Motivation To Learn Multiple Languages In Japan

This book provides rare insights into motivation among extremely successful learners of English and languages other than English (LOTEs) through the analysis of a longitudinal study and the examination of the factors involved in becoming multilingual in a non-multilingual environment. Based on sixteen interview sessions, conducted over the course of nine years while the learners progressed from high school to the world of work, this book offers the story of how two learners persist in English/LOTE learning. The study illuminates the long-term processes through which the interviewees develop ideal English/LOTE selves in an environment where multilingualism is not emphasized and where both English and LOTEs can still be described as foreign languages. Educators and researchers will learn from this study, which stretches our understanding of motivation beyond the recent theorizing of L2 motivation and contributes to the limited research in long-term motivational trajectories and LOTE learning motivation, which is particularly scarce in non-European contexts. The book will be of interest not only to readers in Japan but also to those in other contexts as it offers an example of successful learners who go beyond the pragmatic and instrumentalist view of language learning to hold a more holistic view, thus revealing the factors which can sustain multiple language learning, even in foreign language contexts.

Examining the motivational development of Japanese language learners, this book investigates the relationship between their future self-image as Japanese speakers and their broader self-image as multilingual individuals. The book compares two groups of Japanese language learners, one from Australia and the other from South Korea. Questioning how motivation is influenced both by native languages and by the other languages which learners speak or study, Toshiyuki Nakamura uses dynamic systems theory (DST) to uncover how knowledge of English in these different contexts motivates the learning of Japanese. Employing the concept of 'domain of possible selves' as an analytical framework, the book also provides a detailed description of the development of the learners' visions of themselves as users of Japanese and uncovers various aspects of Japanese language learners' L2 self.

This edited volume focuses on the experiences of individuals learning languages other than English (LOTEs) in a range of Asian contexts that have traditionally been under-represented in the literature. Aligning with the ‘multilingual turn’ in SLA, it views learners as individuals of a multilingual society with unique, complex, heterogenous and dynamic identities. The chapters explore the learners’ motivational trajectories, multilingual identities and their conceptualisations of the ‘ideal multilingual self’. This volume enhances our critical understanding of language learning motivation through empirical findings and conceptual insights from studies of motivation in specific regions in Asia, including Greater China, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Pakistan and Syria. Providing insight into the multilingual identities of individuals learning LOTEs, it will appeal to students and scholars in second language acquisition, researchers in language learning motivation and policymakers in language education.

This book synthesises current theory and research on L2 motivation in the EFL Japanese context covering topics such as the issues of cultural identity, demotivation, language communities, positive psychology, possible L2 selves and internationalisation within a key EFL context.

This book synthesises current theory and research on L2 motivation in the EFL Japanese context carried out by internationally recognized researchers and upcoming researcher-educators working in various educational contexts in Japan. Topics covered include the issues of cultural identity, demotivation, language communities, positive psychology, possible L2 selves and internationalisation within a key EFL context. The studies in the book utilise a wide variety of research methodologies aiming to narrow the gap between theory and practice and examine L2 motivation in primary, secondary and tertiary education. This volume will be of interest to research/teacher professionals who are currently engaged in active ESL/EFL practice, EFL educators, researchers, and teacher-trainers both inside and outside Japan, who are interested in research on L2 motivation in general and within the Japanese context in particular, as well as graduate and postgraduate researchers.

This book explores how complex systems theory can contribute to the understanding of classroom language learner motivation through an extended examination of one particular, situated research project. Working from the lived experience of the participants, the study describes how action research methods were used to explore the dynamic conditions operating in a foreign language classroom in Japan. The book draws attention to the highly personalised and individual, yet equally co-formed nature of classroom foreign language learning motivation and to the importance of agency and emotions in language learning. It presents an extended illustration of the applicability of complex systems theory for research design and process in SLA and its narrative approach shines light upon the evolving nature of research and role of the researcher. The study will be a valuable resource for practitioners, researchers and postgraduate students interested in classroom language teaching and learning, especially those with a focus on motivation among learners.

Puna Aurei / LearnFest is an annual teaching and learning symposium hosted by Te Puna Ako - Centre for Tertiary Teaching & Learning at Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato / The University of Waikato in Hamilton, Aotearoa New Zealand. This event, since its inception in 2016, has evolved from a local face-to-face gathering to a global online forum, particularly during the Covid pandemic. The 2022 edition, hosted online in partnership with Cardiff University (UK) as the world emerged from the Covid pandemic, had the theme of ‘Revitalisation’. This acknowledged the broad spectrum of rejuvenation underway in higher education, whether institutionally, within discipline-specific teaching, or regarding individual practice. This volume, the first of its kind from LearnFest, is timely, as it reflects on the profound disruptions caused by the global pandemic across educational landscapes. Although the final outcome of these changes is still unknown, it is clear that the dynamics of teaching and learning have shifted dramatically. The volume is structured thematically, with the first theme ‘Key Challenges’ exploring the shifts and reconstructions of professional identity post-Covid, the challenges of indigenising a largely Western philosophy curriculum, and potential positive shifts from the pandemic's constraints. The theme of ‘Motivation’ scrutinises the dynamics of student and staff engagement, including studies on adult language learning, collaborative experiments, student course evaluations, and the impact of Covid on motivation levels. The third theme of ‘Gamification’ highlights how innovative teaching pedagogies that embed computer and role-playing games within the classroom can enhance learning experiences and outcomes. Next, ‘Confronting Climate Change’ discusses pragmatic and strategic approaches to meaningfully integrating climate change into both curricula (at an institutional level) and classroom learning (for the individual teacher). Finally, the theme of ‘Revitalising English Medium Instruction’ explores the disruptions and adaptations in international education that were driven by the pandemic, and showcases some practical responses to the abrupt online transition and difficulties in language skill development that resulted. Revitalising Higher Education: Insights from Te Puna Aurei LearnFest 2022 showcases the dynamic shifts in teaching and learning taking place in contemporary higher education. The various case studies and reflective discussions will be of value to anyone interested in the revitalisation of higher education teaching and learning post-pandemic.

This book investigates how learners' motivations and identities are constructed in the process of learning and using multiple languages in Asian contexts. It presents examples of multilingual contexts in different parts of Asia and illustrates various achievements and challenges associated with multilingual education. Drawing on recent theoretical developments regarding learners' motivations and identities in language learning-related research, this book uncovers learners' motivations that underlie their decisions of learning multiple languages in Asian contexts. Through empirical studies, the authors offer conceptual interpretations on emerging concepts such as dual-motivation system, motivation dynamics, motivational transformation episodes, and hierarchies of identities. In addition to being highly relevant to researchers of applied linguistics, this book is a valuable reference for every university and college library that serves a faculty or school of education.