Position |
Associate Professor |
Degree |
Doctor of Education(University of Liverpool), Master of Arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages(Monterey Institute of International Studies), Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy(Tufts University, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy), Certificat d'études internationales(Graduate Institute of International Studies, Geneva), Bachelor of Arts in Economics and International Area Studies(University of California, Los Angeles--UCLA) |
Research Field |
Argumentative and Persuasive Discourse in Debating through Collaborative E-learning Projects, Humanities & Social Sciences / Education |
External Link |
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Graduating School 【 display / non-display 】
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University of California, Los Angeles--UCLA Economics Economics, International Area Studies Graduated
1992.1 - 1995.12
Graduate School 【 display / non-display 】
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University of Liverpool Higher Education Higher Education Doctor's Course Completed
2012.9 - 2017.6
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Monterey Institute of International Studies Second Language Acquisition Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages Master's Course Completed
2002.1 - 2003.5
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Tufts University, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy Law and Diplomacy Law and Diplomacy Master's Course Completed
1997.9 - 1999.11
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Graduate Institute of International Studies, Geneva International Economics International Economics Master's Course Completed
1998.10 - 1999.10
Studying abroad experiences 【 display / non-display 】
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1994.1-1994.6
L'institut Catholique de Paris
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1993.9-1994.1
L'université de Paris Sorbonne
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1993.9-1994.8
IES Abroad Paris French Studies
Campus Career 【 display / non-display 】
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KONAN UNIVERSITY University Office Associate Professor
2018.4
External Career 【 display / non-display 】
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Kobe University
2012.4 - 2018.3
Country:Japan
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Kwansei Gakuin University Language Center
2008.9 - 2012.3
Country:Japan
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International Trade Institute
2003.6 - 2008.8
Country:Taiwan, Province of China
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Monterey Institute of International Studies Custom Language Services
2002.4 - 2003.5
Country:United States
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Monterey Institute of International Studies Center for Nonproliferation Studies
2002.1 - 2003.5
Country:United States
Professional Memberships 【 display / non-display 】
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Japan Association for Language Teaching
2011.11
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Teachers Helping Teachers
2009.2
Research Career 【 display / non-display 】
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Argumentative and Persuasive Discourse in Debating through Collaborative E-learning Projects
Grant-in-Aid for Creative Scientific Research
Project Year: 2016.4 - 2019.4
Papers 【 display / non-display 】
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The professional development of limited-term contract teachers at Japanese universities
Marian Wang
Memoirs of the Center for Education in General Studies, Konan University ( 2 ) 15 - 24 2024.3
Single Work
Limited-term contract positions at Japanese universities have been on the rise since the mid-1990s, whereas tenured positions have been in decline (Talbot & Mercer, 2018). Limited-term contract positions for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers vary in what they offer teachers regarding the duration of the contract, the amount of research and other budgets, salary, bonuses, time commitment on campus, number of classes to teach in a week, and extra duties outside of the classroom. EFL teachers who are employed as limited-term contract lecturers or professors at Japanese universities often move from one short-term contract position to another while finding ways to develop as educators and researchers. This is a phenomenological qualitative study that explores the lived experiences and the professional goals and concerns of limited-term contract teachers at Japanese higher education institutions who were surveyed and interviewed about their professional development goals and concerns. The findings from this study were analyzed and interpreted applying Biesta et al.’s (2015) agency model of the past, present, and future while situating them within three thematic categories—life and professional histories, concerns, and future aspirations.
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The motivational journey of Japanese foreign language learners
Marian Wang
Memoirs of the Center for Education in General Studies, Konan University ( 1 ) 1 - 12 2023.3
Single Work
Japanese is ranked as one of the hardest languages to learn, especially for English native speakers (U.S. Department of State, 2009). Despite the challenges involved in learning Japanese as a Foreign Language (JFL), Japanese remains a popular choice among foreign language learners around the world for various reasons including interest in Japanese culture and the language itself (Fukasaku, 2016). In this qualitative study, four international students who participated in a summer JFL program at a private university in Japan were surveyed and interviewed about their motivation of learning Japanese prior to coming to Japan, during their two-month stay in Japan, and after their return to the United States or Canada. The international students’ motivational journeys were analyzed using Dörnyei et al.’s (2015) directed motivational currents (DMCs) model, which exemplifies how surges in motivation could assist foreign language learners in achieving their, past, immediate, and future goals of mastering a foreign language. DMCs were most apparent during their stay in Japan and immediately after returning to the United States or Canada. Their surge in motivation was due to the interactions they had with host family members, their peers who were highly motivated to learn Japanese, and Japanese students. Upon returning the United States or Canada, the students discovered ways to interact with Japanese native speakers to sustain their motivation to learn Japanese. Although many of the international students did not clearly specify how they would be using Japanese in their future, they all had hopes of returning to Japan.
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Student perceptions on the use of Microsoft Teams at a Japanese university in a post COVID-19 world Reviewed
Michael Lin and Marian Wang
Kobe JALT Journal 4 ( 1 ) 17 - 43 2023.1
Joint Work
Authorship:Corresponding author
In a post COVID-19 world the delivery of English education in Japan has transformed significantly. Many English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classes in higher education institutions (HEIs) in Japan have been adopting various online tools and learning management systems (LMSs) to help facilitate English language learning. Microsoft Teams (MS Teams) is one of the many technologies utilized to help facilitate English language acquisition of L2 university students. The purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate student perceptions using MS Teams in a post COVID-19 environment. An anonymous Google Forms survey was conducted with 59 university students at a Japanese University in Hyogo at the end of the Spring 2022 semester. It was found that students viewed the software as slightly difficult at the start of the term but quickly gained confidence and attained positive perceptions of the platform towards the end of the semester.
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Expanding collaborative project-based learning projects across courses, teachers, and students Reviewed
Marian Wang
THT Journal 11 ( 1 ) 6 - 28 2023
Single Work
Project-based learning (PBL) is student-centered learning in real-world contexts. PBL has often been connected to the acquisition of 21st century skills (Bell, 2010) that may include critical and creative thinking, problem solving, collaboration, communication, and global citizenship. In this qualitative study using evaluation research (Suchman, 1968), English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students from two Global Topics classes (n= 20) at a private university in Japan were asked to reflect on their learning over 15 weeks by completing an online survey that focused on the tasks at hand and challenges they had encountered throughout the semester. As the course was founded on PBL and project-based instruction (PBI), their reflections and the author’s reflections from teaching the course with a team of three other teachers were analyzed in connection with Buck Institute for Education’s (n.d.) seven essential elements of PBL design—problem solving, inquiry, authenticity, student voice and choice, reflection, critique and revision, and public product.
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Moving from discussions to debates in an EFL global topics course
Marian Wang
The Journal of the Institute for Language and Culture 25 57 - 76 2022
Authorship:Lead author
Debating enhances critical thinking, teamwork, collaboration, open-mindedness, communication (Goodwin, 2003), soft skills (Aclan, Abd Aziz, & Valdez, 2016), and friendly competitive skills (Amiri, Othman, & Jahedi, 2017). To prepare Japanese English as a Foreign Language (EFL) university students to become critical debaters, they participated in discussions where they learned how to voice their opinions before having to defend their side and challenge their opponent’s perspectives in a debate. The aim of this study was to see how Japanese university students felt about developing their discussion and debating skills in a Global Topics course at a private university in Japan. Students reported feeling positive about the experience of learning how to discuss controversial topics before moving onto debating in English. Their success in this project could be attributed to the quantity and quality of preparation that they did. However, they faced various challenges such as when they had to anticipate, ask, and respond to questions when debating. Changes in the implementation of future projects will be made based on the feedback received from these students.
Books and Other Publications 【 display / non-display 】
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Internationalization within Higher Education Perspectives from Japan
Elizabeth Stigger, Marian Wang, David Laurence, Anna Bordilovskaya( Role: Joint author)
Springer 2018.4 ( ISBN:978-981-10-8254-2 )
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Little errors, big communication problems
WANG MARIAN
International Trade Institute 2006.8
This is a book that introduces the common errors made by Chinese speakers of English. Each page introduces the error, explains the error, and has some dialogues to help the reader understand how to make the corrections necessary. There are CDs that accompany the textbook.
Review Papers (Misc) 【 display / non-display 】
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Follow-up with Dr. Stephen D. Krashen on some current issues in second/foreign language Reviewed
Marian Wang
The Language Teacher 4 ( 3 ) 17 - 19 2022.5
Authorship:Lead author Publisher:The Japan Association for Language Teaching
Kobe JALT, Kyoto JALT, and Osaka JALT jointly sponsored Dr. Stephen D. Krashen to Japan in December of 2019. He spoke to approximately 100 people at Konan University’s Nishinomiya Campus. The questions he focused on during his lecture were: Is there a gift/special talent for language acquisition? Is “immersion” best? Should we force students to speak more? What about writing? And, what about accent? JALT’s membership chair prepared a form for participants to write down questions for Dr. Krashen. The questions received responses and have been modified for brevity and accuracy.
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Dr. Krashen answers questions on The Comprehension Hypothesis Extended
WANG MARIAN
The Language Teacher 37 ( 1 ) 25 - 28 2013.1
Publisher:The Japan Association for Language Teaching
This is an interview article where questions from The Japan Association for Language Teaching (JALT) members were compiled, analyzed, and organized. Dr. Stephen Krashen expanded on his lecture on The Comprehension Hypothesis Extended.
Presentations 【 display / non-display 】
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Expanding collaborative project-based learning projects across courses
Marian Wang
The 33rd International Symposium on English Language Teaching and Learning ETA-ROC, Yuan Ze University & TESPA (Chien Tan Overseas Youth Activity Center, Taipei, Taiwan) 2024.11 English Teachers’ Association-Republic of China
Event date: 2024.11
Country:Taiwan, Province of China
The aim of this presentation is to share results from a qualitative study using evaluation research (Suchman, 1968). English as a Foreign Language students from two Global Topics (GT) classes (n= 20) at a private university in Japan were asked to reflect on their learning by completing an online survey that focused on the tasks at hand and challenges they had encountered throughout the semester. Team teaching with other teachers who were teaching the course was a recent development in the program. All four teachers collaborated and created a course where students not only benefited from working in class on projects but also across classes by giving PowerPoint presentations to each other and using Microsoft TEAMS. Throughout the term, the teachers used TEAMS where they shared survey links from their class, asked questions, and clarified deadlines. The capstone project was a student conference attended by students from all four GT classes and other visitors. Student reflections and the presenter’s reflections from teaching the course with a team were analyzed in connection with Buck Institute for Education’s (n.d.) seven essential elements of PBL design—problem solving, inquiry, authenticity, student voice and choice, reflection, critique and revision, and public product.
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Marian Wang
2024 CFLL International Conference on Transition and Transformation: Explorations in Language, Literature, Culture, and Translation ( Fu Jen Catholic University, Taipei, Taiwan) 2024.11 College of Foreign Languages and Literatures Fu Jen Catholic University
Event date: 2024.11
Country:Taiwan, Province of China
English as a Foreign Language (EFL) professionals are attracted to teaching English for various reasons such as having work-life balance, earning a competitive salary, and teaching a language they love (Shih, 2016). In this qualitative study, three Asian American EFL teachers and an Asian Australian EFL teacher were interviewed about their experience working at Japanese higher education institutions. Their stories were situated within Wenger’s (1998) three modes of belonging to a community of practice—engagement, imagination, and alignment. The teachers in this study discovered that in order to be engaged in the EFL field as active professionals, they needed to build on their background not only as a teacher but also as a researcher (Burns & Westmacott, 2018), while negotiating their Professional Identity (PI) (Mannes, 2020; Tsui, 2007). They reflected on their PI and critical incidents (Lengeling & Mora Pablo, 2016), which helped mold their imagined identities as minority stakeholders in the EFL field. Their reflections showed that despite not fulfilling the phenotypical requirement of the White native EFL teacher (Kusaka, 2014), they brought in their unique lived experiences (Mapp, 2008) into the classroom. They also aligned themselves with global EFL practitioners by embedding World Englishes, migration, and diversity issues into their teaching and hiring practices.
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Expanding collaborative project-based learning projects across courses
Marian Wang
20th Annual CamTESOL Conference on English Language Teaching (Institute of Technology of Cambodia (ITC) (Phnom Penh, Cambodia)) 2024.2 IDP Education (Cambodia) Ltd.
Event date: 2024.2
Country:Cambodia
Project-based learning (PBL) is student-centered learning in real-world contexts. PBL has often been connected to the acquisition of 21st century skills (Bell, 2010) such as critical and creative thinking, problem solving, collaboration, communication, and global citizenship. The aim of this presentation is to share results from a qualitative study using evaluation research (Suchman, 1968). English as a Foreign Language students from two Global Topics classes (n= 20) at a private university in Japan were asked to reflect on their learning over 15 weeks by completing an online survey that focused on the tasks at hand and challenges they had encountered throughout the semester. As the course was founded on PBL and project-based instruction (PBI), their reflections and the author’s reflections from teaching the course with a team of three other teachers were analyzed in connection with Buck Institute for Education’s (n.d.) seven essential elements of PBL design—problem solving, inquiry, authenticity, student voice and choice, reflection, critique and revision, and public product. Reflections showed that students were able to build on their 21st century skills including problem solving, leadership, collaboration, and reflective skills when working towards their public product for a wider Community of Practice.
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The lived experiences of Asian American/Australian teachers Invited
Marian Wang
JALT2023 International Conference: Growth Mindset in Language Education (Tsukuba International Congress Center (Epochal Tsukuba), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan) 2023.11 The Japan Association for Language Teaching
Event date: 2023.11
English as a Foreign Language (EFL) professionals are attracted to teaching English for various reasons such as having work-life balance, earning a competitive salary, and teaching a language they love (Shih, 2016). In this qualitative study, three Asian American EFL teachers and an Asian Australian EFL teacher were interviewed about their experience working at Japanese higher education institutions. Their stories were situated within Wenger’s (1998) three modes of belonging to a community of practice—engagement, imagination, and alignment. The teachers in this study discovered that in order to be engaged in the EFL field as active professionals, they needed to build on their background not only as a teacher but also as a researcher (Burns & Westmacott, 2018), while negotiating their Professional Identity (PI) (Mannes, 2020; Tsui, 2007). They reflected on their PI and critical incidents (Lengeling & Mora Pablo, 2016), which helped mold their imagined identities as minority stakeholders in the EFL field. Their reflections showed that despite not fulfilling the phenotypical requirement of the White native EFL teacher (Kusaka, 2014), they brought in their unique lived experiences (Mapp, 2008) into the classroom. They also aligned themselves with global EFL practitioners by embedding World Englishes, migration, and diversity issues into their teaching and hiring practices.
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Engaging EFL students in collaborative presentation projects
Marian Wang
THT-BELTA 2023 17th Annual Teacher Development Conference, Language Teaching: Insights for Changing Landscapes (Zoom, University of Asia Pacific Dhaka, Comilla University Cumilla) 2023.10 BELTA, THT
Event date: 2023.10
Country:Bangladesh
The aim of this presentation is to demonstrate how students in an EFL Global Topics course worked together on a research project that included choosing a global topic, coming up with a research question, finding and summarizing articles on the global topic, creating an online survey to unearth the attitudes of classmates on their global topic, and giving PowerPoint presentations in class and poster presentations at a conference. The conference was added this year so that students from all four Global Topics classes could share what they had learned to a wider audience. Students mentioned that this was their first time giving poster presentations and found them challenging compared to PowerPoint presentations because they did not know what questions they would be asked, they had to give their short presentation many times, their audience came at various time slots, and they had to stand for approximately 90 minutes. Their experience illustrated that poster presentations could be used more in coordinated programs so that EFL students could raise their awareness of the various ways of giving presentations in professional settings.
本プレゼンテーションの目的は、EFLグローバルトピックの学生が、グローバルトピックの選択、リサーチクエスチョンの設定、グローバルトピックに関する論文の調査・要約、クラスメイトのグローバルトピックに対する見解を明らかにするためのオンライン調査の作成、授業内でのパワーポイントによるプレゼンテーション発表、カンファレンスでのポスター発表を含むリサーチプロジェクトにどのように共同して取り組んだかを示すことである。カンファレンスは、四つのグローバルトピックの授業の学生が自らの学びをより広範なオーディエンスと共有するために今年度に追加されたものである。学生はポスター発表が初めてであり、どのような質問がされるのか分からず、短いプレゼンテーションを何度もしなければならず、オーディエンスもさまざまなタイムスロットに訪れ、約90分間立っていなければならなかったという理由から、パワーポイントによるプレゼンテーションに比べると難しかったと述べた。学生たちの経験は、ポスター発表を調整されたプログラムでさらに活用することで、EFL学生が職場でプレゼンテーションを行うさまざまな方法について意識を高めることができることを例証している。
Academic Awards Received 【 display / non-display 】
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Best of JALT
2011.11 The Japan Association for Language Teaching
Marian Wang, Scott Bean
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6th Most Useful and 4th Most Enjoyable presentation (CamTESOL)
2011.3 CamTESOL
Marian Wang