Multi-modal Corpus Tool 2.0 for young EFL learners

With the advancement of information technology, various types of corpora and concordance software are being developed for language research across different disciplines. Despite such advancements, the corpus-based approach to language learning (e.g., DDL - Data-driven learning) is still mostly limited to tertiary learners and DDL with young learners in English as a foreign language (EFL) context remains underresearched. This paper discusses the pedagogical potential of DDL with young learners using the Multi-modal Corpus Tool (MmCT) (Hirata, 2016;2020). After showing that the result of a case study conducted with pre service teachers on the use of DDL (Hirata, 2020) justifies the need to develop MmCT further for its use with young learners, this paper reports on the recent development of the tool (MmCT 2.0) and describes the pedagogical and theoretical considerations of the newly added functions

The Development of Multi-modal Corpus Tool For Teaching English to Young Learners

In recent years, children have been exposed to various types of technological tools and devices at a very early stage of their lives. In educational settings, different types of educational tools are emerging as a result of the advancement of information technology. While the analytical methods developed in corpus linguistics are applied in different areas of research, the applications to classroom education are somewhat limited, especially those aimed at young learners. Corpusbased language learning and teaching is still limited to adult learners due to the authenticity of the corpus data and the difficulties involved with using available concordance software tools. This paper discusses an ongoing research project to develop a multi-modal corpus application tool for young learners aimed at assisting their English learning in context

Gamification in ELT: Studentsʼ perspectives

Traditionally, games have been utilized in English language teaching (ELT) as one of the ways to facilitate language learning. With recent technological advancements, digital games have also been developed and used in education. Studies report that such use encourages learners to engage in classroom activities using their target language, and contributes to increase learnersʼ motivation. While such benefits have been reported about the use of games, little has been confirmed in terms of the learnersʼ perception of their use. This study aims to discuss the incorporation of gamification in ELT and explore the learnersʼ experience and their perception toward the application of both traditional and digital gamified activities as a means of a questionnaire survey. Based on the findings, this paper discusses the necessary considerations for incorporating the games or digital apps with gamified elements in teaching

Teacher education for Teaching English to Young Learners (TEYL) : The scope for the integration of data-driven learning

In 2013, Japanese Ministry of Education (MEXT) announced a reform of English education in order for future generations to be prepared for the increasingly globalized world (MEXT, 2013). Consequently, it is required for universities that offer the official teacher training courses to review the course contents in order to correspond to the changes suggested in the plan. Teacher training courses for primary English education is no exception, as the reform contains changes in English education at primary level from 2020 (MEXT, 2013; 2017a; 2017b). Since it has been reported that teacher factor plays an important role in learning outcome of young learners (YLs) (e.g. Aukrust 2007; Graham, Courtney, Marinis, and Tonkyn, 2017), it is obvious that the teacher education at university level should help prospective teachers to be prepared to teach English at primary schools. This paper discusses the possibility of incorporating data-driven learning into the teacher training courses in order to deepen the prospective YL teachers’understanding and awareness of English language usages which are required in their future teaching context

Differences in Dietary Intake of Women with Standard Weight but Varying Body Fat Percentages in Japan

“Hidden obese people” have a high body fat percentage (BFP) despite having a normal BMI (18.5 30%) (n = 160) and standard physique (18.5 <BMI ? 25.0 and BFP <30%) (n = 376) were compared using Student’s t-test or Welch’s t-test. The participants with hidden obesity physique have lower intake of energy (p = 0.044) and fat (p = 0.036) and a higher intake of carbohydrates (p = 0.023), cereals (p = 0.009) and sugary beverages (p = 0.020). This study suggests that a reduction in carbohydrate-dense foods is effective in preventing hidden obesity

Boulder size and shape distributions on asteroid Ryugu

In 2018, the Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa2, arrived at the small asteroid Ryugu. The surface of this C-type asteroid is covered with numerous boulders whose size and shape distributions are investigated in this study. Using a few hundred Optical Navigation Camera (ONC) images with a pixel scale of approximately 0.65 m, we focus on boulders greater than 5m in diameter. Smaller boulders are also considered using five arbitrarily chosen ONC close-up images with pixel scales ranging from 0.7 to 6 cm. Across the entire surface area (~2.7 km2) of Ryugu, nearly 4400 boulders larger than 5m were identified. Boulders appear to be uniformly distributed across the entire surface, with some slight differences in latitude and longitude. At ~50 km−2, the number density of boulders larger than 20m is twice as large as on asteroid Itokawa (or Bennu). The apparent shapes of Ryugu's boulders resemble laboratory impact fragments, with larger boulders being more elongated. The ratio of the total volume of boulders larger than 5m to the total excavated volume of craters larger than 20m on Ryugu can be estimated to be ~94%, which is comparatively high. These observations strongly support the hypothesis that most boulders found on Ryugu resulted from the catastrophic disruption of Ryugu's larger parent body, as described in previous papers (Watanabe et al., 2019; Sugita et al.,2019). The cumulative size distribution of boulders larger than 5 m has a power-index of −2.65 ± 0.05, which is comparatively shallow compared with other asteroids visited by spacecraft. For boulders smaller than 4 m, the power-index is even shallower and ranges from −1.65 ± 0.05 to −2.01 ± 0.06. This particularly shallow power-index implies that some boulders are buried in Ryugu's regolith. Based on our observations, we suggest that boulders near the equator might have been buried by the migration of finer material and, as a result, the number density of boulders larger than 5 m in the equatorial region is lower than at higher latitudes

Genetic polymorphisms related to muscular strength and flexibility are associated with artistic gymnastic performance in the Japanese population

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