The purpose of this study is to assess student response to teaching English for written communication in a Japanese university context by using students' own photographs instead of textbooks. Thirty Japanese college freshmen English majors of similar ability studying writing receive monthly assignments to use their own photographs to write about…

This study aims to establish if the same strong motivational power that using students' own photos as a stimulus for Japanese college students learning to write English indicated in the preceding study of the same title will be sustained in their follow-up course. The same thirty Japanese college freshmen English majors of similar ability studying…

Despite the stream of directives about improving students' English communicative ability from the Japanese Education Ministry since 2003 [1-4] significant development has remained elusive. One obstacle to communication (as an individual and a cooperative faculty) is the inflexible "one-size-fits-all" philosophy of commercial textbooks…