Speakers
Description
In recent years due to the falling birthrate, Japanese universities and colleges are enrolling increasing numbers of international students, creating more linguistically and culturally diverse classrooms. This presentation explores how a group of instructors at a vocational college have adapted their teaching practices in response, focusing on how instructors have adapted to these contexts. Drawing on classroom-based examples, it also presents practical strategies for inclusive instruction and discusses ongoing challenges faced by educators teaching multicultural classes in Japan.
Keywords
Multicultural Classrooms
Cultural Expectations
Teacher Development
Tertiary Education
Short summary
Due to the country’s falling birthrate and aging population, Japanese universities and colleges are enrolling increasing numbers of international students, creating more linguistically and culturally diverse classrooms. This presentation explores how a group of instructors at a vocational college have adapted their teaching practices in response, drawing on classroom-based examples to present practical strategies for inclusive instruction, and discusses ongoing challenges faced by educators teaching multicultural classes in Japan.
References
- Central Council for Education. (2025, February 21). Future vision for improving Japan’s “collective knowledge and wisdom”: Reconstructing the higher education system [Report]. Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. https://www.mext.go.jp/content/20250801-mxt_koutou02-000040400_3.pdf
- Japan Student Services Organization. (2025, April). Result of international student survey in Japan, 2024. https://www.studyinjapan.go.jp/en/statistics/enrollment/data/2504301000.html
Abstract
Due to its declining birthrate, aging population and resulting labor shortages, Japan has made a concerted effort to attract international students to its tertiary institutions[1]. According to the latest data from the Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO), the number of international students grew 20.6% year-on-year, and this trend is likely to continue[2]. As a result, EFL classrooms increasingly mingle different cultures, each with their own learning backgrounds and expectations regarding teaching methods and learning environments, a fact which needs to be accounted for by instructors in their classroom practice. Focusing on undergraduate courses in a two-year vocational college (senmongakko), this presentation examines three areas of instructional adaptation to these classroom changes: (1) managing classroom interaction and participation across differing cultural expectations; (2) examining assumptions regarding background knowledge and scaffolding in content- and skills-based courses; and (3) adapting assessment design for linguistically and culturally diverse learners. Particular attention is paid to English-Medium Instruction (EMI) and mixed-proficiency classrooms, where instructors must balance content rigor with comprehensibility and inclusion. We also present some reflections on the challenges we have faced, including lack of a common lingua franca, increased instructor workload and the need to reconcile standardization with pedagogical flexibility, situating these issues within the realities of Japanese higher education. We hope to contribute to the Teacher Development Sig’s mission to help teachers become more responsive to the language learning needs of a multicultural student body.
| Scheduling preference | Anytime on Saturday or Sunday |
|---|---|
| Title | Adapting EFL Teaching to Increasingly International Classrooms in Japan |