Papers by Annette Bradford
This presentation reports on how prepared L2 writers feel to tackle undergraduate writing in both... more This presentation reports on how prepared L2 writers feel to tackle undergraduate writing in both the US and the UK. It briefly surveys the types of writing tasks students engage in and provides insights into student needs and frustrations. The findings are relevant for those involved in EAP/IEP course planning.
Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 2022
The need to support those teaching in English-medium instruction (EMI) classrooms is becoming inc... more The need to support those teaching in English-medium instruction (EMI) classrooms is becoming increasingly acknowledged, and faculty professional development (PD) is recognised as an important element of that support. This study, a replication and localisation of an international study by Macaro et al. (2020. “English Medium Instruction in Higher Education: Teacher Perspectives on Professional Development and Certification.” International Journal of Applied Linguistics 30 (1): 144–157), investigates the experiences and attitudes of faculty members teaching in EMI programmes in South Korea and Japan towards EMI related PD and certification. Survey findings (South Korea n = 234, Japan n = 92) indicate that few faculty members have experience with pre-service PD, and that EMI-related in-service PD is rare in South Korea but on the rise in Japan. Preferences for PD and attitudes towards certification differed between the two populations sampled, and there are indications that the disciplinary and language backgrounds of the professors may influence this. This highlights the need for local, context-appropriate approaches to supporting faculty in EMI programmes.
Using Dafouz & Smit’s (2016) ROAD-MAPPING framework as a guide, we conducted a systematic review ... more Using Dafouz & Smit’s (2016) ROAD-MAPPING framework as a guide, we conducted a systematic review of public-facing documents and highlight how Japanese universities market English-medium education (EME) programmes to their prospective students.
Nagoya Journal of Higher Education 名古屋高等教育研究, 2022
As English-medium instruction (EMI) takes on a more important role in higher education in Japan, ... more As English-medium instruction (EMI) takes on a more important role in higher education in Japan, there are ongoing concerns that faculty members lack the support they need to effectively teach in what may be their own or their students’ second language. In a replication and localization of Macaro et al.’s 2020 multi-country survey of EMI-related professional development (PD), this study investigated the experience, needs, and preferences of faculty members teaching in English in Japan. Results from 92 respondents indicate that while professors acknowledge teaching in an EMI context requires different competencies than either teaching in a Japanese-medium setting or using English as a professional academic language, fewer than half have participated in PD training. Respondents are open to the idea of EMI-related PD but are only moderately receptive to a potential scheme to certify their competencies. Respondents’ perspectives differed depending on their experience teaching in EMI, as well as their linguistic and disciplinary background.
International Higher Education, 2022
The number of degree programs and courses taught in English at Japanese universities has increase... more The number of degree programs and courses taught in English at Japanese universities has increased considerably over the past ten years. However, there are concerns about the sustainability of such programming. With government-supported initiatives ending, universities must now reflect on lessons learned and adapt accordingly. For English-medium instruction (EMI) to be fully embedded in the Japanese higher education landscape, universities need to reexamine the scope of their programs and focus on internal resources and structures.
■ This study explores Indonesian university students ’ motivational orien-tations toward learning... more ■ This study explores Indonesian university students ’ motivational orien-tations toward learning English as a foreign language. 168 students responded to a questionnaire concerning their reasons for choosing to study English. Factor analysis of the data revealed 11 independent orientations. This supports discourse arguing for a multi-factorial view of orientations in foreign language learning. The lack of cor-relation between the orientations, and the contextual bias of their definitions, imply that larger motivational subsystems are not valid in this context. The students strongly endorsed orientations pertaining to pragmatic reasons for studying English, and were almost neutral toward identifying with native English speakers. Comparison of these findings with those reported previously in Asia revealed significant, but incomplete, overlap.
The Bulletin of Arts and Sciences Meiji University [明治大学教養論集 ], 2015
This research study examines Japanese outward student mobility and analyzes a survey of Japanese ... more This research study examines Japanese outward student mobility and analyzes a survey of Japanese undergraduates to find out about their perspectives towards studying abroad.
Abstract of Dissertation Internationalization Policy at the Genba: Exploring the Implementation o... more Abstract of Dissertation Internationalization Policy at the Genba: Exploring the Implementation of Social Science English-Taught Undergraduate Degree Programs in Three Japanese Universities This study explored the implementation of social science English-taught undergraduate degree programs in Japanese universities and investigated the challenges they face. As higher education institutions in Japan seek to become more competitive, many institutions are introducing undergraduate degrees taught exclusively through the English language. Existing research in non-Anglophone countries has shown that programs differ in their rationales for implementation and in their design and characteristics, and therefore, experience different types of implementation challenges that inspire varied responses. However, in Japan, studies in the English language focusing on the implementation of English as a medium of instruction in higher education are few and concern only short-term and graduate programs. This study used a qualitative multiple-case study design to examine four-year social science undergraduate programs at three universities from the perspectives of those involved with the implementation process. Data were generated via 27 interviews with senior administrators, faculty members and international education support staff. The results indicate that the rationales for implementing the programs at the case-study institutions are grounded in a desire to increase competitiveness, with a focus on developing the international competencies of domestic Japanese students. Program design is oriented towards international and Japanese students in the same classrooms and is influenced by the understandings of key program implementers. Structural challenges were found to be the most significant obstacles to program implementation. In particular, institutions struggle with issues relating to program coherence and expansion, student recruitment and program identity. Structural challenges are so prominent that the study proposes a new typology of challenges facing the implementation of English-taught programs in Japan. This typology includes challenges related to the constructed understandings of the programs as institutions within the university. Practical responses to the challenges consist of discrete actions with little movement made that affects the university more broadly. Five salient elements that play an important role in the implementation of all of the case-study programs were also identified. These comprise the presence of committed leadership, implementer orientation regarding the English language, the position of the program within its institution, student recruitment, and the clarification of outcomes and goals.
Teaching English at Japanese Universities, 2018
English-Medium Instruction in Japanese Higher Education
The Diplomat, Jul 1, 2013
In recent years a considerable amount of policy energy has been focused on ensuring the vitality ... more In recent years a considerable amount of policy energy has been focused on ensuring the vitality and relevance of the U.S.-Japan security alliance. Now, with Japan’s entry into the Trans-Pacific Partnership talks (TTP), attention has refocused on the economic aspect. Somewhat less consideration has been paid to the fundamental foundation of the relationship: people-to-people exchange.
ICAS Insights, 2020
In this piece, Bradford analyzes the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on international higher educ... more In this piece, Bradford analyzes the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on international higher education.
Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development , 2019
The number of universities offering English-medium instruction (EMI) is growing in Japan. Yet, ac... more The number of universities offering English-medium instruction (EMI) is growing in Japan. Yet, academic programmes taught in English have not reached their full potential. One powerful barrier to the improvement of these programmes is a misperception that English language proficiency is the defining factor for success. After outlining the growth of EMI in Japan, this article considers the central challenge of faculty engagement as a key factor governing the development and sustainability of internationalisation activities. Problems involving the conceptual conflation of EMI and English learning and debates regarding English proficiency for EMI programme success are discussed. Interview data from faculty members involved in three Japanese university programmes demonstrates a foregrounding of the role of the English language and English proficiency is overly attributed as a barrier to programme excellence. Specifically, these misperceptions impede faculty engagement and prevent the implementation of quality faculty development efforts. This article proposes that less emphasis on language and greater attention to pedagogical and intercultural skills development could benefit EMI in Japan.
Pan SIG Journal 2017, 2018
At the May 2017 PanSIG conference at Akita International University four invited speakers gave a ... more At the May 2017 PanSIG conference at Akita International University four invited speakers gave a panel discussion about the conference theme “Expand Your Interests.” Through this topic they highlighted current research trends and issues affecting language education in Japan. Next the speakers talked about future directions of language teaching. Focusing on individual interests and how they will affect the field in general, the speakers each introduced his/her area of special expertise including testing, educational policy in Japan, and the language teaching field. This paper reports on the talks given by each of the four invited presenters by providing a summary of each speaker’s ideas.
Humanities and Social Sciences Bulletin 人文科学論集, Meiji University, Mar 31, 2018
International Higher Education, 2018
As English-medium instruction expands in the higher education sector in Japan, stakeholders are e... more As English-medium instruction expands in the higher education sector in Japan, stakeholders are experiencing frustration. However, these are not new problems; we have seen these roadblocks before in the implementation of information technology in the 1990s.
Transformation in language education. Tokyo: JALT., 2017
Around the world, the role of English in higher education is changing. Rather than just an object... more Around the world, the role of English in higher education is changing. Rather than just an object of study, English is now often the language of instruction. In Japan, universities are currently adopting content and language integrated learning (CLIL) and English-medium instruction (EMI), alongside longstanding content-based instruction (CBI) approaches, to convey academic content in English. However, a shared understanding of the goals and outcomes of these approaches has yet to emerge. We argue that key distinctions are based on the relative positions of language and content in learning objectives and assessment. In CBI, content is a vehicle for language learning: The goal is language learning and students are assessed on language performance. In EMI, learning outcomes are tied directly to the content: Language learning is neither planned for nor assessed. Between these extremes, CLIL is an integrated approach with varying degrees of focus on language and content learning.
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Papers by Annette Bradford
higher education in Japan, driven in part by encouragement and tangible
support from the government. However, the implementation of EMI has
been criticized for a lack of integration and diffusion, leading to concerns
about its long-term sustainability as funding for programs comes to an end.
Drawing on Levine’s (1980) notions of profitability and compatibility in
educational innovation, we argue that EMI does not need to diffuse
throughout higher education. EMI programs represent sustainable enclaves of internationalization that are profitable for universities and compatible with the goals of both individual institutions and the higher education sector as a whole.
Internationalization Policy at the Genba: Exploring the Implementation of Social Science English-Taught Undergraduate Degree Programs in Three Japanese Universities
This study explored the implementation of social science English-taught undergraduate degree programs in Japanese universities and investigated the challenges they face. As higher education institutions in Japan seek to become more competitive, many institutions are introducing undergraduate degrees taught exclusively through the English language. Existing research in non-Anglophone countries has shown that programs differ in their rationales for implementation and in their design and characteristics, and therefore, experience different types of implementation challenges that inspire varied responses. However, in Japan, studies in the English language focusing on the implementation of English as a medium of instruction in higher education are few and concern only short-term and graduate programs. This study used a qualitative multiple-case study design to examine four-year social science undergraduate programs
at three universities from the perspectives of those involved with the implementation process. Data were generated via 27 interviews with senior administrators, faculty members and international education support staff.
The results indicate that the rationales for implementing the programs at the case-study institutions are grounded in a desire to increase competitiveness, with a focus on
developing the international competencies of domestic Japanese students. Program design is oriented towards international and Japanese students in the same classrooms and is influenced by the understandings of key program implementers. Structural challenges were found to be the most significant obstacles to program implementation. In particular,
institutions struggle with issues relating to program coherence and expansion, student recruitment and program identity. Structural challenges are so prominent that the study
proposes a new typology of challenges facing the implementation of English-taught programs in Japan. This typology includes challenges related to the constructed
understandings of the programs as institutions within the university. Practical responses
to the challenges consist of discrete actions with little movement made that affects the university more broadly. Five salient elements that play an important role in the implementation of all of the case-study programs were also identified. These comprise
the presence of committed leadership, implementer orientation regarding the English language, the position of the program within its institution, student recruitment, and the
clarification of outcomes and goals.
This poster presents the experiences of both international and domestic students.
increasingly ubiquitous in Japanese higher education. This
session draws on data gathered via a multiple-case study which
investigated the implementation of undergraduate English-taught
degree programs at three Japanese universities. It focuses on the
perspectives of faculty members teaching in these programs and
discusses their rationales for teaching content through English,
the challenges they have encountered and the actions they have
taken to overcome these difficulties.
Based on the results of an in-depth research study carried out in Japanese universities which have recently implemented English-taught undergraduate degree programs, this session outlines challenges that face educators in English-medium instruction classrooms and details steps that can and have been taken to overcome them.
This presentation discusses the definitions of globalization and internationalization as put forward in the international education research literature. It then goes on to describe them in the context of higher education in Japan. It examines the latest Ministry of Education policy initiatives concerning the globalization of Japanese universities and provides analysis of their likelihood for success.
administrators, faculty and international education staff. Chris Haswell investigates an international university in Japan, and compares students from this university with students from non-international universities regarding their opinions of the need for English both in their current study environment and also
its future professional utility. Covering data from research conducted at eight different universities in Japan, Korea and China, this presentation outlines the effect of internationalized study and the possible repercussions of increased English use in internationalized tertiary education in Japan. Finally, Mark Flanigan reports on the student experience from within an international university that has taught in English for a number of years.
So, where does Japan stand in this global game? Are Japanese universities in dire straits vis-à-vis the rise of Singaporean and Chinese institutions? How is Japan’s demographic situation affecting its universities? As International Education Week 2016 concludes, join Annette Bradford for insights and discussion about Japan’s global higher education position.
Drawing primarily upon interviews conducted with individuals involved with addressing these issues, including policy makers, university administrators, professors and students, Annette Bradford will describe the current status of these initiatives and examine barriers to their success.