Fostering Positive Changes in Students' Beliefs about Learning English

Speaker: Terri Lee Nagahashi

Date: Saturday, December 9th, 2006

Time: 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Location: Akita

Venue: Room B103 at AIU (Akita International University)

Description: Becoming proficient in English as a foreign language (EFL) is a challenging task for many students in Japanese universities. Plagued by negative appraisals, low motivation and an inability to direct and sustain learning efforts, students' progress is often slow. Previous research in this area has found that the university entrance examination system and the role of higher education are two critical factors that impact students' appraisals, motivation and progress. Several key characteristics of this system, and potential strategies for improvement, will be addressed in this presentation. First, an explanation of the Japanese education system will be provided, as well as demonstrating how this system creates negative appraisals and restricts studentsf opportunities for self-directed learning. Second, the traditional role of higher education and its impact on studentsf motivation and progress will be examined. Third, the results and implications of a novel interventional study of learning English in a Japanese university will be presented.

Terri Lee Nagahashi has been teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) for over twenty-five years in the United States, Mexico, Sweden, and Japan. She is currently a full-time faculty member of the International Communication Studies Department of Akita University.

Cost for JALT members: free

Cost for JALT non-members: 1,000 yen for non-members, 500 yen for students

Organization: Akita Chapter, Japan Association for Language Teaching

This URL: http://www.eltcalendar.com/events/details/3334

Contact Akita JALT Chapter:

URL: http://www.edinet.ne.jp/~takeshis/jalt.htm

Suzuki Takeshi:

takeshis@mail.edinet.ne.jp

Phone: Home: 0184-22-1562 Office: 0184-22-1562

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