This evaluation report examines extensive reading (ER) speed and words read by students at a Japanese university using a digital ER platform called Xreading and compares them to standardized test reading performance using the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). The study focuses on first- and second-year students who…

Recent studies elaborating on the L2 learning experience component of the L2 Motivational Self System (Dörnyei, 2005, 2009), especially through a narrative identity perspective, mark a new direction in L2 motivation research. This paper extends this work by exploring the connection between the L2 learning experience and ideal L2 self components.…

Computer-mediated learning initiatives have recently increased due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. Implications are thus created for self-regulation, learning and achievement as computer-mediated learners face unique motivational and metacognitive demands. The current research uses a serial mediation approach to test the effect of goal…

Although several researchers have demonstrated that foreign language (FL) learning experience has a limited effect on the short-term development of second language (L2) fluency, recent studies have suggested that learners can gain long-term (over one year) benefits from FL learning experiences. As a part of the present study, 50 Japanese…

This study empirically compares two often-utilized motivation theories in L2 studies: self-determination theory and the L2 motivational self system. It also examines the relationships among their motivational constructs, learners' intended L2 learning effort, and L2 proficiency. While a number of studies have utilized these models in order to…

It has become increasingly clear that the early use of decomposition for addition is associated with later mathematical achievement. This study examined how younger children execute a base-10 decomposition strategy to solve complex arithmetic (e.g. two-digit addition). 24 addition problems in two modalities (WA: Written Arithmetic; OA: Oral…

Learner autonomy is particularly important in higher education, where students are fully responsible for their own learning. Despite this, there is a lack of research on aspects of autonomy support in higher education compared with that of primary and secondary education. To address this gap, this study explored autonomy support and learning…

The current study focuses on an e-learning platform called Furago designed to provide language instructors with exercises complementing activities already implemented in their classes. Its objective was to assess the impact the use of Furago could have on the listening skills of first-year Japanese university students. Statistical analyses that…

Universities in the EFL context aim to foster graduates who can use English in the workplace. Regardless, university students' insufficient amount of out-of-class study time is a major issue. This problem may stem from learners' lack of learning skills, low levels of learning motivation, and high levels of academic procrastination. Self-coaching…

This study investigated to what extent the scores of two English tests are correlated to each other, namely, the English test of the "Common Test for University Admissions" (Common Test, henceforth) in Japan and the "TOEIC Bridge", a commercially available English test developed by "Educational Testing Service" (ETS)…

Supporting study abroad programs' overarching objective of producing global citizens is the goal of developing intercultural competence through participants' interactions with people of different cultures. Asserting the correlation between intercultural competence and acculturation, this study aims to measure the cultural competence of our…

This study investigated the constructs underlying second language (L2) word association (WA) with regard to three dimensions of lexical competence--size, organization, and accessibility--and the lexical performance of speech. One-hundred and thirteen Japanese learners of English completed a computer-delivered oral WA task along with three…

This study examined how to enhance the quality of students' question generating and to encourage their spontaneous information searches after classroom instruction in university. The teacher assigned One Minute Paper as homework, and students answered three questions; "Q1: What was the most important thing that you learned today?",…

Learning assistance is an essential part of higher education. Tutors, the core of the assistance staff, need to have learning assistance skills. If the potential for these skills can be identified when selecting tutors, the training method will be more efficient. Also, learning assistance skills are thought to be related to learning skills.…

This study examined the relationships between achievement goals, motivation instability, and learning persistence in asynchronous distance classes by focusing on mastery goals and performance-avoidance goals. A longitudinal online survey was conducted among university students in Japan at two time points. The first survey had 171 respondents. Out…