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My general background and perspective on education is best understood by
reading the introductory chapter to my doctoral thesis The Role of Closed
Captioning in Second Language Acquisition
http://wwwlib.umi.com/dissertations/fullcit/9965992
pp. 1-298. Rather than spend time going to UMI, please click here for
Chapter 1.
For those interested in the effects of subtitling / captioning upon incidental
viewing look at Chapter 6.
For a succinct discussion of the theory underlying some
of this research and pedagogy go to Incidental Learning, Pedagogy, and Media Texts
Murata M (Ed.), 21 Seki no Eigo Kyoiku e no Teigen to Shishin - Kumabe Naomitsu
Kyōju Koki Kinen Ronshū, pp. 103-113, 2002, Kaitakusha:
Tokyo. 『隈部教授古稀記念論集』
At present my main area of research relates to curriculum change / reform in
Japanese universities. I conducted off-the record interviews at twenty
universities an unpublished report, which runs to more than one-hundred pages.
Some of the results will be published in Curriculum Reform: Assessing Language
Programs, Temple University Japan Applied Linguistics Colloquium 2005.
However, even with such reforms some universities will not have what
constitutes an integrated program with a syllabus.
Most of the universities reported on, I had already visited between 1998 and
2002 to look at CALL/IT. Even at the best Kansai (Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto) and Chubu
(Nagoya) universities which integrated programs at department or faculty level,
there were structural impediments. My study was an overview examining all of
the factors necessary for successful language programs. The 'surface structure'
factors of needs analysis, pedagogy, teachers, and IT/CALL are / were sometimes
not present, operative or effective due to problems associated with the less
accessible 'deep structure' factors of cultural perceptions and motivations,
the government and the ministry (MEXT), and university structure. Those
interested in deep structure should look at 1. Kono, Toyohiro and Clegg,
Stewart (2001), Trends in Japanese Management, New York: Palgrave. 2.
Sakakibara, Eisuke (2003), Structural Reform in Japan: Breaking the Iron
Triangle, Washington, D.C.: The Brookings Institution.
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