Gestures in Second Language Acquisition: Unlocking Potential for Students’ Comprehension of English Language Classes in English

• Yuya Yamamoto (The State University of New York)

This paper aims to explore the potential advantages of research regarding the use of gestures by English language teachers in Japanese junior high schools (JHS) to facilitate English language teaching through English. In 2017, the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT) introduced the latest Course of Study, and one of the new initiatives is that “lessons, in principle, should be conducted in English” (MEXT, 2022, p. 9). Leveraging teachers’ multimodality, particularly gestures, is one approach to enhancing students’ comprehension of English instruction through English. In the field of embodiment in the learning sciences, gestures and bodily actions play a crucial role in students’ conceptual development (Abrahamson & Lindgren, 2014). Flood (in press) asserts that some teachers employ strategies to engage with students by integrating gestures with oral explanations and interpreting students’ nonverbal responses, consequently providing personalized and contextualized feedback. In Second Language Acquisition (SLA), furthermore, Gullberg (2006) highlights the significance of gestures for the production of L2 learners, and both teachers’ and learners’ gestures can be significant input for L2 learners’ comprehension. Despite some efforts to examine the role of teachers’ gestures in SLA (e.g., Sime, 2008), there appears to be limited research on the specific types of gestures employed by JHS English teachers to facilitate students’ understanding of English language classes conducted through English. Therefore, this paper proposes the following research questions to guide future studies: (1) What gestures do JHS teachers utilize to enhance students’ comprehension of English language classes in English? (2) What is the interplay between verbal instructions and gestures in effectively implementing English teaching through English? (3) What are the perceptions of JHS teachers regarding the use of gestures to support students’ comprehension of English language classes? Bio: Yuya Yamamoto is a Ph.D. student in a doctoral program in language education and multilingualism at the State University of New York at Buffalo. He completed his MA in TEFL at the University of Birmingham. His research interests include language teacher education, teaching critical thinking, and language pedagogy.

Developing Self-Access Learning Centers Through Book Clubs

• Chelanna White (University of British Columbia)

Self-access learning centers (SALCs) are often under-utilized, and enticing students to make use of SALC resources is a perennial challenge for institutions that have such facilities. Previous research on multi-modal book clubs for personal and professional development led to the implementation of a book club held in a SALC writing center to promote the use of the space and other SALC resources as well as to promote advanced engagement with reading in English. This presentation demonstrates the benefit of both SALCs and book clubs, and makes a case for combining these two separate resources to promote student engagement with reading outside of a classroom context. It also details challenges and successes in implementing the book club, in order to encourage educators to start book clubs in their own institutions and contexts. Bio: Chelanna is an M.Ed TESOL student through the University of British Columbia, and a teacher at Reitaku University in Chiba. She is the Director of Program for JALT, and a founding SPIN member. She is interested in researching queer identity within TESOL.

Interaction Competence of EFL students with different proficiency

• Ling Wing Yiu (Akita International University)

Communication and interactional competence are crucial to language acquisition. There are many proficiency tests and exams to evaluate language learners' English proficiency by task formats like reading comprehension, listening, writing, and speaking. In terms of speaking assessment, they often use formats like interviews, role-play, or group discussions to assess learners' interactional competence. However, it's argued that these oral assessments cannot display learners' international competence in real-life situations. They can only show the learners' performance in a particular genre (i.e. exam environment). In this study, conversation analysis (CA) was employed to examine two groups of higher-intermediate to advanced-level university undergraduate students in Hong Kong. The main aim of this study is to see if the group discussion by the higher-proficiency group resembles a natural conversation more than the lower-proficiency group in the speaking assessment context. It was found that, in terms of speaker selection, turn orders, truthfulness, etc., I noticed that the group discussion was not natural when compared to a natural conversation in the lower-proficiency group. Although the higher-proficiency group performed better, it was still not like a natural conversation. This study gives teachers and test designers insights into how to design an appropriate test and reveals the importance of engaging language learners in authentic conversations in language classrooms. Bio: Wing Yiu, Ling is currently studying at the English Language Teaching Practices Master of Arts program in Akita International University. She was admitted in AIU since Fall 2023, her main focus of research last year was using Conversation Analysis to examine the authenticity of group discussion speaking assessment of university undergraduate students in Hong Kong.

Forming Identity and Leadership Roles in Group Discussions

• Queena Xu (Akita International University)

This study was conducted at an English-medium university in Japan where students were tasked with having a debate and discussion with other non-native speaking (NNS) peers and one native speaker (NS). Preconceived notions of the expert-novice dyad assume that native speakers should naturally take on the role of the expert due to their linguistic competence. However, recent studies have deconstructed this assumption (Dings, 2012; Reicher & Liebscher, 2012; Vickers, 2010), allowing for a new perspective on how group dynamics can be constructed within discussions. This shift occurs as a result of a co-constructed identity amongst the members. Using conversation analysis as the method of research, this study adds to the current body of research regarding the deconstructing of the expert-novice dyad, by analyzing the conversational turns that students use to determine their expert or novice identity. In addition to the expert/novice identity, two types of roles emerge within group discussions: unofficial leader roles and follower roles. Participants who self-identify as an expert will spontaneously take on unofficial leader roles, while novices stay in a follower role. However, there is no set rule that dictates leadership roles should fall only on the native speaker. By showing that non-native speakers can take on unofficial leadership roles, this can open up opportunities for them to expand their conversational ability. Bio: Queena Xu is a graduate student of English Language and Teaching at Akita International University. She had worked as an Assistant Language Teacher in rural Hokkaido for 5 years. She is originally from California and graduated with a B.A. in sociology from University of California, Berkeley.

Looking in the Mirror: Fostering Cultural Self-Awareness Through Task-Based Language Teaching

• Kriti Arora (Soka University)

Developing intercultural competence in monolingual contexts such as Japan, albeit extremely important, can be particularly challenging. This presentation discusses a relatively atypical approach to help EFL students in starting to think critically about culture: developing cultural self-awareness. Cultural self-awareness, which is the ability to understand the intricacies of one’s own culture, forms a crucial foundation for fostering intercultural competence, which requires one to navigate their own cultural background when interacting with interlocutors from other cultures. This presentation describes a series of lessons based on the framework of Task-Based Language Teaching methodology that were implemented in an EFL class in a Japanese university to foster the development of cultural self-awareness and knowledge. The tasks that will be outlined in the presentation, such as a YouTube video project and an intercultural exchange activity, may facilitate Japanese EFL students in building deeper knowledge of the complexities of their own culture, understanding how their experiences shape their thinking, and developing the ability to view their cultural practices from different perspectives. Bio: ARORA Kriti is a graduate student of the Masters in International Language Education: TESOL program at Soka University. She has been engaged with Japanese university students in various capacities as a teaching assistant, discussion moderator, and writing consultant. Her research interests include personal learning environments, global citizenship, and intercultural competence.