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The Changing Self-Perceptions of Japanese University Students of English

University of Ulster

Hiroaki Maki

Kyoto and Kyoto University

Traditionally, Japanese learners of English (JLEs) were regarded as poor language learners who underachieved in international comparisons, and cultural factors were often blamed for their underperformance. A university group of JLEs (N = 259) was investigated to discover whether their attitudes toward language learning are becoming more flexible and communicatively oriented. A growing trend of self-assertiveness was found, especially among females who are twice as willing as males to rate themselves good at speaking. Many men students value correctness over fluency (which may impede communicative competence), feel quiet and shy in English classrooms, and assess their English competence more negatively than their female counterparts do. Women enjoy the lessons of Anglophone assistant English teachers much more than men. Both genders are moving away from the traditional reticence and passivity, but there is a divergence between males and females in their attitudes toward language learning.

Key Words: Japan • language learners • gender • English • self-perception • universities

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