2017 Fiscal Year Annual Research Report
Providing pedagogical support for English teachers in Japan
| Project/Area Number |
15H03481
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| Research Institution | Nanzan University |
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Principal Investigator |
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
O・Connell Sean 南山大学, 総合政策学部, 准教授 (40580824)
MILES Richard 南山大学, 国際教養学部, 講師 (90751602)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2015-04-01 – 2019-03-31
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| Keywords | Teacher training / Teaching / Pedagogy / Workshops / Material Development |
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
During stage 3 the research team continued to collect, revise, and create new content for the TSC. Responses from interviews, focus groups, and the exit questionnaires were analyzed and used to inform the future direction of the research re. the pedagogical needs of the teachers. The content of the workshop lectures, content-based classes, and skills-based classes were shaped by the participants’ responses. The action research cycle ensured that the practical workshops and TSC meet teachers’ needs. A teacher-training workshop was held which covered two themes; ‘Intercultural Communication Skills for English Teaching’ and ‘Teaching English to High School Students in Japan’. Professor Itaya from Hokkaido Musashi Women’s Junior College and Professor O’Connell from Nanzan University lead the first two sessions. In the afternoon Professor Cripps lead the afternoon session on ‘Finding Solutions to Typical Problems that English Teachers in Japan Face’. The workshop was very successful and generated a lot of rich data which formed the basis of research papers and presentations.
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| Current Status of Research Progress |
Current Status of Research Progress
1: Research has progressed more than it was originally planned.
Reason
The research plan is proceeding smoothly. The research team has been analysing the data gained from the teacher training workshops and are using it to improve future workshops and the TSC. The research team has given several presentations based on the research data and a number of academic research papers have been written as a result. Many teachers from schools and universities within Japan and throughout the world have expressed a strong interest in our research.
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| Strategy for Future Research Activity |
During Stage 4 the research team will continue to collect, revise, and create new content for the TSC. Responses from interviews, focus groups, and the exit questionnaires will be analyzed and used to inform the future direction of the research re. the pedagogical needs of the teachers. The final workshop of this research project will concentrate on pre-service teachers' needs and will be given by Dr Saori Doi from Hawaii University in Manoa. Her workshop will focus on a number of themes: globalization in higher education, acculturation, intercultural communication, social support for college students, and language learning in culturally diverse settings. In addition to the above, Professor Cripps, Professor Miles, and Professor O'Connell from Nanzan University will get the workshop participants to examine typical problems that they may face in their classes and help them explore practical solutions. The action research cycle (see below) will ensure that the practical workshops and TSC meet teachers’ needs. Action research cycle: Exit questionnaires, interviews and focus groups; Data analysis of teachers’ responses using a mixed-method approach; Interviews with key TESOL figures regarding problematic teaching areas; The refinement and creation of TSC material. The research team will also start work on the creation and publication of professional development handbooks based on the teaching workshops.
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