| 研究実績の概要 |
In our project, my research colleagues and I examined the motivations of Japanese science and engineering (STEM) students for English language learning. In 2012, we sent questionnaires to over 2,500 students at technical colleges, undergraduate universities, and graduate schools throughout Japan. 22 students were interviewed in July 2013. 15 of these same students were interviewed a second time in 2014 to see whether there were any changes in motivation. Due to this research, we found that although Japanese STEM students strongly feel that they need to learn English for their future jobs, they also have very low English confidence and do not see themselves as speakers of English. Students who believe they will become speakers of English have a tendency to have stronger motivation to learn, but the interviews revealed that the students never speak English in their English or in their science classes, and that their English and their science teachers never speak English to them. At technical colleges and undergraduate universities, classroom learning consisted mostly of translation and memorization of individual English words. Students rarely or never read research papers, wrote summaries of scientific papers, or did group discussion or presentations. However, at graduate school students were expected to read and write scientific English. Based on our findings, we strongly urge university educators of Japanese science and engineering students to teach science content courses in English, to better prepare science students in Japan for the demands of their future work places.
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