Associate Professor Yukiko Yamamoto (NipCA project) attended the 67th Annual Meeting of the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES) in Miami, FL, USA, from March 6 to 14, 2024.
The CIES is one of the largest international conferences in the field of comparative education studies attended by over 4000 members from 120 countries. The conference was scheduled for online (March 6-7) and onsite (March 10-14), and Professor Yamamoto participated in the onsite venue to present her research. The theme of this year’s conference was “The Power of Protest”.
On the fourth day of the conference, Wednesday, March 13, Prof. Yamamoto presented a paper entitled “English Medium Instruction in Japanese Higher Education: Issues and Expectations for the “Dejima” Model of English-Taught Degree Programs” in the session “Spotlight on International Students: Perspectives from East Asia”. This research was based on the results of a survey on the English-taught program in Japan, as the Japanese EMI program developed in a unique way.
She explained that the English accent of the instructors tends to be identified as a challenge for the international students; however, it is not a critical problem. Rather, instructors should work on clarity and creating an interactive atmosphere so that students can participate in classroom activities. Prof. Yamamoto was also asked to serve as a session chair. Since this event marked her first on-site attendance in the past 6 years, Professor Yamamoto enjoyed participating in various sessions and interacting with researchers from all over the world.
