STEM English in Japan: Education, Innovation, and Motivation

by Glen Hill (Editor), Joseph Falout (Editor), Matthew Apple (Editor)

Overview

This book focuses on Japanese science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) students and their experiences of learning English. Students majoring in STEM face unique circumstances regarding their English language education. Despite the global use of English in these fields, the authors argue that Japanese STEM students fail to take advantage of coursework, extracurricular materials, teachers, peers, and other resources to raise their communicative abilities to a sufficient level for the workplace. This book offers insights into how STEM students can learn English more effectively and purposefully. The chapters provide firsthand perspectives into the psychologies, educational programs, and future workplace situations of Japanese STEM students, who are the innovators, inventors, and researchers of the future. This book will appeal to applied linguists and language teachers wherever STEM English is taught.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783031111167
Publisher:	Palgrave Macmillan
Publication date:	11/30/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	5 MB

About the Author

Glen Hill is a recently retired Associate Professor from Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Japan. He has been teaching in Japan since 1998. For 11 years he has been Chief Editor of the OnCUE Journal, published by the Japan Association for Language Teaching.

Joseph Falout is an Associate Professor at College of Science and Technology, Nihon University, Japan. Awarded five times by Japan Association for Language Teaching for publications and presentations, he authored or co-authored 60-plus works on psychology in language learning and teaching.

Matthew Apple is a Professor in the College of Letters, Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto, Japan. He has taught at various levels of education in Japan since 1999, including junior and senior high school, technical college, undergraduate university, and graduate school.

Table of Contents

Foreword (Laurence Anthony).- Chapter 1: Introduction (Glen Hill).- Part I: English for Japanese STEM Workplaces.- Chapter 2: Vertical Vs. Horizontal Oral Discourses in Japanese Healthcare Professions (Mike Guest).- Chapter 3: Corporate Views of English Used in Agricultural Companies (Glen Hill).- Part II: English for Japanese STEM Education.- Chapter 4: Motivation to Study English in Japan: A Nationwide Investigation of Japanese STEM Students (Matthew Apple, Joseph Falout and Glen Hill).- Chapter 5: Development and Implementation of an English for Research Purposes Program for Japanese and International Graduate Students of Science, Technology and Engineering (Bill Holden and John Blake).- Chapter 6: Genre-Based, Corpus-Supported Writing Programs for Science and Engineering Students at Japanese Universities (Judy Noguchi and Nilson Kunioshi).- Part III: English for Japanese STEM Students.- Chapter 7: Perceptions of English Needs at a National University:Comparing Students and Science Teachers (Glen Hill).- Chapter 8: The Effects of Career Education Exercises on L2 Motivation in English Classes (Noriko Iwamoto).- Chapter 9: To Build a Poster: The Story of a STEM Poster Presentation Course (Madoka Kawano, James Elwood and Reijiro Shibasaki).- Chapter 10: EFL STEM Students' Variable Identities for Learning English Writing as Shared Repertoire (Kimie Yamamura).- Part IV: Aligning Motivations, Values and Practices.- Chapter 11: Possible L2 Selves of STEM Graduate Students: A Two-Year Interview Study (Matthew Apple, Joseph Falout and Glen Hill).- Chapter 12: L2 Learning Motivations and Prosocial Engagement in EFL Conversation Classes: A Comparison of STEM and Humanities Students (Yoshifumi Fukada, Tim Murphey, Tetsuya Fukuda and Joseph Falout).- Chapter 13: Developing Courses and Preparing Materials with Focus on Weaknesses of Japanese Engineers and Engineering Students (Michihiro Hirai).- Chapter 14: STEM (And English) In Japan: The Big Picture (Matthew Apple, Joseph Falout and Glen Hill). 

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“This book brings together a set of very important chapters on STEM education in Japan, written by people with first-hand experience of working in the area. Topics range from Japanese STEM workplaces through to university education. Other areas of focus include innovations in Japanese STEM education, student motivation and engagement. An outstanding volume!”

-Brian Paltridge, Professor of TESOL, University of Sydney, Australia

“As an engineer-turned language teacher and translator, I’m privileged to recommend this book not only as a laborious compilation of recent research on STEM English in Japan but also, more importantly, as an eye-opening, thought-provoking book full of insights into what is going on in the Japanese ESP educational community amid the increasing pressure for globalization and how language teachers and administrators can work together to help STEM students grow into internationally competent professionals.”

-Michihiro Hirai, President, Hirai Language Services Inc., Japan

“A must-read for all involved in STEM education in Japan. The volume offers well-grounded research in every aspect of English education and learning, all situated in the communities of practice of STEM disciplines. This book sets the standard going forward both in research findings and in pedagogical applications.”

-William Rozycki, Research Fellow, Indiana University, USA

“This book provides an authentic and valuable discussion of the complexity faced by ESP course designers or instructors, in particular, STEM-English practitioners and stakeholders in academia and the workplace. The book includes historical background and issues of STEM-English education in Japan as well as clear examples to increase productivity of approaches for STEM-English learners, focusing on their needs and motivation.”

-Masako Terui, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Kindai University, Japan