PanSIG 2025

What Case Studies Tell us about Critical Language Pedagogy in University EFL Teaching in Japan

17 May 2025, 14:50

25m

BLDG 8/1F-113 (Kanda University of International Studies (神田外語大学))

Research-oriented Oral Face-to-face presentation Global Issues in Language Education B8-113 SAT: Task-Based Learning, GILE & PIE; SUN: Study Abroad, Vocabulary

Speakers

Dr Belinda Kennett (The University of Queensland) Lachlan Jackson (Ritsumeikan University)

KEYWORDS

Critical Language Pedagogy
Case Study Research
University EFL

ABSTRACT

The number of papers being published on Critical Language Pedagogy (CLP) in Japan is growing (Jackson & Kennett, 2025). This literature is largely composed of individual teachers’ reports on their incorporation of CLP principles into their teaching practices. These teacher-researchers have explored such themes as sociocultural compatibility, student receptivity, teacher pathways, and ethical issues relating to the implementation of CLP in Japan. Despite this, the extent and variety of CLP practices is still to be fully understood and documented. In this presentation, we first introduce our ongoing multi-case investigation into the teaching philosophies, backgrounds, and practices of twenty self-identifying critical language pedagogues in Japan. We then show how, methodologically, case studies can be an effective approach to exploring the experiences of teachers within their unique and specific contexts. Using examples from our data, we describe and account for the reasons why teachers’ stated ideas and philosophies are not always realized in their practices. We show that not only can case studies contribute to our theoretical understanding of CLP, they can also have useful teaching implications for practitioners.
Reference:
Jackson, L & Kennett, B. (2025). Critical language pedagogues in Japan: enhancing student receptivity. ELT Journal 79:1.