A reflective analysis of pre-course pedagogical
considerations for teaching a business
English course in Japan
by Damian John Rivers
- 4

The Analysis

In addition to theoretical approaches, the current SBAK+ identified motivational factors as a key issue. In the current context the student population had a combination of both integrative and instrumental motivations. The integrative motivation of living in an English speaking foreign community is present in most EFL learners within Japan, although it only becomes a reality for a small number. The single most dominant motivation for this particular student group was career progression as shown in the SBAK+. The students are often required to communicate in English with overseas factories or customers; this is in the form of telephone, e-mail and videoconference communications. An additional instrumental motivation was that if the students could obtain a TOEIC score of over 600 then they would have an increased chance of being selected for overseas deployment which is considered very favorable in terms of life experience and career advancement. As the current class members all had a TOEIC score of over 600, I believed that both integrative and instrumental motivations would play a relatively equal role.

With the TBAK+ analysis I believed that I had two core motivations for providing a quality, satisfying course. The most prominent motivation was that of financial gain. If the course were judged to be a success by the students then the company would offer me subsequent courses. This unfortunately meant that, as a teacher I tended to pamper to the students' needs and requests a little more than I would usually do. This method of student feedback concerning the teacher’s performance is commonplace within Japan and must be a consideration for all teacher behaviors with the classroom. As a partial method of ensuring student satisfaction the students were also given freedom to choose their own textbook, even though I know that the majority of students do not know what they need to achieve their goals. As a teacher who often has total control over material selection and lesson structure I often question my own beliefs regarding student needs and progression. As Barkhuizen, (1988) found in his research on student perceptions of teaching techniques, the teacher is frequently wrong about which activities students find the most motivating. The implications for both student and teacher at this stage are huge. If a teacher can become more aware of where their learners are coming from, how they approach language learning, what they feel about their language learning experiences, and how they like to learn the language, they will be able to facilitate the desired learning outcomes in the classroom more efficiently. Likewise the student has a responsibility to communicate their preferences to the teacher so that the teacher has an opportunity to adapt their own beliefs, attitudes and approach to the class. For the current program I essentially shifted responsibility away from myself in giving the students more freedom of choice, but the power of financial motivation in this case remained dominant. The second teacher motivation was the desire to share knowledge and assist student progression. I had a good understanding of the students' problems based on previous experiences and truly believed that I could offer a number of practical solutions to them. Within the classroom environment were a number of significant extrinsic factors that were beyond my control. The classroom environment, temperature, lighting, chair comfort and other ergonomic issues can all act to shape teacher/student motivation and concentration. In the current situation the only one that presented a significant problem was classroom temperature. The particular electronics company has a policy that forbids air-conditioning to be used at any temperature lower than 28 degrees, which means that the classroom environment becomes very hot. This is often on my mind and I take time to drink water and fan myself down during the class, all of which is effecting the teacher-student interaction. Students also commented on the heat factor at least 2/3 times per class, which demonstrates a conscious awareness of the environment affecting them both physically and mentally.

Being in a Japanese company environment additional social factors also played a role in the formulation of any teacher-student interaction. Social role and status are considered very important in establishing a system of power. Usually age equates to status, the older you are the more status and power you have. This represents the 'sempai-kouhai' relationship that can be observed within any Japanese corporation. Immediately, I was breaking one of these golden social rules, as I was only 28, I was the youngest person in the classroom but at the same time I was in a position of authority and superior language knowledge. This required a great deal of modesty and sensitivity on my part in order to avoid any conflict or ill will. Based on previous experiences I have found this to be a problem only when dealing with 1) very low-level students or 2) students who are over 50 years old. A counteracting positive social aspect was that I am a native English speaker which immediately demands respect within Japanese society, it also identifies me as non-Japanese and as such tends to exclude me from the usually system of social interaction.

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