scholarly journals Investigating the roles of first language (L1) speakers in lingua franca communication in multicultural classrooms: a case study of Japanese as a Lingua Franca (JLF)

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 285-311
Author(s):  
Etsuko Yamada
Keyword(s):  
First Language ◽  
Lingua Franca ◽  
Japanese University ◽  
Japanese Students ◽  
Expanding Circle ◽  
Rapport Building ◽  
English Medium Instruction ◽  
Multicultural Classrooms ◽  
Students Attitudes

Abstract In the Expanding Circle (i.e. countries where English is traditionally learned as a “foreign language”), the concept lingua franca cannot be limited to English. Conducted in a Japanese university, this study reports on the perceptions of verbal behaviours by students in multicultural courses where international and Japanese students studied together. These behaviours were analysed and the findings from English medium instruction courses and those of Japanese-medium instruction (JMI) courses were compared. Then, further analysis centred on JMI courses to explore the roles of Japanese L1 speakers in the co-construction of Japanese as a lingua franca with a focus on cognitive and psychological, rather than linguistic, perspectives. Rapport building, accommodation strategies, often initiated by L1 Japanese speakers, and the spontaneous interactions of second language (L2) speakers in discussions, are assumed to have been the keys to more inclusive interactions in JMI courses. The findings emphasize the importance of students’ attitudes and imply that intercultural education in the context, including both L1 speakers and L2 speakers, will have potential to foster effective lingua franca users.

scholarly journals International Industrial Internship: A Case Study from a Japanese Engineering University Perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 156
Author(s):  
Wai Kian Tan ◽  
Minoru Umemoto
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Students ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Participation Rate ◽  
Japanese Students ◽  
International Internship ◽  
Rapport Building ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
International Internships ◽  
Internship Programs

In this globalization-focused era, the demand for globalized engineers in the creation of borderless societies is increasing. Despite the initiatives by the Japanese government to promote internalization through increasing the intake of foreign students, the exposures gained by the Japanese students from these programs are minimal. For years, internship has been used globally as a platform for training and educating future engineers, but only a few studies have examined the proactive transformation from domestic to international internship. International internships overseas offer a completely new dimension of experiences when carried out in multicultural environments. This article reports and offers evidence of a Japanese engineering university’s rapid global internship reform strategy toward the expansion of international internships in Malaysia. This paper provides insights into the process, from initial setup to implementation of the internship program covering all the necessary preparation and support. From the establishment of an overseas collaboration base and rapport building with hosting industries, the systematic steps taken are reported. Regarding the internship program, feedback from Japanese engineering students who completed their internships show improved satisfaction due to continuous improvement of the internship program with progressing years. It was also discovered that the low participation rate in overseas internship by Japanese students is not due to their inward-looking temperament, but due to the lack of internship program availability that is administered with sufficient preparation enabling them to challenge themselves in a new environment. The challenges encountered in the program, and the sustainable improvements made in alignment with sustainable development goals toward equitable quality education and promotion of lifelong learning are also stated. In this paper, the future perspectives and outlook of internships are also described considering today’s rapid technological advancements and the fast-changing needs of industries, which require future internship programs to have flexible approaches and ideologies.

English-Medium Instruction and Intercultural Sensitivity: A Korean Case Study

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 467-482 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeongyeon Kim ◽  
Jinsook Choi ◽  
Bradley Tatar
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
International Students ◽  
Intercultural Sensitivity ◽  
Student Population ◽  
Lingua Franca ◽  
English Medium Instruction ◽  
Local Students ◽  
Qualitative Analyses

This case study examined the reactions of local students to the diversity in student population. Specifically, it investigated how the local students’ intercultural sensitivity to the international students is interrelated with their perception of the English-medium instruction (EMI) policy. The quantitative and qualitative analyses of the questionnaire responses of 213 college students and the subsequent interviews with 15 students revealed a lack of intercultural sensitivity which was correlated with their perception of EMI. The findings indicated that the local students’ different perceptions of the policy interplayed, directly and indirectly, with their sensitivity to the cultures of international students. The implications of these findings are discussed in terms of cultivating intercultural sensitivity in an English as a lingua franca context.

scholarly journals Establishing Teacher-Student Rapport in an English-Medium Instruction Class

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 265-291
Author(s):  
Josefina del Carmen Santana
Keyword(s):  
First Language ◽  
The Other ◽  
Language Of Instruction ◽  
Teacher Student ◽  
Rapport Building ◽  
English Medium Instruction ◽  
Data Source ◽  
Building Activities ◽  
English Group ◽  
Student Instructor

English-medium instruction classes in higher education are increasing in countries where English is not the first language. Though these courses offer advantages, they also offer concerns and challenges. One of these challenges is creating a rapport between a teacher and students who are working in a language that is not their own. Rapport is important because it has been linked to academic performance. This study explored possible differences in rapport between two groups of students who were taking a class on Communications Research at a Mexican university. One group took the class in their native language, Spanish, and the other one took the class in English. The teacher, the programme, and the materials were identical in both cases; they only differed in the language of instruction. The study is qualitative in the ethnographic tradition. Videos of classroom interactions were used as a data source, which were analysed and coded. Codes were based on rapport-building activities. The teacher’s log and the nine-item Student-Instructor Rapport scale complemented the study. The videos showed evidence of rapport-building activities in both the Spanish and English groups. The results of the scale showed that the students in the English group perceived a stronger rapport between the instructor and the students, than those in the Spanish group.

A critical look at teacher development for English-Medium Instruction

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 263-287
Author(s):  
Joan Catherine Ploettner
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Development ◽  
Interdisciplinary Collaboration ◽  
Local Level ◽  
First Language ◽  
Language Services ◽  
English Medium Instruction ◽  
University Lecturers ◽  
Participation Frameworks ◽  
Teacher Trainer

Abstract Widespread incorporation of English Medium Instruction (EMI) in higher education has created the need for teacher development initiatives (EMITD) to prepare university lecturers whose first language is not English to teach their content subjects in English. The planning and implementation of such initiatives has frequently been assigned to university language services and the language specialists that collaborate with them. Existing research provides information regarding planned EMITD initiatives, yet there is little research exploring how planned programs are interpreted and implemented in interaction. Such information is vital for quality assessment and for ongoing development. This conversation analysis-informed case study contributes direct evidence regarding how a planned EMITD process is implemented in interaction. Video-recorded interactional data from an EMITD process at a Catalan university are analysed. Participation and notions of interdisciplinary collaboration frame analysis of negotiation sequences. The findings reflect significant modification of the originally planned collaborative process and the roles of participants and the co-construction of participation frameworks that do not support interdisciplinary collaboration. These findings suggest the importance of examining EMI training processes on a local level to better inform future EMITD initiatives and the need for development of training initiatives for EMI teacher trainer-mentors on the part of university language services.

Co-constructing a translanguaging space

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 229-253 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keiko Tsuchiya
Keyword(s):  
Group Discussion ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Integrated Learning ◽  
Discursive Practices ◽  
Lingua Franca ◽  
Japanese University ◽  
Japanese Students ◽  
Turn Taking ◽  
Arabic Speaker ◽  
Multiple Languages

Abstract Translanguaging is an emergent concept in bi/multilingualism and language education. It refers to discursive practices where multiple languages are used by plurilingual individuals as an integrated linguistic repertoire (García and Li Wei 2014). This study focuses on the use of translanguaging in a group discussion in a Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) classroom at a Japanese university, where Japanese students and one Arabic student talked in three Japanese and English as a Lingua Franca (ELF). The study examined why (the function) and how (the process) the participants translanguaged from Japanese to ELF in this particular context. During a forty-minute discussion, the participants spoke in Japanese most of the time, and ELF was used for less than ten minutes in total, especially between a Japanese and an Arabic speaker. Based on Gumperz (1982) and Klimpfinger (2007), four functions of translanguaging were identified: (1) addressee specification, (2) assertion, (3) clarification and (4) appealing for linguistic assistance. The process of translanguaging was also examined in relation to turn-taking structure. The results show that the use of response tokens in ELF and meta-linguistic comments functioned as cues for translanguaging. In so doing, the participants co-constructed a translanguaging space.

scholarly journals BAJU BATIK SEBAGAI OMIYAGE : STUDI KASUS PADA MAHASISWA JEPANG YANG PERNAH BELAJAR DI UGM TAHUN 2009-2017

IZUMI ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 50
Author(s):  
Mery Kharismawati ◽  
Wahyu Handayani ◽  
Devi Wardhani ◽  
Febri Sahrullah
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Japanese University ◽  
Japanese Students ◽  
Ancient Times

(Title: Batik Clothes As Omiyage: Case Study On Japanese University Students Who Had Studied At UGM In 2009-2017) Batik has long been known as a typical culture of Yogyakarta, and therefore it is most likely chosen by the tourists to take home as souvenir. Until 2017 UGM which is located in Yogyakarta is often visited by students from Japan. As well as studying, they also become tourists who will buy omiyage before returning to Japan. The culture of giving omiyage has existed in Japan since ancient times and until now the term omiyage is still being used for something given to others after traveling. This study aims to determine the relevance of batik clothing as omiyage according to the view of Japanese students who have studied at UGM from 2009-2017. Data were obtained through questionnaire distributed during July 2017 to 60 Japanese students who had studied at UGM. The results of this study indicate that food is still preferred to be omiyage, and batik clothes is not a suitable item to be brought home as omiyage, because of some perceptions about batik clothes as somehing not quite universal to wear in Japan.

Impact of the CAMPUS Asia Initiative for developing Japanese students’ attitude toward mutual understanding: A case study of the Japan–China–Korea Trilateral Exchange Program

2021 ◽  
pp. 174549992110391
Author(s):  
Shingo Hanada ◽  
Miki Horie
Keyword(s):  
Policy Development ◽  
Student Mobility ◽  
East Asian ◽  
Mutual Understanding ◽  
Asian Student ◽  
Japanese Students ◽  
Exchange Program ◽  
Students Attitudes ◽  
The Empirical Analysis

This article discusses the impacts of the East Asian Leaders Program (EALP) organized as a trilateral collaborative educational program participated by students from Japanese, Chinese, and Korean universities. The East Asian Leaders Program has been operated under the CAMPUS Asia initiative led by the governments of the three countries, aiming at cultivating talents who contribute to promoting mutual understanding between the three countries. The empirical analysis of this study was designed by a mixed method approach collected from 16 Japanese students. The results showed that the East Asian Leaders Program has cultivated students’ attitudes and skills for mutual understanding, including acceptance/willingness to understand, ability to consider different perspectives, self-expression and assertion, and initiative and resilience. As this study indicates that the East Asian Leaders Program is effective for fostering students’ attitudes toward mutual understanding, further policy development should consider encouraging universities to develop such practices to increase intra-Asian student mobility as an alternative strategy for the internationalization of higher education.

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