The constructive feedback on the author's article has helped him to expand his knowledge on the topic. He would like to clarify here that the purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of extensive reading on the development of Japanese high school learners' linguistic knowledge and reading abilities. The findings revealed that the…

This study compares two instructional methodologies: extensive reading plus output activity and intensive reading plus grammar-translation with regard to improvement of non-English major EFL learners' reading comprehension and fluency development in a Japanese junior college. It identifies the minimum number of words an individual should read for…

The current study examines the cognition of reading instruction held by teachers of Japanese as a second or foreign language (L2 Japanese) working mainly in Japan, New Zealand, and the US. The study reports findings obtained from two data collection methods: interviews and metaphor elicitation contained in a questionnaire. The researcher…

The present study investigates the effects of extensive reading on developing the language knowledge and reading abilities of high school learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) over the course of one school year. Participants were divided into control (n = 205) and experimental groups (n = 200), with the former receiving regular grammar…

The purpose of this study is to investigate the durability of the effect of explicit and implicit instructions on beginning EFL learners' learning of the copula "be". The study intends to examine whether or not the effect remains after the auxiliary "be" of the progressive is introduced. Three groups of 89 Japanese junior high…

The approach used to teach English in Japanese high schools is evaluated from the perspective of the skills needed for the university entrance examinations. The tests are examined for item type and for the skills and learning processes needed to answer them. An extensive graded reading program is most appropriate to prepare students for these…

This workshop text encourages the use of literature in a student-centered curriculum of English as a second language (ESL). The first section discusses the role of the teacher in the student-centered approach and outlines the reasons for using English-language literature in the Japanese university ESL course. The second section emphasizes the…

Computer-assisted instruction (CAI) has been studied in Japan since about 1963. However, materials for computer-assisted English second language instruction at the college level are not highly developed. A 1985 experiment in CAI at one Japanese university used materials developed by faculty, staff, and students. Instruction using CAI at Doshisha…

Fourteen conference papers on classroom techniques for second language teaching are presented, including: "Cooperative Learning at the Post-Secondary Level in Japan" (Steve McGuire, Patricia Thornton, David Kluge); "Shared Inquiry Fosters Critical Thinking Skills in EFL Students" (Carol Browning, Jerold Halvorsen, Denise…