Naoya Shibata

This study explored the development of second language writing as well as the effects of topic familiarity and difficulty with respect to syntactic complexity and lexical diversity. Over the course of one semester, 10 Japanese learners of English watched scenes from the movie “Titanic” (Cameron, 1997) and wrote reports on different topics related to the movie. Overall, 82 reports (token = 9,974) were analyzed via linear mixed-effects models. The results of this study reveal the development of syntactic complexity over the course of 15 weeks, while the effects of topic familiarity and difficulty are not statistically significant. This study elucidates the pattern of second language writing development over the course of a semester and suggests implications for topic-related writing research.本研究は第二言語ライティングの発達およびトピックの親しみやすさと難しさのライティングにおける影響を語彙多様性と統語的複雑性の観点から調査した。調査期間は一学期間で、10名の日本人英語学習者が授業内で映画『タイタニック』(キャメロン 1997) をシーンごとに見て、映画に関する異なるトピックについてレポートを書いた。全体として82のレポート (トークン数=9,974) を線形混合効果モデルで分析したところ、ライティング活動における統語的複雑性の一学期間中(15週)の発達を確認した。トピックの親しみやすさと難しさの影響は統計的には有意ではなかった。本稿は一学期中の第二言語ライティング発達パターンとライティング研究におけるトピックの影響について示唆する。

Exploring a language learning history can help researchers, teachers, and students to reveal and understand various individual difference factors which positively or negatively influence language learning activities and strategy use. In this paper, I examined my English language learning history and delved into challenges and factors to overcome them and activate my autonomy. Based on the analysis of my learning history, three main themes were indicated: a) motivational shifts and goal-setting theory, b) learning beliefs and goal setting, and c) the relationship between learning strategy use and teachers’ influence. Furthermore, my learning history also illustrated that I tended to change all these features through both successful and unsuccessful experiences. Among them, goal-setting seems to be the most significant factor for me to study the target language. With clear learning objectives, I overcame many challenges and sustained high motivation by utilising various types of learning strategies and having positive learner beliefs. Accordingly, noticeable relationships among motivation, learner belief, and learning strategy use were revealed through my learning history log.

Although teaching reflection diaries (TRDs) are prevalent tools for teacher training, TRDs are rarely used in Japanese secondary educational settings. In order to delve into the effects of TRDs on teaching development, this illustrative case study was conducted with two female teachers (one novice, and one experienced) at a Japanese private senior high school. The research findings demonstrated that both in-service teachers perceived TRDs as beneficial tools for understanding their strengths and weaknesses. TRDs and class observations illustrated that the novice teacher raised their self-confidence in teaching and gradually changed their teaching activities. On the other hand, the experienced teacher held firm teaching beliefs based on their successful teaching experiences and were sometimes less willing to experiment with different approaches. However, they changed their teaching approaches when they lost balance between their class preparation and other duties. Accordingly, although teachers’ firm beliefs and successful experiences may sometimes become possible hindrances from using TRDs effectively, TRDs can be useful tools to train and help teachers realise their strengths and weaknesses.

<jats:p>Content-based instruction (CBI) is “the integration of language teaching aims with content instruction” (Snow, 2014, p. 439). Although CBI has prevailed as one approach to developing a curriculum integrating four language skills in ESL and EFL settings (e.g., Cumming &amp; Lyster, 2016; Donato, 2016), it is rarely implemented in Japanese secondary educational contexts. Furthermore, although the number of studies on EFL writing in secondary contexts is increasing, research on EFL essay writing in such settings has seldom been conducted in Japan. Therefore, based on data gathered from surveys and essay assignments, this study explored the effects of CBI on the writing of 105 beginner learners at a private senior high school in central Japan for 9 months. The research findings showed that the participants improved their writing abilities through CBI, regarding the number of tokens used and the increase of supporting sentences. 内容中心教授法は内容指導と言語教育の統合である（Snow, 2014, p. 439）。第2外国語、外国語教育の環境において、同教授法は4技能を統合する外国語教育カリキュラムとして普及してきているが（例：Cumming &amp; Lyster, 2016; Donato, 2016）、日本の中等教育現場ではあまり実施されていない。加えて、中等教育現場での外国語ライティングの研究は増加してきているが、そのような環境においてのエッセイライティングの研究は日本ではほとんど行われていない。従って、本研究では，私学高等学校に在籍する105名の初学者を対象に、9カ月間アンケートとエッセイ課題を通して、内容中心教授法のライティング能力に対しての効果を検証した。結果として、内容中心教授法を通して，学習者たちは使用語数及び補足文の増加においてライティング能力を向上させた。</jats:p>

<jats:p>Learner beliefs are “the beliefs that language learners have about what is involved in learning a language, how to learn it and their own language-learning ability” (Ellis &amp; Shintani, 2014, p. 340). Although learner beliefs are considered as one of the most influential factors in utilising language strategies, and (de)activating motivation as well as autonomy, the clear relationships between learner beliefs and engagement in learning has rarely been investigated or indicated (Ellis &amp; Shintani, 2014). In this illustrative case study, qualitative research utilising a survey with 12 open-ended questions and semi-structured interviews were conducted with two first-year students (one successful learner and one less-successful learner) at a Japanese private high school in the 2017 school year. The researcher aimed to explore the effects of learner beliefs about language learning on their out-of-class learning. Results indicated that although both learners had similar learning beliefs, their engagement in out-of-class learning and their use of learning strategies differed. Therefore, in this case study, learner beliefs and their engagement in the out-of-class learning did not demonstrate a direct relationship.</jats:p>