Speaker
Description
Japanese university students often hesitate to pursue study abroad due to language anxiety and limited intercultural exposure. This hands-on workshop showcases an original, in-house university EFL textbook that builds global awareness, cross-cultural communication skills, and local-to-global identity by equipping students to share Japanese culture with their international counterparts. Participants will explore research-based principles for creating such TEFL materials and leave with a ready-to-use design framework to inspire their own students toward meaningful study abroad experiences.
Abstract section 4: Outcomes/results
Participants will leave with a concrete design checklist and sample unit frameworks drawn from a tested, non-commercial, in-house textbook—covering principles such as scaffolded local-to-global progression, communicative information-gap tasks, cultural explanation activities, and authentic study abroad content (Tomlinson, 2011; Nation & Macalister, 2010). Beyond equipping instructors to build effective in-house foreign language materials, these tools address a deeper goal: creating classroom experiences that raise students' awareness of real, accessible study abroad opportunities, reduce participation anxiety, build cross-cultural preparedness, and ultimately inspire students to make the leap from local classroom to meaningful global experience.
Abstract section 3: Content/method
I will showcase an original non-commercial in-house EFL textbook, walking participants through units that progress from explaining local culture and university life, to discussing Japan broadly, to preparing for overseas travel and researching real, locally offered study abroad programs. Participants will examine sample units, discuss design principles in pairs, and receive a research-supported checklist: "Designing Local-to-Global Materials that Motivate Study Abroad." I will then facilitate brainstorming of adaptations to participants' own institutional contexts.
Abstract section 1: Relevance
Japanese university students often hesitate to pursue study abroad, citing anxiety, low English confidence, and limited intercultural exposure (Yashima, 2002; Taguchi et al., 2009; Nakagawa, 2023). English as a Foreign Language (EFL) materials can bridge this gap by raising awareness, building practical communication skills, and fostering international posture and global identity before departure (Kinginger, 2011; Dörnyei, 2009). Yet, most commercial textbooks overlook local-to-global connections. This workshop demonstrates how an institutionally developed textbook addresses that gap—equipping learners to explain Japanese culture to international audiences while introducing accessible, locally offered study abroad programs through engaging, communicative lessons that lower participation barriers.
Abstract section 2: Contribution/research questions
The purpose of this practice-oriented presentation is to equip foreign language instructors with research-based strategies for creating in-house materials that follow a local-to-global progression—building from students’ immediate cultural context toward international communication and study abroad readiness. Participants will learn to design units that develop intercultural confidence, highlight accessible overseas programs, and foster global mindsets through communicative tasks, connecting local contexts to study abroad motivation and the conference theme “From Local Voice to Global Impact.”
Abstract section 5: References
Dörnyei, Z. (2009). The L2 motivational self system. In Z. Dörnyei & E. Ushioda (Eds.), Motivation, language identity and the L2 self (pp. 9–42). Multilingual Matters.
Kinginger, C. (2011). Enhancing language learning in study abroad. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 31, 58–73.
Nakagawa, H. (2023). Investigating the reasons for Japanese university students’ hesitation in studying abroad: Implications for enhancing university study abroad programs. THAITESOL Journal, 36(1), 66–81.
Nation, I. S. P., & Macalister, J. (2010). Language curriculum design. Routledge.
Taguchi, N., Magid, M., & Papi, M. (2009). The L2 motivational self system among Japanese, Chinese, and Iranian learners of English. In Z. Dörnyei & E. Ushioda (Eds.), Motivation, language identity and the L2 self (pp. 66–97). Multilingual Matters.
Tomlinson, B. (2011). Materials development in language teaching (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Yashima, T. (2002). Willingness to communicate in a second language: The Japanese EFL context. The Modern Language Journal, 86(1), 54–66.
| Title | Local to Global: Motivating Study Abroad via Homegrown Texts |
|---|---|
| Teaching Context | College and university education |