A Study of Early English Education
Ms. Sayane Ishikawa
Early English education means English learning before junior high school. She researched the impact that English conversation schools had on children’s English learning. First she discussed the merits of English for young learners. Those who studied English as young learners had higher motivation, higher grades in reading and writing, as well as more confidence. She also researched whether or not people agreed with early English education. 77.5% of the people agreed with early English education. Sayane thought that early English education was effective because of exposure as well as the conducting of a TBLT.
A Comparison of Elementary and Junior High School English Class Activities – From the Point of Active Learning
Ms. Maki Kikawada
First, Maki discussed the necessity of Active Learning for modern society. She compared classes in ES and JHS as well as Sunshine 1 with “We Can”. She said that the primary differences between elementary school and junior high school textbooks were in the frequency of pictures. She surmised that the lack of pictures in the textbook might make it difficult for JHS students to understand the scene in which language is being used. She compared the nature of activities in elementary school and junior high school. She found that JHS had more pattern practice/ fill in the blank type of activities.
A Comparison of Thailand, Myanmar, and Japanese Primary School Textbooks
Ms. Yuka Murakami
Yuka was interested in this because English will become a subject in elementary school in Japan. She compared “Say Hello” in Thailand, the national English textbook in Thailand, and “Let’s Try”. The grades she examined were the first two years of compulsory English. the big difference she saw was in the teaching of writing. The Myanmar textbook had the highest percentage of writing activities.
An Analysis of English Proverbs in Terms of Structure
Mr. Sho Takahashi
There were various types of structures of proverbs. One is where the same word is repeated(First come, first served), one where the same phrase is repeated(Out of sight, out of mind), and one where the same pattern is repeated(Are is long and life is short).
A Study on the Guidance of Phonics Instruction ~Aiming at Smooth Transition from Elementary School to Junior High School ~
Ms. Ayano Nasu
Phonics is a method for teaching reading in which children learn the sounds of letters. She introduced two kinds of phonics: analytic (Diving words in phonemes) and synthetic (learning words from each sound). She examined Jolly Phonics, which is a synthetic approach. She discussed challenges facing education in Japan, learning the balance of romaji learning as well as the staffing of people to teach it.
A Contrastive Study of the English and Japanese Dubbing and Subtitles, “The Devil Wears Prada”
Ms. Hinako Hosoya
She studied how the words “Okay, Yes, Hello, Thank you” were used in Japanese subtitles. the word okay was used in Japanese dubbing but was not written in subtitles. It was produced in the dubbing to match the characters’ lip movements. She concluded that the way subtitles are written is influenced by the short time people have to read them.
Change of Mainstream Students’ Attitude toward Students with Disabilities through Exchange and Collaborative Learning
Ms. Yui Saito
She researched an exchange meeting between mainstream students and those with disabilities. To understand students’ changes in attitudes, she gave them three questionnaires, before, middle and after the program. There were various patterns of attitude change. Some students had high expectations but experienced difficulties which made them more apprehensive towards communicating with children with disabilities. Other children had their expectations met. Change in attitude will vary and there are various patterns. However, both good and challenging experiences are an important part of the process of accepting special needs students.
A Study of Exchange Activities and Collaborative Learning Between a Special Needs Education School for Children with Intellectual Disabilities and a Mainstream School
Mr. Takeru Miura
Takeru investigates the role of exchange activities between special needs and mainstream children as well as issues and results of holding such activities. These activities present an opportunity for special needs children to meet others outside of their school; an opportunity they lack. The biggest challenge is to not make such events sporadic but more daily to create a more inclusive society.
Research on the motivation in English classes for junior high school students
Mr. Hiroto Goto
Mr. Goto conducted a questionnaire at a junior high school. The participants were a total of 300 first and third year students. There were some interesting findings for “What activities do you like?” in Grade 1.
A Study of Revival Education in Inner and Coastal Iwate Elementary Schools
Ms. Erika Miura
Ms. Miura researched how inner and coastal schools of Iwate interpret and carry out the three educational values of revival education: being prepared, life, and being involved. She found that the nature of revival education depends on school location and their experience with natural disasters. On the other hand, some teachers thought the difference between the coast and inner Iwate might be minimal because neither groups of children can remember the natural disaster.
A Study of Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre: Narrative Structure and Narrator Jane
Ms. Manami Kashiwada
Ms. Kashiwada has loved this work since she was in high school. As she has grown, so as here understanding of the end of this work in which the narrator says, “Reader, I decided to marry him!”
A Study of Playing for Pizza
Mr. Shotaro Takishita
This novel is about American football. He talked about the meaning of “fumble” in the translated version of the book. He also talked about how corner (corner back) and center were translated. He also talked about how it is necessary to have a background of sports to understand the story.
A Study of Vocabulary Acquisition Using an Application
Mr. Kodai Tamura
Mr. Tamura compared vocabulary acquisition done through word lists and one done through the application Quizlet. The participants were 29 members of English Teaching Methodologies II. He conducted pre and post tests to see how the groups changed. Both groups made significant improvements but there were not differences between the groups.
A Phonetic Study of the Songs in the Disney Movie “Frozen”: A Contrastive Analysis of the Original English and the Japanese Dubbing
Mr. Kai Fukazawa
He examined whether the sounds coming out of the singers mouth and the shape of the mouth was the same in each version of the movie.The song that he analyzed was “Frozen Heart”.
The Impact of English Learning Environment of 21st Century Skills
Ms. Chihiro Kitamura
Ms. Kitamura had two research questions: (1) does studying abroad help develop students’ 21st century skills? (2) what are the elements of high school foreign language classes that help develop 21st century skills? She investigated the change of 21st century skills of university students who studied abroad.
A Study of Great Expectations: Considering the Theme of Great Expectations
Mr. Satoshi Takikawa
He examined the work through three themes: the interpretation of Christianity, a comparison of the characters, and the structure of the story.