Exploring Motivational Profiles in Public Elementary School English Classes

We conducted a pilot study investigating elementary school students’ motivational profiles in Japan. These profiles may be used to develop person-centered models of students’ growth and development. We framed our inquiry within the self-determination theory literature on autonomous and controlled motivation. Students in their 5th year (N = 100) completed surveys regarding their motivation to learn English. We calculated person-centered motivational profiles based on their responses using k-means clustering. Three profiles showed the best fit for the data: a high quantity motivation profile, a good quality motivation profile, and a poor quality motivation profile. These profiles successfully predicted students’ engagement 6 months later. Implications for theory and practice are also discussed.published_or_final_versio

Schools can improve motivational quality: Profile transitions across early foreign language learning experiences

Elementary school is as much about developing attitudes as competence. With this fact in mind, the Japanese national government established a plan to enhance elementary school students’ motivation for learning English. The success of this program has, however, not been empirically tested. This study aimed to assess the longitudinal, discrete development of Japanese elementary school students’ motivation for learning English as a foreign language. A cohort of 513 Japanese elementary students participated in the study across two years of school. Students responded to surveys regarding the quality of their motivation at three time points, and their engagement at two time points. Latent Profile Analysis followed by Latent Profile Transition Analysis was used to assess the sample for latent subgroups. With subgroups established at three time points, a Mover-Stayer model was tested to estimate the movement of students among the subgroups across three time points and two years of elementary school education. Three theoretically consistent latent subgroups were observed at each of the time points. Based on theory and past empirical research, the subgroups (presented from least to most adaptive) were labeled: Poor Quality, High Quantity, and Good Quality. Across the three measurements, an overall shift of students to higher quantity and quality motivational subgroups was observed. This study provides evidence that the low-stakes, high-interest approach currently undertaken may have the desired effect of improving students’ motivation to learn across two years of schooling. Implications for both practice and national policy are discussed

Observed Classroom Management Variables Influencing Pupils\u27 Task Engagement in Elementary English Activities

With the introduction of foreign language activities (FLA) in 2011, many elementary teachers have expressed concern with their ability to engage students in classes. This study aimed to document concrete methods which current teachers use to improve students’ observable levels of motivation and engagement in foreign language classes. Using a mixed methods approach to document noticeable qualitative differences along with independent quantitative ratings, this study looked at 23 different 5th and 6th grade classes using the new curriculum. An exploratory factorial-design ANOVA found significant differences between individual classes, as well as classes grouped according to the level of involvement of Japanese homeroom teachers (HRTs), native English speaking teachers (NESTs), and the effective monitoring of classroom seating procedures. Preliminary conclusions indicate that greater involvement by HRT, more interactive relationships with assistant language teachers (ALTs), and clear procedures to monitor student behavior have a strong role in promoting students’ behavioral engagement

One more reason to learn a new language: Testing academic self-efficacy transfer at junior high school

The powerful role of self-efficacy within human development broadly, and in education specifically, is widely acknowledged. Less is understood about how self-efficacy might transfer between domains of varying conceptual distance. The current study examines academic self-efficacy in three domains (mathematics, Japanese and foreign language) across students’ first year at junior high school. Two studies were conducted each including three school (study-A: n=480; study-B: n=398) to support a test and retest of the differences and inter-relationships across this critical period of adjustment. Difference testing presented a general pattern of significant small declines in students’ self-efficacy for all three subjects. Longitudinal latent analyses indicated a consistent moderate effect from foreign language self-efficacy to native language self-efficacy. The pattern of declines, while consistent with research in Western contexts is a source of concern. The transfer of self-efficacy from foreign to native language learning has educational and broad theoretical implications.

Tobacco use among designated air pollution victims and its association with lung function and respiratory symptoms: a retrospective cross-sectional study

Objectives: We sought to elucidate the long-term association of tobacco use and respiratory health in designated pollution victims with and without obstructive pulmonary defects. Design: A retrospective cross-sectional study. Setting: The register of pollution victims in Kurashiki, Japan. Participants: 730 individuals over 65 years of age previously diagnosed with pollution-related respiratory disease. Patients were classified into four groups according to their smoking status and whether they had obstructive pulmonary disease. We then compared the prevalence of respiratory symptoms and lung function over time between groups. Primary outcome measures: Spirometry was performed and a respiratory health questionnaire completed in the same season each year for up to 30 years. Results: Rates of smoking and respiratory disease were high in our sample. Although respiratory function in non-smoking patients did not completely recover, the annual rate of change in lung function was within the normal range (p<0.01). However, smokers had worse lung function and were more likely to report more severe pulmonary symptoms (p<0.01). Conclusions: Patients \u27 respiratory function did not fully recover despite improved air quality. Our results suggest that, in the context of exposure to air pollution, tobacco use causes additional loss of lung function and exacerbates respiratory symptoms