The aims of this paper are to (a) examine the relatedness needs of Japanese university EFL learners, and (b) make suggestions on how instructors could organize group work in their classes. Self-determination theory postulates that, the more individuals’ relatedness needs are fulfilled, the more they are intrinsically motivated. However, some Japanese EFL motivation studies show mixed results regarding the causality. In this study, 24 Japanese university students participated in an interview. They were asked if their relationship with their classmates would influence their motivation to engage in tasks in an EFL classroom. The results indicated that, (1) when learners have not become well acquainted with their classmates in or out of class, becoming connected with them may enhance their motivation; conversely, when learners have already built good relationships with their classmates out of class, it may have different impacts on their in-class motivation, depending on the characteristic of the relationship; (2) learner motivation may improve when a given task that entails collective responsibility with other classmates; and (3) already motivated learners may prioritize competence and/or autonomy needs over relatedness needs. The author suggests that instructors assess classmates’ relationships and alter the ways they form groups and enhance positive goal interdependence among group members.

Background: While numerous articles on Criterion® have been published and its validity evidence has accumulated, test users need to obtain relevant validity evidence for their local context and develop their own validity argument. This paper aims to provide validity evidence for the interpretation and use of Criterion® for assessing second language (L2) writing proficiency at a university in Japan. Method: We focused on three perspectives: (a) differences in the difficulty of prompts in terms of Criterion® holistic scores, (b) relationships between Criterion® holistic scores and indicators of L2 proficiency, and (c) changes in Criterion® holistic and writing quality scores at three time points over 28 weeks. We used Rasch analysis (to examine (a)), Pearson product-moment correlations (to examine (b)), and multilevel modeling (to examine (c)). Results: First, we found statistically significant but minor differences in prompt difficulty. Second, Criterion® holistic scores were found to be relatively weakly but positively correlated with indicators of L2 proficiency. Third, Criterion® holistic and writing quality scores-particularly, essay length and syntactic complexity-significantly improved, and thus are sensitive measures of the longitudinal development of L2 writing.

The participants in this study were 38 beginning-level English learners. Twelve of them were first-year English Communication majors and 26 were second-year International Social Studies majors at a university in the Tokyo area. A Digital Storytelling (DST) project was designed so that they would work cooperatively. Since positive interdependence and individual accountability are two essential principles of cooperative learning, the teacher paid careful attention to have them emerge in the activity. For example, students’ roles were divided in such a way that each of them would have a different piece of information, which facilitated positive interdependence. Also, the project was structured so that fulfillment of each member’s role/responsibility was essential (i.e., individual accountability was required) for successful completion of the project. A questionnaire with Likert scales was conducted before and after the project. In addition, a post-project questionnaire included an open-ended question. The Likert scale portion of the questionnaire measured the participants’ motivation for learning English. The question items used in this part were adapted from Hiromori (2006), who investigated EFL learners’ motivation with reference to the Self Determination Theory. The open-ended question was used to collect participants’ opinions towards the cooperative DST project. The results indicate that teamwork among learners was enhanced through the cooperative DST project, which in turn heightened their motivation to learn English. The Likert scale scores from the pre- and post-project tests were compared. The t-test results indicate that the participants’ motivation increased as a result of engaging in the project. Together with the participants’ comments collected in the post-project questionnaire, it can be concluded that teamwork among learners was enhanced through cooperative learning, which in turn heightened their motivation to learn English.　 本論では、デジタル・ストーリーテリング(DST)を用いて協同学習を実践し、参加者の動機づけ変化を測定した。参加者は大学1、2年生38名であった。本論では、協同学習の最低条件である互恵的相互依存関係と個人責任の明確化が実現されるよう、協同的DSTプロジェクトをデザインし、このプロジェクト前後で質問紙調査を行った。質問紙は自己決定理論の枠組みに従った質問項目に、リッカート・スケールを付して回答者の動機づけの強さを測定しようとするものであった。事後テストではこれに加えて自由記述欄を付し、協同的DSTプロジェクトへのコメントを書いてもらった。量的データ分析により、プロジェクト前後で参加者の英語学習に対する動機づけが高まったことが示された。さらに自由記述欄には、このプロジェクトにおいて協同事態が実現したことが伺えるコメントが寄せられ、協同学習を通じて参加者の動機づけが向上したことが示唆された。

This paper reviews previous research to show the positive relationship between music and motivation in sports. After defining what motivation means in this paper, the authors review studies investigating the influence of listening to music on motivation to play a sport. The results showed that, by watching music video clips, the participating athletes were able to build strong, successful self-images, which contributed to enhancing their motivation and performance. Based on another set of previous studies, the authors argue that listening to music can promote the secretion of dopamine, which improves motivation and, thus, performance. The authors suggest that students as well as athletes listen to music before an important occasion, such as an exam, to help them become more motivated and perform better.

Self-determination theory is a meta-theory of human motivation and wellness which has applications to language teaching and learning. In this summary of the 2022 forum, the authors share examples of research and practice that have applications to Japanese university contexts. These include research methods for understanding our learners’ motivation and exploring teaching and advising both inside and outside the classroom and in online environments to support learner involvement and well-being. 自己決定理論は人の動機づけとウェルネスについてのメタ理論であり、言語教育・学習にも応用されている。本稿は2022年の大会で行われたフォーラムを要約したものであり、日本の大学における外国語学習者動機づけ研究や実践を共有するものである。具体的には、学習者の動機づけ研究法の他、学習者の取り組みとウェルネスを向上させるための、オンラインを含む教室内外における教育実践や指導・助言について取り上げる。