The Psychology of Learning English and Other Languages in Japan by Jackson, Daniel O.; Takahashi, Chika;

Short description:

Through a mixed research synthesis of high-quality empirical studies, Jackson and Takahashi examine both widely reported and understudied psychological factors underlying foreign language learning in Japan, with an ecological approach framing the analysis. 

Long description:

Through a mixed research synthesis of high-quality empirical studies, Jackson and Takahashi examine both widely reported and understudied psychological factors underlying foreign language learning in Japan, with an ecological approach framing the analysis. 

This book foregrounds its research with an analysis of Japan’s additional language education system and its effects on multi-systemic ecological levels, from public policy to individual learners. It then delves into a deeper look at psychological factors and individual differences impacting foreign language learning, with an emphasis on Japanese learners. The focused mixed research synthesis that follows, including quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods studies conducted between 2014 and 2024, assesses the psychological factors, additional languages, and school settings covered. It identifies gaps in research and provides reflections on issues within the Japanese system, as well as implications for improvement at the institutional and classroom levels to aid more effective language learning.

A critical perspective and insightful outlook toward the additional language education system in Japan, this volume will be of interest to psycholinguistics and language education scholars focusing on Japan, as well as graduate students and teacher educators in the areas of language development, language education, and learner psychology. 

'You can read Jackson and Takahashi’s book in so many different ways and still enjoy it! Whether you are interested in language learner psychology, the research synthesis methodology used, Japan’s education, or the theoretical lens that understands the education system as a multifaceted ecosystem, it will not disappoint. The observations and analyses are systematically and accessibly presented, insightful, and relevant to researchers and educators interested in the individual-context interplay. They are grounded on a robust and innovative research methodological design that underpins the book, which is a systematic mixed synthesis of research evidence on the topic. The critical lens sheds additional light on the epistemological and methodological biases surrounding the topic, approaching the investigation of the topic with rigour and reflexivity. It is a book that is so rich and well-researched that you would want to read it not just once, but a few times, to benefit the most from it!'
 
Sin-Wang Chong, Professor, University of St Andrews, UK

'The Psychology of Learning English and Other Languages in Japan offers an authoritative and engaging contribution to the growing body of literature drawing attention to the psychology of learning languages beyond the familiar terrain of EFL. Comprehensive in its theoretical outlook, yet sharply focused on a specific educational context, the book effectively challenges essentialist and monolingual accounts of the psychology of language learning. Although firmly rooted in the Japanese educational context, the book’s insights have a broad relevance and should be of great interest to researchers, practitioners, and policy makers working across a range of educational settings.'

Stephen Ryan, Professor, Waseda University, Japan

Table of Contents:

List of Abbreviations

List of Tables

List of Figures

Foreword by Lourdes Ortega

1. An Ecological Perspective on Learner Psychology

2. The Macrosystem of Ideologies

3. The Mesosystem of Institutions

4. The Microsystem of Interactions

5. Advancing Mixed Research Synthesis

6. Learner Factors, Languages, and Schools

7. Research Methods and Time Orientations

8. Situating Individuals within the Ecology

9. Toward Critical Perspectives

References

Index