The Psychology of Learning English and Other Languages in Japan A Mixed Research Synthesis

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

Biography

Daniel O. Jackson is Professor in the English Department at Kanda University of International Studies, Japan. His publications include Language Teacher Noticing in Tasks (2021) and Task-Based Language Teaching (2022).

Chika Takahashi is Professor in the Faculty of Law and Letters at Ehime University, Japan. Her publications include Motivation to Learn Multiple Languages in Japan: A Longitudinal Perspective (2023).

'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