Aaron Hahn | Fukuoka University (original) (raw)
Papers by Aaron Hahn
The Japanese government has made kokusaika, questionably translated as "internationalization... more The Japanese government has made kokusaika, questionably translated as "internationalization," a cornerstone of all aspects of education, though the concept is particularly linked to foreign language study. However, official ideologies are not always directly translated into the ideologies present in classroom practice. In order to examine how the ideologies linked to kokusaika are or aren't enacted in university English classes in Japan, this project examines a large corpus of lesson plans published between 2011 and 2016 in The Language Teacher , the primary journal for the Japan Association for Language Teaching. Using a critical discourse analysis lens along with the tools of corpus linguistics, it was found that even though the issue of internationalization was rarely raised directly, nonetheless the discourse as a whole did perpetuate a number of the attitudes linked to kokusaika policy. In addition, a close analysis of lesson plans where the topic was raised prov...
English language education policies throughout Asia typically operate on a deficiency model, wher... more English language education policies throughout Asia typically operate on a deficiency model, wherein differences from "native speaker" English are viewed as flaws requiring educational correction. Such a position overemphasizes aspects of English that are relatively unimportant in English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) communication, while simultaneously generating negative attitudes towards learning non-prestige English variants. The Global Model of English (Haswell 2013; Haswell & Hahn, 2016) encapsulates ELF interactional realities, and is aimed at being a tool for teachers, curriculum designers, and language policy makers. The model frames English performance in terms of communicative success rather than conformance to an arbitrary (most often native-speaker) standard. The model is particularly valuable in the AsiaPacific region, where many English variants exist, as it demonstrates the importance of transitioning from native-speaker-centric language education. To operationa...
The Language Teacher, 2013
Over the last several decades, the Japanese government, through the Course of Study guidelines pr... more Over the last several decades, the Japanese government, through the Course of Study guidelines promulgated by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Technology, has directed schools to include more communicative language teaching (CLT) in their English programs. These top‑down directives have met with mixed results. One commonly cited problem is that English teachers are rarely provided with sufficient training in CLT, and thus are unable to implement the new guidelines effectively. However, since other objections also play a role in the rejection of CLT, one question is whether or not increased training increases compliance with the guidelines. This paper examines two local contexts to determine the role that proper training can play. Specifically, it considers informal training provided at a public high school by an Assistant Language Teacher, along with training conducted by a Board of Education to prepare elementary school teachers to begin teaching foreign language cla...
Pacific Rim Objective Measurement Symposium (PROMS) 2012 Conference Proceeding, 2013
This research article reports on a descriptive case study that explored the power relations among... more This research article reports on a descriptive case study that explored the power relations among teenagers in an English class at a public school in Bogotá, Colombia. Data collected from field notes and students' opinions shared in journals and a questionnaire showed that these young learners were divided into dominant, passive, and marginalized groups. Findings indicated that the dominant groups' rude interruptions in class activities and bullying practices, such as gossiping and ridiculing, affected dominated students in a negative way. Submissive teenagers reduced their participation in class and were poorly engaged with the learning process. The research concludes that EFL education should not only be concerned about teaching language content, but should also consider students' social conflicts to improve academic performance.
Kumamoto University Sociocultural Research Bulletin, 2018
This paper analyzes how teachers of English in Japanese universities and their students are lexic... more This paper analyzes how teachers of English in Japanese universities and their students are lexically and grammatically represented in a large corpus of published lesson plans in order to better understand how teachers construct the power dynamic between these students and teachers. Using corpus linguistics tools with a critical discourse analysis framework, I found that teachers and students were represented in significantly different ways: while "students" were the most lexically frequent item in the corpus, "teachers" were often represented in grammatical constructions such as passives and imperatives that caused them to be lexically elided from the text. These elisions (contradictorily) both hid and reinforced the teacher's power. As a consequence, on the surface the corpus appears to be student-focused, but in fact it acts discursively to centralize teachers and naturalize teacher power in English language lessons. Keywords: English language instruction, critical discourse analysis, lesson plans, classroom power relationships, identity Even though the Japanese government does not require that tertiary institutions teach English classes (Nagatomo, 2012), it is nonetheless a compulsory subject at most Japanese universities (Agawa & Takeuchi, 2016; Poole, 2005). The lack of mandate, however, means that there is no standardization in what topics are taught or how they are taught, and, at least in my own experience, many of these choices are left to individual teachers. While there has been ample research looking holistically at education in Japan (from sociocultural and historical perspectives), at student interest or motivation, and at various teaching methodologies, the relative freedom in teaching practices indicates to me a need to look more closely at what teachers believe, how those beliefs shape their practices, and how practices and beliefs work in concert to produce and be produced by what teachers perceive "being a teacher" to mean-that is, what it means for them to identify as a teacher.
The New English Etacher, 2018
The Japanese government has made kokusaika, questionably translated as "internationalization," a ... more The Japanese government has made kokusaika, questionably translated as "internationalization," a cornerstone of all aspects of education, though the concept is particularly linked to foreign language study. However, official ideologies are not always directly translated into the ideologies present in classroom practice. In order to examine how the ideologies linked to kokusaika are or aren't enacted in university English classes in Japan, this project examines a large corpus of lesson plans published between 2011 and 2016 in The Language Teacher, the primary journal for the Japan Association for Language Teaching. Using a critical discourse analysis lens along with the tools of corpus linguistics, it was found that even though the issue of internationalization was rarely raised directly, nonetheless the discourse as a whole did perpetuate a number of the attitudes linked to kokusaika policy. In addition, a close analysis of lesson plans where the topic was raised provides insight into how specific linguistic and pedagogical choices on the part of the authors and editors can result in widely differing ideological consequences.
English language education policies throughout Asia typically operate on a deficiency model, wher... more English language education policies throughout Asia typically operate on a deficiency model, wherein differences from "native speaker" English are viewed as flaws requiring educational correction. Such a position overemphasizes aspects of English that are relatively unimportant in English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) communication, while simultaneously generating negative attitudes towards learning non-prestige English variants. The Global Model of English (Haswell 2013; Haswell & Hahn, 2016) encapsulates ELF interactional realities, and is aimed at being a tool for teachers, curriculum designers, and language policy makers. The model frames English performance in terms of communicative success rather than conformance to an arbitrary (most often native-speaker) standard. The model is particularly valuable in the Asia-Pacific region, where many English variants exist, as it demonstrates the importance of transitioning from native-speaker-centric language education. To operationalize the Global Model in educational spaces, we must determine practices that centralize intercultural communication while accounting for pre-existing language-related ideologies. To begin this process, a pilot study was conducted to gather from students in Japanese universities regarding their ideas about how to configure a globally focused language learning program. Results indicate that while students do not always share the desire for a fully globally focused curriculum, there do appear to be some areas of concordance on which new programs can be built that will move us towards greater internationalization.
The study of the uses and varieties of the English language has become more complex and user focu... more The study of the uses and varieties of the English language has become more complex and user focused over time. Historically, models produced to represent this have privileged nations who use English as a first language by making them the implicit source of the language. We argue that language models must account for context, individuals, language varieties (both shared and individual), and the overall comprehensibility of interaction. To aid all English language users, the Global Model discussed in this paper tracks English language use with reference to both speakers and language varieties and is designed to help teachers and students recognize the real-world linguistic landscape of global English use. We also suggest ways of teaching that help show that the most successful users of English should be considered to be those who can use English to bridge geographical, cultural, and discursive differences.
Over the last several decades, the Japanese government, through the Course of Study guidelines pr... more Over the last several decades, the Japanese government, through the Course of Study guidelines promulgated by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology, has directed schools to include more communicative language teaching (CLT) in their English programs. These top-down directives have met with mixed results. One commonly cited problem is that English teachers are rarely provided with sufficient training in CLT, and thus are unable to implement the new guidelines effectively. However, since other objections also play a role in the rejection of CLT, one question is whether or not increased training increases compliance with the guidelines. This paper examines two local contexts to determine the role that proper training can play. Specifically, it considers informal training provided at a public high school by an Assistant Language Teacher, along with training conducted by a Board of Education to prepare elementary school teachers to begin teaching foreign language classes.
Pacific Rim Objective Measurement Symposium (PROMS) 2012 Conference Proceeding, 2013
This study used many-faceted Rasch measurement to research peer assessment in EFL writing classes... more This study used many-faceted Rasch measurement to research peer assessment in EFL writing classes, following previous research which reported acceptance of the pedagogical benefits by students of attention paid to a rubric during peer assessment. Pre and post treatment writing was compared on two rubrics, one targeting specific instructional items, the second intended to measure general academic writing. Students used the instructional rubric to conduct peer assessment, but were not exposed to the secondary rubric. Substantively and statistically significant gains were observed on the instructional rubric but not on the secondary rubric, providing evidence of learning by assessing. Response patterns suggested holistic rating by peer raters, resulting in effective rank ordering of overall performances but an inability to provide formative feedback, supporting the view that the mechanism of learning was awareness arising from learning by assessing.
The Japanese government has made kokusaika, questionably translated as "internationalization... more The Japanese government has made kokusaika, questionably translated as "internationalization," a cornerstone of all aspects of education, though the concept is particularly linked to foreign language study. However, official ideologies are not always directly translated into the ideologies present in classroom practice. In order to examine how the ideologies linked to kokusaika are or aren't enacted in university English classes in Japan, this project examines a large corpus of lesson plans published between 2011 and 2016 in The Language Teacher , the primary journal for the Japan Association for Language Teaching. Using a critical discourse analysis lens along with the tools of corpus linguistics, it was found that even though the issue of internationalization was rarely raised directly, nonetheless the discourse as a whole did perpetuate a number of the attitudes linked to kokusaika policy. In addition, a close analysis of lesson plans where the topic was raised prov...
English language education policies throughout Asia typically operate on a deficiency model, wher... more English language education policies throughout Asia typically operate on a deficiency model, wherein differences from "native speaker" English are viewed as flaws requiring educational correction. Such a position overemphasizes aspects of English that are relatively unimportant in English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) communication, while simultaneously generating negative attitudes towards learning non-prestige English variants. The Global Model of English (Haswell 2013; Haswell & Hahn, 2016) encapsulates ELF interactional realities, and is aimed at being a tool for teachers, curriculum designers, and language policy makers. The model frames English performance in terms of communicative success rather than conformance to an arbitrary (most often native-speaker) standard. The model is particularly valuable in the AsiaPacific region, where many English variants exist, as it demonstrates the importance of transitioning from native-speaker-centric language education. To operationa...
The Language Teacher, 2013
Over the last several decades, the Japanese government, through the Course of Study guidelines pr... more Over the last several decades, the Japanese government, through the Course of Study guidelines promulgated by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Technology, has directed schools to include more communicative language teaching (CLT) in their English programs. These top‑down directives have met with mixed results. One commonly cited problem is that English teachers are rarely provided with sufficient training in CLT, and thus are unable to implement the new guidelines effectively. However, since other objections also play a role in the rejection of CLT, one question is whether or not increased training increases compliance with the guidelines. This paper examines two local contexts to determine the role that proper training can play. Specifically, it considers informal training provided at a public high school by an Assistant Language Teacher, along with training conducted by a Board of Education to prepare elementary school teachers to begin teaching foreign language cla...
Pacific Rim Objective Measurement Symposium (PROMS) 2012 Conference Proceeding, 2013
This research article reports on a descriptive case study that explored the power relations among... more This research article reports on a descriptive case study that explored the power relations among teenagers in an English class at a public school in Bogotá, Colombia. Data collected from field notes and students' opinions shared in journals and a questionnaire showed that these young learners were divided into dominant, passive, and marginalized groups. Findings indicated that the dominant groups' rude interruptions in class activities and bullying practices, such as gossiping and ridiculing, affected dominated students in a negative way. Submissive teenagers reduced their participation in class and were poorly engaged with the learning process. The research concludes that EFL education should not only be concerned about teaching language content, but should also consider students' social conflicts to improve academic performance.
Kumamoto University Sociocultural Research Bulletin, 2018
This paper analyzes how teachers of English in Japanese universities and their students are lexic... more This paper analyzes how teachers of English in Japanese universities and their students are lexically and grammatically represented in a large corpus of published lesson plans in order to better understand how teachers construct the power dynamic between these students and teachers. Using corpus linguistics tools with a critical discourse analysis framework, I found that teachers and students were represented in significantly different ways: while "students" were the most lexically frequent item in the corpus, "teachers" were often represented in grammatical constructions such as passives and imperatives that caused them to be lexically elided from the text. These elisions (contradictorily) both hid and reinforced the teacher's power. As a consequence, on the surface the corpus appears to be student-focused, but in fact it acts discursively to centralize teachers and naturalize teacher power in English language lessons. Keywords: English language instruction, critical discourse analysis, lesson plans, classroom power relationships, identity Even though the Japanese government does not require that tertiary institutions teach English classes (Nagatomo, 2012), it is nonetheless a compulsory subject at most Japanese universities (Agawa & Takeuchi, 2016; Poole, 2005). The lack of mandate, however, means that there is no standardization in what topics are taught or how they are taught, and, at least in my own experience, many of these choices are left to individual teachers. While there has been ample research looking holistically at education in Japan (from sociocultural and historical perspectives), at student interest or motivation, and at various teaching methodologies, the relative freedom in teaching practices indicates to me a need to look more closely at what teachers believe, how those beliefs shape their practices, and how practices and beliefs work in concert to produce and be produced by what teachers perceive "being a teacher" to mean-that is, what it means for them to identify as a teacher.
The New English Etacher, 2018
The Japanese government has made kokusaika, questionably translated as "internationalization," a ... more The Japanese government has made kokusaika, questionably translated as "internationalization," a cornerstone of all aspects of education, though the concept is particularly linked to foreign language study. However, official ideologies are not always directly translated into the ideologies present in classroom practice. In order to examine how the ideologies linked to kokusaika are or aren't enacted in university English classes in Japan, this project examines a large corpus of lesson plans published between 2011 and 2016 in The Language Teacher, the primary journal for the Japan Association for Language Teaching. Using a critical discourse analysis lens along with the tools of corpus linguistics, it was found that even though the issue of internationalization was rarely raised directly, nonetheless the discourse as a whole did perpetuate a number of the attitudes linked to kokusaika policy. In addition, a close analysis of lesson plans where the topic was raised provides insight into how specific linguistic and pedagogical choices on the part of the authors and editors can result in widely differing ideological consequences.
English language education policies throughout Asia typically operate on a deficiency model, wher... more English language education policies throughout Asia typically operate on a deficiency model, wherein differences from "native speaker" English are viewed as flaws requiring educational correction. Such a position overemphasizes aspects of English that are relatively unimportant in English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) communication, while simultaneously generating negative attitudes towards learning non-prestige English variants. The Global Model of English (Haswell 2013; Haswell & Hahn, 2016) encapsulates ELF interactional realities, and is aimed at being a tool for teachers, curriculum designers, and language policy makers. The model frames English performance in terms of communicative success rather than conformance to an arbitrary (most often native-speaker) standard. The model is particularly valuable in the Asia-Pacific region, where many English variants exist, as it demonstrates the importance of transitioning from native-speaker-centric language education. To operationalize the Global Model in educational spaces, we must determine practices that centralize intercultural communication while accounting for pre-existing language-related ideologies. To begin this process, a pilot study was conducted to gather from students in Japanese universities regarding their ideas about how to configure a globally focused language learning program. Results indicate that while students do not always share the desire for a fully globally focused curriculum, there do appear to be some areas of concordance on which new programs can be built that will move us towards greater internationalization.
The study of the uses and varieties of the English language has become more complex and user focu... more The study of the uses and varieties of the English language has become more complex and user focused over time. Historically, models produced to represent this have privileged nations who use English as a first language by making them the implicit source of the language. We argue that language models must account for context, individuals, language varieties (both shared and individual), and the overall comprehensibility of interaction. To aid all English language users, the Global Model discussed in this paper tracks English language use with reference to both speakers and language varieties and is designed to help teachers and students recognize the real-world linguistic landscape of global English use. We also suggest ways of teaching that help show that the most successful users of English should be considered to be those who can use English to bridge geographical, cultural, and discursive differences.
Over the last several decades, the Japanese government, through the Course of Study guidelines pr... more Over the last several decades, the Japanese government, through the Course of Study guidelines promulgated by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology, has directed schools to include more communicative language teaching (CLT) in their English programs. These top-down directives have met with mixed results. One commonly cited problem is that English teachers are rarely provided with sufficient training in CLT, and thus are unable to implement the new guidelines effectively. However, since other objections also play a role in the rejection of CLT, one question is whether or not increased training increases compliance with the guidelines. This paper examines two local contexts to determine the role that proper training can play. Specifically, it considers informal training provided at a public high school by an Assistant Language Teacher, along with training conducted by a Board of Education to prepare elementary school teachers to begin teaching foreign language classes.
Pacific Rim Objective Measurement Symposium (PROMS) 2012 Conference Proceeding, 2013
This study used many-faceted Rasch measurement to research peer assessment in EFL writing classes... more This study used many-faceted Rasch measurement to research peer assessment in EFL writing classes, following previous research which reported acceptance of the pedagogical benefits by students of attention paid to a rubric during peer assessment. Pre and post treatment writing was compared on two rubrics, one targeting specific instructional items, the second intended to measure general academic writing. Students used the instructional rubric to conduct peer assessment, but were not exposed to the secondary rubric. Substantively and statistically significant gains were observed on the instructional rubric but not on the secondary rubric, providing evidence of learning by assessing. Response patterns suggested holistic rating by peer raters, resulting in effective rank ordering of overall performances but an inability to provide formative feedback, supporting the view that the mechanism of learning was awareness arising from learning by assessing.