日本人大学生の英語力と動機付け向上の課題と提言

As globalisation becomes an increasingly important issue, developing second language acquisition (SLA) in English is also becoming a major challenge. Since the commencement of high-speed rail services, foreign tourist numbers are expected to increase in Kanazawa City, where this research participants’ school is located, and the increased opportunity for linguistic, commercial, and cultural exchange will likely require greater English ability. Based on these factors, this study investigated how this change in Kanazawa City has effects on university students’ English learning, their learning motivation, and ‘international posture.’ This study used questionnaires and Cambridge English Examinations on three occasions from 2014-2015. Questionnaires and Cambridge English Examinations conducted in February 2015 showed that the students’ English ability, motivation, and international posture scored the lowest. This indicated that English classes are the only place to enhance English ability and motivation in the current state of the course, which leads one to conclude that tasks should be tailored to students’ academic levels as well as their motivational levels. Therefore, this study proposes SLA pedagogies in English language corresponding to globalisation with particular focus in developing and stabilising university students’ English ability,motivation and international posture throughout a year

Inhaled steroid therapy and hospitalization for bronchial asthma : trend in Tokushima University Hospital

With the recognition that airway inflammation is present even in patients with mild bronchial asthma, therapy with inhaled corticosteroids is now indicated in various stages of patients. In the present article, we retrospectively examined the prescriptions for inhaled corticosteroids and other drugs for the treatment of outpatients with bronchial asthma at Tokushima University Hospital. We also analyzed asthma control in these patients, in terms of the incidence of emergency consultations and hospitalizations due to asthma exacerbations. To analyze the recent trend, the patients observed from 1998 to 2000 (recent years) were included, and for control purpose, those in 1990 and 1991 (earlier years) were also included. The percentage of patients treated with inhaled corticosteroids remarkably increased in recent years (mean 81.3%) compared to earlier years (mean 23.5%). In contrast, the usage of oral corticosteroids, oral xanthine derivatives, β2-adrenergic receptor agonists and anti-allergic agents tended to decrease in the 10 years period. After the introduction in 1995, considerable patients up to 25% have been treated with anti-leukotrienes. Emergency consultations decreased in recent years (mean 0.18/patient/year) compared to earlier years (mean 0.79/patient/year). Emergency hospitalizations also decreased in recent years (mean 0.043/patient/year) compared to earlier years (mean 0.23/patient/year).In the present study, spread of inhaled corticosteroid therapy and decline in incidence of emergency consultation and hospitalization were simultaneously observed at Tokushima University Hospital, and the former has, at least in part, a contribution to the latter