Challenges and Opportunities for Expatriate Faculty Teaching Graduation Seminar Classes in Japanese Universities

Autor/inn/en	Hawkes, Martin; Adamson, Calum
Titel	Challenges and Opportunities for Expatriate Faculty Teaching Graduation Seminar Classes in Japanese Universities
Quelle	In: Asian-Pacific Journal of Second and Foreign Language Education, 8 (2023), Artikel 7 (21 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
DOI	10.1186/s40862-022-00176-z
Schlagwörter	Foreign Nationals; Language of Instruction; English (Second Language); Second Language Learning; Seminars; Foreign Countries; College Faculty; Communities of Practice; Socialization; Language Variation; Teacher Attitudes; Course Descriptions; Faculty Development; Mentors; Work Experience; Adjustment (to Environment); Overseas Employment; Higher Education; College Students; Language Teachers; Japan + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Ausländer; Ausländerin; Teaching language; Unterrichtssprache; English as second language; English; Second Language; Englisch als Zweitsprache; Zweitsprachenerwerb; Seminar; Ausland; Fakultät; Community; Socialisation; Sozialisation; Sprachenvielfalt; Lehrerverhalten; Kursstrukturplan; Employment experience; Job experience; Occupational experience; Berufserfahrung; Auslandstätigkeit; Hochschulbildung; Hochschulsystem; Hochschulwesen; Collegestudent; Language teacher; Sprachunterricht
Abstract	This paper considers the issues facing expatriate instructors teaching English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) graduation seminars (commonly known as the "zemi" in Japan) in Japanese universities and aims to establish better conditions to build Communities of Practice. Since the term "graduation seminar" is widely used globally, and might lead to preconceptions from readers, zemi is the term that will be used in this paper as a common example of Japanese English. This class is one that typically involves aspects of academic mentoring, pastoral care and socialization that differentiate it from regular classes. Lacking any personal experience of the zemi, teachers educated overseas are likely to have different expectations of the system than their domestic colleagues and students, creating a significant challenge in how they design and implement programmes. To investigate these issues, 14 semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with expatriate teachers of EMI zemis. Common themes described by informants included difficulties in creating a cohesive syllabus with limited support, challenges posed by thesis supervision, and mixed feelings towards mentoring and pastoral care. The data also revealed unique opportunities afforded to foreign instructors of these classes, which were unlikely to be available if they had not been entrusted with teaching a zemi. This paper seeks to fill a gap in the literature and provide insights into how foreign instructors experience the zemi. The knowledge gained can be employed to help develop Communities of Practice for such teachers. It is also hoped it will be of significance to those interested in comparative education, faculty asked to teach within educational systems of which they do not have personal experience, and anyone who works with Japanese learners, either in Japan or as international students. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01