Understanding the In-class Behavior Patterns of Japanese University Students in EFL Classes: A Foreign English Teacher’s Perspective

This article identifies and examines the in-class behavior patterns of Japanese university students in English as a foreign language (EFL) classes at the tertiary level. In any classroom setting, teachers may feel dissatisfaction when their expectations of learners’ in-class behaviors are incongruent with those actually displayed by the learners. For foreign EFL teachers teaching in Japanese universities, this incongruency can reveal itself in the form of a teacher-perceived lack of activity and initiative demonstrated by their learners. In order to overcome these feelings of dissatisfaction with Japanese university learners’ behaviors in university EFL settings, it is necessary to identify what these in-class behavior patterns are and understand why they exist. Upon recognizing and understanding the type of in-class behavior patterns and the related attitudes brought forth by learners into the Japanese university EFL classroom, teachers can then formulate and implement more learner-inclusive expectations and pedagogical practices that are more suitable for their teaching environment.