Neil Heffernan

Kurume University · Department of Intercultural Studies

This paper reports on a classroom basedinquiry using quantitative methods conducted with Japanese eflstudents' writing practice using ets's Criterion. The purpose of the study is to examine the actual effects of teachers' feedback on students' writing on Criterion. Twelve university students in Japan participated in this study, while completing thr...

This chapter looks at a critical thinking and academic writing skills course designed for Japanese learners of English. The study presents two sets of data from the 87 participants who have taken part in the course since its inception in 2008. The first data set is concerned with actual writing samples from multiple drafts of a medium-sized researc...

The purpose of this study was to investigate the experiences of school administrators facing the challenge of meeting the needs of increasingly populous and ethnically diverse schools. This paper reports the findings of interviews with four school administrators and an expert in international teacher education working in the ethnically diverse sett...

The exact nature of written feedback to L2 learners of English is often vague to both the teachers who provide it and the learners who receive it. However, this does not have to be the case. This paper describes a study carried out with 16 Japanese and 14 native English speaker EFL teachers in Japan who provided feedback on one L2 learners’ academi...

The purpose of this study was to examine how Japanese students' past language studies, in formal classroom settings during their elementary school years and their overseas experiences before entering university, affected their affective and strategic aspects of English learning in university level English classes within the framework of Goal Theory...

本論文は台湾より英語力と教育全般の学力の向上を目的としてやってきた高校生から大学生の年代であるESLの学生５名を対象に、カナダ・ブリテッシュコロンビア州における生活への適応を記述したものである。この５名とのインタビュー調査が２０１１年の夏に１０日間行われた。本研究より明らかになったいくつかのテーマや問題は、被験者たちの育った環境がカナダでの新生活への適応において最も中心的な役割を果たしていることを示している。その他の重要な要因としては、ブリティッシュコロンビア地区において既に築きあげられた大規模な中国人社会が存在していたこと、5名の被験者たちがほとんど何の問題もなく容易に学校へ入学できたこと、これらの学生にチューター制度が実施されたこと、そして被験者たちがカナダに着いた際のカルチャーショック...

The purpose of this study was to examine how Japanese students' past language studies, in formal classroom settings during their elementary school years and their overseas experiences before entering university, affected their affective and strategic aspects of English learning in university level English classes within the framework of Goal Theory...

Pedagogical theories and the applications of information technology for language learning have been widely researched in various dimensions. However, ethical issues, such as online privacy and security, and learners' personal data disclosure, are not receiving enough research attention. The perceptions and attitudes from those who participate in Co...

Testing languages is a vital part of any university language program. However, actually putting together a comprehensive testing program that encompasses the four language skills is a challenging prospect. This paper describes just such an effort and the results gained from the program, which, as of 2010, is in its second year of operation at a med...

AbstrAct This chapter introduces the concept of Mobile 2.0, a mobile version of Web 2.0, and its application to language learning. The chapter addresses the following questions: What is Mobile 2.0? How is it rel-evant to the concept of Web 2.0? Is Mobile 2.0 ready for language learning analogous to that of Web r language learning analogous to that...

This chapter introduces the concept of Mobile 2.0, a mobile version of Web 2.0, and its application to language learning. The chapter addresses the following questions: What is Mobile 2.0? How is it relevant to the concept of Web 2.0? Is Mobile 2.0 ready for language learning analogous to that of Web 2.0? How is the efficacy of m-learning using Mob...

This paper outlines the knowledge and attitudes that 57 language teachers in Japan have regarding copyright laws in relation to using external materials in the classroom. A 13-item online survey was distributed, and semi-structured interviews were conducted, to ascertain what teachers know about Japanese copyright laws, and the teachers' resultant...

In this study, a ubiquitous foreign language listening environment, particularly for mobile phone users, is designed and tested. For the purpose of improving students' foreign language listening ability, the authors are setting up an analogue FM radio station and a digital Web radio station with English language listening materials as their main br...

EFL classrooms in Japan. A total of 67 (36 high proficiency and 31 low proficiency) un-dergraduate students' oral presentations were assessed by an instructor and their peers. The study aimed to: 1) explore how reliable peer assessment is when compared with instructor assessment; and 2) examine whether the reliability of peer assessment depends on...

In 2003 multimedia-based English Trailers (www.english-trailers.com) joined the vast array of web sites dedicated to language learning enabling students, either autonomously or in a CALL classroom, to study English via movie commercials. To assist students in comprehending 10 trailers found on the site, the authors created the Short Readings Projec...

The TOEFL is an increasingly important test in the Asian EFL context. Learners who wish to study abroad realize the importance of the test and garnering a high score on it. This paper will outline the specific learning strategies employed in a recent TOEFL preparation program in Japan. It will delineate the specific strategies that can be used to i...

T eaching academic writing to Japanese learners can be a tricky task: Often, neither the teacher nor the students are fully committed to it. Depending on the requirements of their courses, instructors may have to teach writing at some point in their university teaching careers. This paper deals with some of the common challenges faced by teachers i...

a Abstract: In this study, a ubiquitous foreign language listening environment, particularly for mobile phone users, is designed and tested. For the purpose of improving students' foreign language listening ability, the authors are setting up an analogue FM radio station and a digital web radio station with English language listening materials as t...

The need to adequately prepare fi rst-year university students for their academic career is pressing. With this in mind, this paper will demonstrate how a textbook based on 'Study Skills for Japanese University Students' was created with the specifi c needs of Japanese university learners in mind. Since the textbook is for fi rst year university st...

Focuses on the importance of background or schemata in learning to read and discusses how to help students use their background knowledge for reading. Suggests teachers need to activate students' prior knowledge of a topic before they begin to read. (VWL)

One essential element for increasing comprehension in a second or foreign language is the building of target language vocabulary. Recently, a new CALL based set of reading activities at www.english- trailers.com has been created focusing on vocabulary retention centering on vocabulary found in movie trailers. One hundred vocabulary words, correspon...