What Does English Learners’ Writing Reveal? A Case Study of Structured Academic Controversy in a High School Social Studies Classroom

Examining the Difficulties of English Language Teaching in Japan: Implications for Future Assistant Language Teachers

English language education has been a central focus of educational reform in Japan as the country seeks to strengthen students’ communicative competence in a globalized world. Despite these reforms, many Japanese learners continue to face challenges in developing effective English communication skills. This qualitative study examines the difficulties encountered in English language teaching (ELT) in secondary schools in Kobe, Japan, and explores the implications of these challenges for future Assistant Language Teachers (ALTs). The study employed a qualitative research design using semi-structured interviews with twenty English teachers from three public secondary schools in Kobe. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis to identify recurring patterns and key instructional challenges. To strengthen the analysis, frequency counts and participant quotations were incorporated. The findings reveal that examination-oriented teaching practices continue to shape classroom instruction, with teachers prioritizing grammar and reading skills. Other challenges include limited class time, large class sizes, and varying levels of teacher confidence in conducting communicative lessons. Despite these constraints, collaboration with Assistant Language Teachers and the use of interactive strategies were identified as potential solutions. The study concludes that strengthening teacher training, integrating communicative approaches, and providing institutional support are essential to improving English language learning outcomes.

: Journal of English Language Teaching

Exploring English Teachers' Experiences in Fostering Academic Integrity in Writing Proficiency in the Context of Artificial Intelligence: A Multiple Case Study

This qualitative multiple-case study explored the experiences of English teachers in fostering academic integrity while developing students' writing proficiency in the context of artificial intelligence (AI). Specifically, the study examined teachers' views, feelings, and insights regarding the ethical integration of AI in academic writing. A multiple-case study design was employed involving six English teachers from two higher education institutions in General Santos City, Philippines. Participants were selected through purposive sampling based on their experience in teaching writing-related English courses. Data were collected using a validated semi-structured interview guide and analyzed through reflexive thematic analysis involving within-case and cross-case comparisons. The findings revealed that teachers perceived AI as both a valuable instructional resource and a significant challenge to academic integrity. Across the cases, recurring themes reflected concerns regarding enforcing academic integrity rules, detecting AI-generated outputs, preserving students' critical thinking and authentic voice, addressing policy and monitoring gaps, and responding to limited student engagement with ethical writing practices. Teachers demonstrated commitment by implementing process-oriented writing instruction, continuous feedback, classroom monitoring, guided AI use, and values-based teaching while adapting their pedagogical practices to emerging technological realities. Furthermore, participants emphasized that AI should function as a learning aid rather than a substitute for students' independent thinking and writing. Cross-case analysis further highlighted the importance of professional judgment, institutional support, AI literacy, and consistent instructional frameworks in promoting responsible AI integration. The study concludes that sustaining academic integrity in AI-mediated writing requires balancing technological innovation with ethical instruction, authentic assessment, and values formation. The findings provide practical implications for institutional policy development, teacher professional development, and curriculum design that support responsible AI use while preserving originality, critical thinking, and writing proficiency in higher education.

CLASSROOM LINGUISTIC PRACTICES AND THE LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION QUESTION IN KENYA

This study explores the linguistic practices used in Comprehensive Schools in Kenya and examines the extent to which the official English-medium policy reflects the linguistic realities of teachers and learners. The study adopted a qualitative ethnographic design that involved classroom observations of 72 lessons from six subject areas, focus group discussions with teachers and students and document analysis in rural, peri-urban and urban public Comprehensive Schools. The results reveal a discrepancy between policy and practice: official policy requires that English be the sole language of instruction, but only 15% of observed lessons used English exclusively. Most (79%) involved deliberate switching between English and Kiswahili, with 6% using mother tongue languages. Code-switching had varied pedagogical roles: clarifying complex ideas, bridging vocabulary gaps, reducing language anxiety, emphasizing critical information, catering to different proficiency levels, and assisting in classroom management. Teachers employed three types of code-switching – inter-sentential, intra-sentential and tag switching – strategically in different subjects and contexts. The study demonstrates that code-switching is sophisticated communicative competence and culturally responsive pedagogy, not a linguistic deficiency. The findings indicate that the education language policy in Kenya needs to be reviewed to allow strategic code-switching as pedagogical scaffolding that supports rather than undermines English language acquisition, given the multilingual realities in Kenya. The study contributes to the scholarly debate on translanguaging in postcolonial African contexts and has practical implications for policy reform, teacher education and curriculum development.

Integrating Critical Thinking and Communicative Competence in English Public Speaking: A Qualitative Case Study of EFL Undergraduates

This qualitative case study investigates how integrating critical thinking (CT) into an English Public Speaking (EPS) course supports Chinese EFL undergraduates’ communicative competence. Six second-year English majors at a private university in Shaanxi participated in semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, classroom observations, and analysis of their speech drafts and final scripts. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings show that CT-integrated tasks helped students organize arguments more coherently, use evidence more strategically, and adopt a more audience-responsive, persuasive delivery. At the same time, CT application was constrained by rote learning habits, public speaking anxiety, heavy workloads, and the cognitive load of thinking critically while speaking in English. Differences between early and later starters of English revealed distinct needs: early starters required scaffolding to deepen analysis, whereas later starters needed linguistic support to free cognitive resources for reasoning. The study suggests that differentiated scaffolding, interactive CT-focused activities, and explicit teacher feedback on reasoning are crucial for aligning CT development with communicative competence in EPS courses. It offers analytic generalization for CT-integrated EFL instruction in exam-driven, large-class contexts.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY AWARENESS AND WRITING COMPETENCE AMONG JAPANESE LANGUAGE LEARNERS IN THE EURASIAN REGION: GAPS, CHALLENGES, AND RECOMMENDATIONS

This study examines the academic writing challenges and levels of academic integrity awareness among undergraduate students in Japanese Studies (also referred to as Japanology in some contexts). A survey with quantitative and qualitative components approach was used, employing an online questionnaire with closed-ended and open-ended questions. Data were collected from 138 undergraduate students across 14 Japanese studies programs in 11 ETINED countries representing the Eurasian region with an international profile between January and June 2023. Findings reveal that while students recognize certain forms of academic misconduct, their overall understanding of academic integrity remains limited. Japanology curricula appear to place greater emphasis on language acquisition and cultural studies, while technical academic writing seems to receive comparatively less attention. Survey responses suggest that students experience additional challenges related to time constraints, language complexity, limited exposure to Japanese, and sociocultural factors, which they report as contributing to difficulties in developing writing proficiency and increased writing-related anxiety. To address these issues, this study proposes a data informed Multi-Level Framework to enhance academic writing skills and integrity awareness. The framework targets (1) technical writing competence, (2) behavioral awareness of misconduct, and (3) conceptual understanding of academic integrity, fostering a sustainable integrity culture in Japanese language education. This research highlights key gaps in Japanology education and offers insights to improve curricula and institutional practice.