech in language tests and pedagogical instruction.

Does the word‐writing strategy in vocabulary learning increase learning outcomes or mislead learners into overestimation?

AbstractStudies on the effectiveness of the word‐writing strategy in vocabulary learning have yielded mixed results. However, this strategy has been widespread among learners of English as a foreign language (EFL). This study examines whether the word‐writing strategy is effective and whether learners overestimate its effectiveness. Sixty‐eight Japanese EFL learners acquired new English words through either a writing or a nonwriting condition. Immediately following the learning phase in each condition, the Behavioral Engagement Scale, the State Engagement Scale, and the global judgments of learning (global JOLs) were administered. A multiple‐choice test for form and a productive test for meaning were administered at the end. The results showed no significant differences between the conditions in terms of learning outcomes. However, the writing condition outperformed the nonwriting condition on two engagement measures and the global JOL for form retention. These results suggest that the word‐writing strategy has no effect on learning outcomes, but increases the sense of engagement during learning and misleads students into overestimating learning outcomes. EFL teachers should educate their students about the limits of this technique and recommend more effective learning strategies.

Underpassivization Errors by Japanese EFL Learners: A Theoretical Analysis

It is widely known that English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners wrongly produce passives with intransitive verbs such as happen and appear, which is called overpassivization. This study aims to explore constructions with the prototypical dative verb give and provide a theoretical account of errors that Japanese EFL learners frequently make based on data collected from the Japanese EFL Learner Corpus. The results reveal cases in which the sentence looks active, but its interpretation is passive, called underpassivization. For example, I gave this book, we infer that “I” is the person who offered this toy to someone. However, a detailed analysis reveals cases in which “I” refers to the recipient of the toy; that is, the speaker intended to say “I was given this toy.” This corpus-based study assumes that underpassivization errors are created by moving the recipient originating in VP to the specifier position of IP, the subject position.

Distance-invoked difficulty as a trigger for errors in Chinese and Japanese EFL learners’ English writings

Abstract This study investigates how distance-invoked difficulty, proficiency level and cross-linguistic similarity affect error occurrences by analysing 240 English compositions from Chinese and Japanese learners of English as a foreign language (EFL). Dependency distance was used as a metric to measure distance-invoked difficulty and four major types of dependency relations were investigated. The findings reveal that low- and middle-level Chinese and Japanese EFL learners have higher error rates with long-distance dependency relations, but high-level learners can overcome the distance-invoked difficulty and make fewer errors. Chinese and Japanese EFL learners make more errors in long-distance adverbial and relative clauses than in short-distance ones, which are L1-dissimilar dependency relations. They make fewer errors in L1-similar relations, i.e., long-distance subject-predicate dependency relations. Japanese EFL learners, however, showed no significant differences in error rates between long- and short-distance predicate-object dependency relations. The results indicate the complex interaction between the EFL learners’ cognition, proficiency and L1.

Simple and Effective Advising Practice: A Semi-Structured Advising Program for Japanese EFL Learners

Although advising in language learning (ALL) in the Japanese setting for English as a foreign language (EFL) is indispensable, its domestic dissemination remains in an embryonic stage. As a suggested solution, a semi-structured ALL program was developed in a recent study, whose effects are investigated in the present study. The newly developed program is tailored to lead learners toward subjective well-being with active engagement in language learning. Furthermore, it includes several novel and unique features such as specific tasks allocated to particular sessions. Therefore, the research questions regarding its effects are as follows: (1) To what extent do Japanese EFL learners achieve their active engagement and (2) subjective well-being through the semi-structured ALL program? (3) How do they evaluate the usefulness of the program? Quantitative data from 15 Japanese EFL advisees who underwent the semi-structured program were statistically analyzed, and the results were supported by qualitative data. Overall, the program contributed to Japanese EFL learners’ active engagement and subjective well-being. Moreover, participants recognized most of the program’s features as useful. However, some parts remain to be improved. The discussion section argues both aspects in as much detail as possible.

The mediative role of learning materials: Raising L2 learners’ awareness of silence and conversational repair during L2 interaction

This conceptual article explores the role of pedagogical mediation in raising Japanese English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ awareness of cross-culturally diverse roles of silence and conversational repair strategies during turn-taking in second language (L2) interaction as seen from an interactional perspective. This study delves into the nexus of scholarly and pedagogical perspectives, accommodating Japanese EFL learners’ interactional needs to self-mediate own silence as an interactional resource by using repair strategies in L2 interaction. It specifically examines the pedagogical approaches reflected in English language teaching (ELT) materials designed for Japanese EFL learners, aiming to raise awareness of multi-faceted use of silence and repair as a part of cross-culturally invisible turn-taking practices from three perspectives: (1) pedagogical approaches involving silence in L2 interaction in scholarly articles, (2) learning materials produced specifically for Japanese EFL learners and (3) Japanese EFL learners’ perspectives on Conversation Analysis-informed learning resources identified in empirical studies. Drawing on this analysis, this study aims to deepen our understanding of current practices and bridge the gap between theory and practice to facilitate L2 learners’ interactional repertoires through material development informed by a holistic perspective.

The Relationship between a Cognitive Linguistic Approach and the Right-Hemisphere

This study investigated the relationship between a metaphor-based approach to teaching English as a foreign language (EFL) and involvement of the brain’s right hemisphere. Specifically, it examined learners’ understanding of three levels of sureness associated with different expressions in English – those that are certain, probable, and possible items. The three target items were chosen because they are frequently used by native English speakers although Japanese EFL learners often fail to distinguish between them. The metaphor-based learners and the control group engaged in computer-based explicit learning based on the meaning of the target expressions with three-dimensional (3D) animated illustrations. The images were based on the spatial concept of distance for the metaphor-based learners and a list of target items for the control group. At post-test, it was found that the metaphor-based learners performed better than the control group in both comparison and speaking tests. Obviously, the participants better understood the degrees of certainty in relation to distance. This shows that teaching the degrees of certainty by applying the spatial concept of distance could help in second-language (L2) learning. The metaphor approach allowed participants to link the spatial concept of distance to the degree of certainty associated with expressions of certitude. In addition, recordings of lip movements showed that participants remembered the target items better by opening the left side of their mouths more than the right side. This indicates that the brain’s right hemisphere is involved in deep processing of expressions that reflect different levels of certitude and creating stronger memory traces.

The role of automatised and non-automatised explicit knowledge in general L2 proficiency

ABSTRACT This study examines the knowledge representation of Japanese university students assessed using grammaticality judgement tests (GJTs) and a metalinguistic knowledge test (MKT). The study also investigates the role of automatised and non-automatised explicit knowledge in general L2 language proficiency. Participants were 87 late learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) who completed the timed and untimed GJTs and MKT, modified Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT), and the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC). The principal component factor analysis results indicated that ungrammatical sentences in the GJTs loaded on non-automatised explicit knowledge, whereas grammatical sentences loaded on automatised explicit knowledge. The score for ungrammatical sections on the timed GJT was the most significant predictor of all components of the TOEIC. The results also indicated that the time pressure applied in the timed GJT could not sufficiently limit participants’ access to explicit knowledge when they processed grammatical sentences. The findings suggest that non-automatised explicit knowledge may play a more significant role than automatised explicit knowledge in L2 proficiency in the case of Japanese EFL learners.

Interpreting unwillingness to speak L2 English by Japanese EFL learners

Abstract This article reports on an empirical study investigating what makes Japanese learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) unwilling to speak English, regardless of their learning period, proficiency level, and location of the communication. The current study focuses on the self-perception of second language (L2) English abilities, anxiety, and interlocutors as possible causes of their unwillingness to speak L2 English, compared with first language (L1) Japanese. An online questionnaire was administered to 27 Japanese undergraduate students (age: 19–22) with non-English majors at a national university in Tokyo, Japan. The results show that the elements depressing the self-perception and willingness to speak are fundamental to managing human relationships in speaking situations, which have more impact on L2 English than L1 Japanese contexts. This is attributable to other-directedness, which has been discussed as being characteristic of Japanese and Chinese EFL learners. Furthermore, it appears plausible to assume that the other-directedness derives more from “considerations for others” than “face-saving.” Future work will further investigate what constitutes Japanese other-directedness, compared with Chinese EFL learners’.

A Comparative Study of Learner Satisfaction in Synchronous and Asynchronous Online Courses Among Japanese EFL Learners

This article reports on a mixed method study that investigated the differences in Japanese EFL (English as a foreign language) learners’ satisfaction toward two different online teaching formats incorporated in universities during the COVID-19 situation: synchronous online courses (n = 324) and asynchronous on-demand courses (n = 323). Applying the items of the previously developed online satisfaction scale in the literature of online learning to EFL learning contexts, this study examined learner satisfaction from three main factors, engaged learning, agency, and assessment, as a quantitative inquiry. According to the Mann-Whitney U test, there were significantly higher results of engaged learning and assessment in synchronous online courses than in asynchronous ondemand courses, indicating a higher level of learner satisfaction in synchronous online courses. In addition, based on the qualitative textmining analysis of learner comments on their perceptions of the online courses they had taken, findings suggest that synchronous online courses accounted for higher percentages of positive comments compared to those in the asynchronous on-demand courses. This study shows that synchronous online teaching ensured higher satisfaction among Japanese EFL learners than asynchronous on-demand courses.

Effects of Instruction on the Use of Discourse Markers in Japanese EFL Learners’ Speech

This study investigated the effects of explicit and implicit discourse marker (DM) instruction on English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ speech. Two different teaching methods were used over seven weeks of online English classes at a university in Japan. Participants were split into two groups, and in the first week, a pre-test comprising two speech tasks was administered to both groups. The groups were then given explicit or implicit feedback about the usage of target DMs using video clips and emails. The results of the post-test in Week 5 revealed that, although the frequency of the marker for example was significantly higher after explicit instruction, there was no significant difference in the frequency of the other target markers in both groups. However, some students’ repertoires of DMs increased after explicit feedback. In Week 7, a speaking test including tasks similar to those in the pre- and post-tests was administered as a substitute for the delayed test. Although some easily accessible markers such as and and because were used in speech, both groups’ repertoire was limited. Hence, explicit instruction on DMs may have a limited effect on EFL learners’ speech.

An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of Japanese EFL Learners’ Motivation during the COVID-19 Pandemic

In the spring of 2020, many educational institutions around the world were thrust into novel and challenging situations due to the spread of COVID-19. These situations have been highly consequential for educators and students. The purpose of this study was to explore how the motivation of four Japanese, second-year university students to learn English as a foreign language (EFL) was affected by the sudden shift to virtual learning and scaling down of their study abroad program following international travel restrictions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic (referred to hereinafter as “the pandemic”). Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was adopted to analyze the data obtained from semi-structured interviews. The five themes that emerged from the interviews suggested that the students’ motivation to learn English remained stable despite the shift to online learning and modification of the study abroad program. In this regard, the following was observed: (1) All participants expressed that they inherently enjoyed learning English; (2) They imagined themselves using English in their future work or travel; (3) They derived motivation from other EFL learners; (4) They realized the practical benefits of online learning; (5) They became proactive in seeking ways to supplement their EFL studies. Themes 1, 2, and 3 applied to the participants even before the pandemic. Themes 4 and 5 emerged as they had to adjust their studying practices in response to the pandemic-induced restrictions. The findings of this study provide insights into how EFL learners’ motivation has been affected by the pandemic, and they serve as an important reference for students and educators in the EFL field.

The effects of a metacognitive intervention on lower-proficiency EFL learners’ listening comprehension and listening self-efficacy

Focusing on the teaching of listening strategies to second language (L2) learners, this study sought to revisit Renandya and Farrell’s (2011) claims that explicit listening strategy instruction for lower-proficiency learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) is a fruitless endeavor. As such, we implemented a quasi-experimental study to measure the effectiveness of a metacognitive intervention for a convenience sample of lower-proficiency (CEFR A2) Japanese university EFL learners ( n = 129). The training program focused on an explicit process-based approach, involving integrated experiential learning tasks and guided reflections, to develop learners’ L2 listening skills. Data collection consisted of TOEIC® test scores, listening comprehension tests, cloze tests, a listening self-efficacy questionnaire, and a post-treatment survey. While the training program was received favorably by students, and students displayed a slightly more confident stance towards listening in their L2, we were unable to find any strong empirical evidence that our lower-proficiency EFL learners’ listening performance improved. As such, these results provide evidence of a potential proficiency threshold for EFL learners to start to benefit from a strategy-focused metacognitive intervention.

Japanese EFL Learners’ Interpretation оf Plural Morphology

This article examines Japanese English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners’ acquisition of meaning of the English plural marker -s. The main goal of the article is to experimentally investigate whether EFL learners are able to assign a plural-only reading to plural -s. The author conducted a Truth Value Judgement experiment with Japanese intermediate learners and found that they understood bare plurals in a different way than native speakers do. In singular scenarios, Japanese EFL learners failed to reject bare plural statements (e.g. Black Bear has cars) while they successfully rejected numeral statements (e.g. Black Bear has four cars). The results suggest that Japanese EFL learners had difficulties giving a ‘more than one’ reading to bare plurals and appeared to understand -s to mean ‘at least one’.

Developing a New Shadowing Procedure for Japanese EFL Learners

Shadowing, a practice of repeating what one hears as simultaneously and accurately as possible, has been researched in the Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) field for years. The research findings have shown that shadowing contributes to English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners’ bottom-up listening skills, which leads to their overall listening comprehension skills. However, the accumulated research findings have not uncovered what aspects of bottom-up skills shadowing precisely contributes to. Thus, this study attempts to examine the aspects of bottom-up skills to which shadowing contributes and proposes a new shadowing procedure to compensate for the limitation of the current shadowing procedure. To this end, a preliminary study and a primary study were conducted. In the preliminary study, the bottom-up skill development through shadowing practice was precisely examined, using a 112-item bottom-up listening test. Thirty-six Japanese university students participated in the experiment and engaged in shadowing practice in eight lessons for a month. The result showed that shadowing practice was effective for developing the skill of identifying prominence in a speech, and word recognition skills but not effective for enhancing phonemic discrimination skills. In the primary study, to overcome the limitation of the shadowing procedure, a new shadowing procedure including three components of attention to output, corrective feedback, and explicit instruction was proposed. Twelve Japanese university students participated and engaged in the new shadowing procedure for three months. Their progress was assessed by a 32-item phonemic discrimination test, and the result showed that the new output-based shadowing procedure with explicit instruction and corrective feedback improved phonemic discrimination skills for intermediate level Japanese EFL learners.

Probability Distribution of Dependency Distance Based on a Treebank of Japanese EFL Learners’ Interlanguage

ABSTRACT Ouyang and Jiang (2018) measured the second language proficiency of English as a foreign language (EFL) learners based on the probability distribution of dependency distance. However, the typological features of the native language (Chinese) and the target language (English) they adopted are generally considered similar in word order and dependency direction. In addition, their method of classifying the learners’ proficiency levels is based on the learners’ grades, which might weaken the validity of the results. These results are strengthened and verified further in the current research by analysing a treebank of Japanese EFL learners’ interlanguage since their native language and the target language are typologically distinctive. Moreover, the TOEIC score was used as a benchmark to classify the second language proficiency levels of the learners. We found that (1) the mean dependency distance can measure the syntactic complexity of Japanese EFL learners’ interlanguage; (2) constrained by human working memory, the probability distribution of dependency distance based on Japanese EFL learners’ interlanguage follows certain distribution patterns as unveiled in other natural human languages; (3) the parameters of the right truncated modified Zipf-Alekseev distribution can well reflect the changes of the Japanese EFL learners’ second language proficiency, indicating the development of interlanguage.

Exploring Japanese EFL Learners’ Attitudes Toward English Pronunciation and its Relationship to Perceived Accentedness

This study investigates what individual differences may play a role in second language (L2) learners' pronunciation, exploring whether English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners' attitudes toward English is linked to their perceived accentedness. Japanese EFL secondary school students (N = 62) carried out a 69-word read-aloud task and their speech samples were evaluated by 16 raters for accentedness. A ten-item questionnaire examined the attitudes toward L2 pronunciation of Japanese EFL learners. From the questionnaire, an exploratory factor analysis revealed three dimensions: pronunciation significance, interest in English sounds, and confidence in pronunciation. However, only confidence in pronunciation was significantly correlated with accentedness scores. Results are discussed in terms of the relationship between affective factors and L2 pronunciation attainment.

Investigating Effects of Working Memory Training on Foreign Language Development

AbstractThe current 2‐part study investigated the relative contributions of English language training (ELT) and computerized Cogmed working memory training (WMT) to improvements in English‐as‐a‐foreign language (EFL) proficiency and working memory capacity. In Study 1, Japanese undergraduate EFL learners were randomly allocated to 1 of 3 experimental groups (ELT only, WMT only, and both WMT and ELT) and a control group. The dual intervention (WMT + ELT) group, who received 5 weeks of both WMT and ELT, retained the training effects on verbal short‐term memory and working memory at 6 months post‐training. No significant gains were made, however, in a standardized EFL test of vocabulary, grammar, reading, and listening comprehension abilities. Addressing the absence of a measure of more productive skills in Study 1, Study 2 was carried out on a new cohort of Japanese undergraduate EFL learners comprising a WMT group and a control group. No significant far‐transfer effects (on the language‐based measures) were identified. Descriptive and correlational analyses revealed that the higher general oral proficiency scores tended to be associated with larger improvements in a verbal working memory task (involving storage and manipulation of letter sequences) completed during the Cogmed WMT program. These analyses indicate the possibility of more specialized WMT programs translating into more tangible gains in second or foreign language performance. Further insights into the limited far‐transfer effects of WMT could be gleaned by exploring a modular approach to studying working memory.