IWANAKA Takahiro

For EFL learners to develop their interlanguage (IL) system efficiently, input, output, and interaction are indispensable. Advancements in ICT have made it possible to access high-quality input, such as TED and YouTube. Learners can also practice producing output by writing diaries, self-talk, giving a presentation, etc. However, interaction can only be done with an interlocutor. Recent remarkable technological advances have enabled natural interactions between generative AI and EFL learners, allowing learners to practice interactions at their own pace with less anxiety. This study aims to elucidate the effects of interaction opportunities with generative AI on the Willingness to Communicate (WTC), anxiety, and perceived competence of EFL learners. Sixty-six undergraduates were recruited as the participants. They had opportunities to interact with generative AI regularly. A questionnaire consisting of 24 items was employed to evaluate their WTC, anxiety, and perceived competence. The analysis of the collected data suggests that interaction opportunities with generative AI raise WTC and perceived competence and lower anxiety.

The “GIGA School Initiative,” announced in December 2019, is a Japanese government program to enhance the digital learning environment in schools. It focuses on providing each student with a personal device and improving internet connectivity to support modern, technology-driven education. Considering this initiative, we have initiated a research program focusing on training language professionals with high digital competency. Since FY2022, we have developed and validated an initial instruction curriculum for English and Japanese through collaboration with the municipal government and local communities. We aim to address educational challenges in a global and multicultural society. In FY2024, the project’s third year, we intend to concentrate on two primary areas: 1) enhancing students’ digital literacy and 2) fortifying regional collaboration. Through these endeavors, we aspire to promote further the training of language teachers with advanced digital competencies and contribute to addressing educational challenges in a global and multicultural context.

What are the characteristics of successful second language learners? What learning strategies do they actively use? SLA researchers agree that successful second language learners share the following five factors: ⑴ They are young, ⑵ Their L1 is similar to the TL, ⑶ They have high language aptitude, ⑷ They have high motivation to learn the TL, and ⑸ Their language learning method is effective. Of these five factors, only ⑷ and ⑸ can be improved by teachers’ efforts. First, the age of the learner and the distance between the L1 and the TL cannot be changed by educational intervention. It is said that innate factors strongly influence language learning aptitude and that what teachers can do is limited. Teachers can only motivate students with motivational strategies and encourage them to employ effective learning methods that go with SLA research findings. The purpose of this paper is to provide basic information on teaching English. It will explain the following five factors: how to foster communicative competence, three types of memory, experiential and analytical learning beliefs, roles of AI in English education, and English language proficiency that English learners in Japan are expected to acquire.

Learners’ language learning beliefs are considered one of the most important factors influencing the acquisition of English communicative competence. The study of language learning beliefs flourished after Horwitz developed the BALLI (The Beliefs About Language Learning Inventory) in 1987. The BALLI consists of 34 items designed to investigate the ability and motivation to learn a foreign language. This questionnaire was developed for learners of English at universities in the U.S., but there have been some research studies in Japan based on the BALLI as well. Some studies have attempted to clarify the effects of short-term study abroad on language learning beliefs, the influences of past learning experiences on language learning beliefs, and the relationship between language learning beliefs and the learning strategies learners prefer. The present study clarifies the relationship between learners’ language learning beliefs and their preferred learning strategies. This paper also examines how learners’ language learning beliefs affect their attitudes toward learning English. First, the author will introduce previous studies closely related to this paper and formulate research questions. After answering the questions, the author will recommend desirable English language instruction at universities by referring to the author’s and other researchers’ research results.

The Faculty of Intercultural Studies at Yamaguchi Prefectural University focuses on the Teacher Training of Japanese and English Languages, featuring a curriculum that utilizes collaboration (units) between teaching and nonteaching subjects. This research was funded by the Yamaguchi Prefectural University Grant, as part of the project titled “Development and Verification of the Curriculum for Basic Instruction of English and Japanese through Collaboration of Administration, Schools and Local Communities Aimed at Solving Educational Issues in a Global and Multicultural Society”.This paper reports on the progress of the “Tego-project” by students of the teacher training program for Japanese and English Languages in 2023 and discusses the prospects for human resource development in the language education profession.

This is an interim report on the background and implementation of the ongoing "Tego Project" activities by students in the Japanese and English teacher training programs. In the "Tego Project" activities, students in the Japanese Language Teacher Training Course and students in the Junior and Senior High School English Teacher Training Course (hereinafter referred to as "Language Supporters") will support students who need Japanese and English language instruction. In addition, to improve the support for these students, we will develop and test a curriculum for teaching Japanese and English through online learning. The goal is to build a "Japanese/English Start-up Learning Tego Site" and eventually disseminate the results of the project.