Conveners
Room 408: Socio-linguistics and Pragmatics
- There are no conveners in this block
Room 408: JALT Research Grants and First-time Presenters
- There are no conveners in this block
Room 408: JALT Junior
- Dr. Erin Noxon (Sagano High School)
Room 408: JALT Junior
- Dr. Erin Noxon (Sagano High School)
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Dr Lachlan Jackson (Ritsumeikan University), Belinda Kennett (The University of Queensland)10/31/25, 2:50โฏPMPedagogyResearch-oriented Presentation (30-minutes)
Critical language pedagogy (CLP) is a transformative approach to language teaching that encourages students to explore sociopolitical issues in the language classroom. This presentation tracks the experience of a teacher who was initially reluctant to accept his employerโs request to teach a critically-oriented course using assigned materials that he judged as problematic. We show how the...
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Xiaoben Yuan (Akita University)10/31/25, 3:25โฏPMLearner DevelopmentResearch-oriented Presentation (30-minutes)
This study investigates how linguistic difficulties shape cultural learning and personal growth in a farm stay. Focusing on two Japanese students with contrasting English proficiency, it traces their interactions, role negotiation, and evolving participation. Findings show communication struggles function as obstacles and catalysts, prompting reflection, help-seeking, and engagement with hosts...
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Dr Maki Hignett (Nagoya University)10/31/25, 4:00โฏPMOther Learners and ContextsResearch-oriented Presentation (30-minutes)
This presentation examines how Japanese study abroad students in New Zealand navigate identity (re)positioning by reallocating effort across settings, principally between coursework and community. Using narrative inquiry, the study traces when and why investment shifts, focusing on structural and personal triggers. These event aligned reallocations recalibrate access to capital and ideological...
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Mira Liyanage (Soka University Japan)10/31/25, 4:35โฏPMTeacher and Professional DevelopmentPractice-oriented Workshop (60-minutes)
Communication strategies (CS) are fundamental to L2 pragmatics and Business English as a Lingua Franca (BELF). Since BELF emphasizes the pragmatic use of English, the basic CS in pragmatics extend into more advanced BELF CS. This workshop reviews core CS in L2 pragmatics and highlights advanced BELF strategies through case studies that mimic real-life scenarios, providing teachers with...
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Nicole Ballard (Yokohama JALT)11/1/25, 11:00โฏAM
This presentation explores the critical distinction between teachers and researchers, highlighting why the two roles are not interchangable. It examines the growing pressure on educators to engage in academic research, often at the expense of their primary role. It also delves into the surprising lack of research on the benefits of research and alternative approaches.
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Evelyn Hayashibara (Kawasaki University of Medical Welfare)11/1/25, 11:35โฏAM
This presentation builds on previous research into inclusive, learner-led English presentation courses. Drawing on student evaluations, it highlights how multimodal, group-based design empowers studentsโespecially those with learning differences/difficultiesโby allowing them to integrate their unique talents into collaborative presentations. The findings reveal improved language confidence,...
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Chris Smith11/1/25, 12:10โฏPM
English is often seen by students as a low priority. With a stale, TOEFL-focused curriculum further hindering engagement, the first-grade English program at a private medical university was reimagined. An output-oriented approach was introduced to foster creativity, purposeful language use, and long-term engagement while developing a library of reading and listening resources based on student...
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Ania Gonzalez (Tsuchiura Nihon University Secondary School), Engel Villareal (Tsuchiura Nihon University Secondary School), Fatima Logarta (Tsuchiura NIhon University Secondary School)11/1/25, 12:45โฏPMMaterials and AssessmentPractice-oriented Workshop (30-minutes)
This workshop presents a model for developing teaching and assessment materials aimed at improving key language skills โ writing, oral interaction, reading, and public speaking โ within the framework of the CEFR. Drawing on design research and action research, we will demonstrate how iterative cycles can guide high school EFL/ESOL learners from surface-level proficiency to more advanced...
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Juan Pablo Rodriguez-Gomez (University of Tsukuba)11/1/25, 1:20โฏPM
Intelligible English pronunciation can still be a significant challenge for Japanese college and university students who are at the beginner level. Vowel production training could significantly benefit said students intelligibility as well as their motivation to continue studying English. Two separate classes of 4 students attended a 17 hours English conversation course that included vowel...
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Ms Alexandra Burke (Shiga University; The University of Shiga Prefecture, Gifu Shotoku Gakuen University)11/1/25, 1:55โฏPM
This study explored the impact on English reading and writing efficacy when mainstream 1st-year students at several Japanese universities were offered choices of coloured worksheets in addition to typical white paper. While customised coloured reading backgrounds are now software industry standards, less is known about the impact on writing tasks. Students also learned how to customise their...
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Aigerim Kazymbek, Serikbolsyn Tastanbek (University of British Columbia)11/1/25, 2:30โฏPMPedagogyResearch-oriented Presentation (30-minutes)
This collaborative inquiry examines how TEFL can be decolonized in multilingual Qazaqstan by elevating the Qazaq language and culture while addressing the post/neocolonial and imperial influences of Russian and English. As a dialogic community, researchers critically reflect on and glocally transform their teaching practices by integrating decolonial perspectives, translanguaging, and...
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Ally Fuller (Mโs Publishing), Nicholas Miyazaki (M.Y. Associates)11/1/25, 3:05โฏPM
Sponsored by M's Publishing
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The ability to use English in order to express opinions and ideas is an incredibly important skill for all English learners. During this seminar, Allyssa Fuller and Nick Miyazaki will discuss how you can use PBL concepts in your classroom to encourage students to develop their expressive abilities in classrooms of all sizes, ages, and ability levels. -
Michael Kuziw (Jin-ai University)11/1/25, 5:00โฏPMLearner DevelopmentResearch-oriented Presentation (30-minutes)
A Japan-OECD joint research project was conducted over one year for grade 1 students at an elementary school in Japan. Students participated in six online and two in-person exchanges with a Canadian teacher to study studentsโ wellbeing through seikatsu-ka, living environmental studies. Through post-surveys and reflections, it was found that international exchanges contribute positively to...
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Tomas Kos, Ms Wei-Tung Wang, Ms Yuki Otsuki11/1/25, 5:35โฏPMTeacher and Professional DevelopmentResearch-oriented Presentation (30-minutes)
Taking into account the crucial role of input in the early stages of second language learning, this action researchโbased pedagogical intervention examined how a Japanese elementary school EFL teacher could be supported in meaningfully integrating input-based tasks into her lessons through a process of interviews and classroom observations. Preliminary findings suggest that, despite initial...
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YOICHI KIYOTA (MEISEI UNIVERSITY)11/1/25, 6:10โฏPMTeaching Younger LearnersPractice-oriented Workshop (30-minutes)
This presentation focuses on the advantages of English picture books as a learning material aiming at developing the skills, attitudes, and competencies associated with intercultural communicative competence. Especially, picture books can enhance the creative imagination of learners, which is thought to be a critical essence for intercultural citizenship in a way to understand the emotions and...
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Kaori Nakao (Seinan Gakuin University), Quint Oga-Baldwin (Waseda University)11/1/25, 6:45โฏPMTeaching Younger LearnersResearch-oriented Presentation (30-minutes)
This study reports the results of a student experience survey regarding a learning platform for improving English phonemic awareness skills in Japanese elementary school third and sixth graders (n=465).The results were analysed through serially coding using three separate genAI (Chatgpt4.o, Claude2.5, Gemini2.0) Based on these results, we will present directions for the development/refinement...
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Chia-Ling Kao (City University of Macau)11/2/25, 9:05โฏAMLanguage Classroom ContentResearch-oriented Presentation (30-minutes)
This study explores the implementation of translanguaging pedagogies to enhance studentsโ critical awareness in content and language integrated learning (CLIL) lessons. Translanguaging pedagogies were adopted to facilitate studentsโ understanding, provide language support, create a safe space for dialogue, and promote language use without fear of mistakes. This presentation demonstrates how...
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Andrew Lankshear (Koriyama Xaverio Gakuen Elementary School)11/2/25, 9:40โฏAM
Sponsored by Oxford University Press
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LoiLoNote and LAURA can improve your studentsโ learning and speaking when matched with Letโs Go. LoiLoNote is currently adopted by more than 50% of Japanese schools and is an easy-to-use digital platform that will connect your students in an interactive way with the Letโs Go content. LAURA is an AI chatbot that is designed to complement each unit of Letโs... -
Amy Braun (Seto Solan Primary School), Erik Tsuchiya11/2/25, 12:00โฏPMTeaching Younger LearnersPractice-oriented Workshop (60-minutes)
Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) has been the foundation for teaching English in primary and secondary education. In this presentation, we will discuss how CLT is implemented in English lessons at the primary level, and we will showcase various activities that teachers can use in their elementary, junior high, and high school English classrooms. Whether you are an Assistant Language...
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DU LIYING11/2/25, 1:10โฏPMPsychology and Language LearningResearch-oriented Presentation (30-minutes)
The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis suggests that language influences perceptions and thought processes (Perlovsky, 2009). This presentation explores the experiences of two Chinese international students in Japan who are highly proficient multilingual speakers of both Japanese and English. The findings highlight multilingual advantages, demonstrating how linguistic diversity can shape cognitive...
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Shiori Watashima11/2/25, 1:45โฏPMLearner DevelopmentResearch-Oriented Presentation (60-minutes)
This presentation will report on how the integration of music into Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) based EFL teaching helped enhance young learnersโ interactional competence (IC) and reduce Foreign Language Anxiety (FLA), which data were found through a three-year Action Research (AR). The findings from several data sources, such as questionnaires and transcription analyses, suggest that...
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