We are pleased to announce that our 5th TEFL Praxis Conference will be held at Kaiyu Conference Center, Kochi, Japan. Darren Lingley, Kochi University, will serve as Conference Chair.

Our conference registration and welcome reception, conference plenary, research presentations, and Executive Council meetings are set for November 21-23 (in-person). Conference program and abstracts will be posted soon.

Send your conference presentation proposal to: office ‘at’ telfpraxis.org. The deadline is 10.31. 2025.

5th International TEFL Praxis Conference information

Dates: November 21-23, 2025
In person conference: Kaiyu Conference Center

Keynote Speaker
Naomi Wilks-Smith, RMIT University, Methodological Considerations for Translanguaging in Varied Contexts

Conference Fees

  • Full in-person (includes icebreaker reception; *does not include accommodation) Members: 20,000 / Non-members: 25,000
  • Full in-person (student) Members: 7,000 yen / Non-members: 10,000 yen

Register for the conference
To register for the conference, please send an email to: office ‘at’ teflpraxis.org by November 10, 2025. Include your name & conference option from above. Payment instructions and invoice details will be provided after email registration and conference payment have been completed.

Presentation Proposals
Accepting presentation proposals related to the following themes:

  • Classroom-based TEFL research
  • Best practice pedagogical approaches/rationales
  • Researcher-practitioner collaboration in TEFL
  • Exploratory practice
  • Action research
  • Interpretive research
  • Technology in TEFL classrooms

Send proposals to office ‘at’ teflpraxis.org. Include your name, affiliation, title (concise titles only: 10 words maximum), abstract (150 words or less) and bio (max 50 words).

Conference Program (all times JST)

Friday, November 21

17:00-20:00: Arrival, registration,and ice breaker/welcome reception

Registration starts at 17:00 and closes at 20:00. Ice breaker/welcome reception starts at 18:00.

Saturday, November 22

9:30-10:30: Election Committee Meeting

10:30-11:30: Election and confirmation of 2026-2030 TEFL Praxis Association Executive Council officers and announcement of appointed positions

11:30-13:00: Lunch Tomo’s Drive-in (American style)

13:00-13:30: Welcome, Set-up and Opening Address
Conference Chair: Darren Lingley (Kochi University)

13:30-14:30: Plenary Lecture
Naomi Wilks-Smith, RMIT University

Methodological Considerations for Translanguaging in Varied Contexts
Translanguaging is gaining widespread traction as a methodological approach to invite all learners’ languages into classrooms and use them as pedagogical learning tools. This approach proves particularly beneficial for learners of an additional language in that language dominant context, such as when learning English as an additional language in Australia. Less is known about the value of translanguaging in classrooms where the target language is not the dominant language, for example when learning Japanese as an additional language in Australia or learning English as an additional language in Japan. This presentation interrogates the purposes and value of translanguaging in such non-target language contexts, and the impacts of context on opportunities for learners’ language use and the learning benefits.

14:30-15:00: Research presentation
Matthew Miller, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies

Creating Self-Correction Activities from a Spoken Error Corpus

This study explores methods for collating spoken errors, creating effective EFL learning materials, increasing student awareness of common errors, and promoting self-correction. One challenge faced by EFL instructors is delivering effective correction and feedback, particularly in large classes. For two and a half years, spoken errors from twelve university first-year classes in a multi-departmental speaking and listening course were collected, analyzed, and used to develop exercises tailored to those same students. These exercises highlighted common errors, allowing students to engage in self-correction. It is believed that by exposing students to their own mistakes, encouraging self-correction, and fostering self-awareness, error frequency can be reduced. At the end of the study, a questionnaire was distributed to approximately 100 students to assess the effectiveness of this approach.

15:00-15:30: Break

15:30-16:00: Research presentation
Gerardine McCrohan (Kagawa University)
Jamese Broxholme (Kagawa University)
Gareth Perkins (Kwansei Gakuin University)

Can IELTS Preparation Foster International Posture?

This study examines how intensive three-day speaking and writing IELTS workshops can serve not only as test preparation but also as an opportunity to enhance university students’ International Posture (IP), their openness to global perspectives, and confidence in intercultural communication. Participants in the IELTS workshops (n = 33) reported significantly higher IP scores than students enrolled in Medical English (n = 29) and Cross-Cultural Communication (n = 16) courses. A small number of repeat participants also showed measurable growth in IP, suggesting that attitudes toward international engagement can develop even through short, targeted experiences. From a teaching perspective, these results highlight the pedagogical value of incorporating IELTS-style speaking tasks and discussions of global issues into regular English classes. Such integration can simultaneously strengthenstudents’ test readiness while also enhancing their intercultural awareness, two complementary goals of modern English education in Japan.

Gerardine McCrohan is an Associate Professor based in the Center for Higher Education at Kagawa University. Her research is focused on motivation and self-access learning.

James Broxholme is an Adjunct Lecturer at Kagawa University. His research interests include neurolinguistics, cognitive linguistics, and teacher development.

Gareth Perkins is a Visiting Lecturer in the Center for Higher Education at Kagawa University. His research interests include creative writing, L2 writing and self-access learning.

16:00-17:00: Classroom Practice Workshop

Sean Burgoine and Darren Lingley, Kochi University

Practical Ideas for Integrating Extensive Reading into University Language Curriculums

In this workshop, we will first situate the importance of ER within EFL pedagogy, and then outline two in-house, limited-intensity EFL language curriculums, the English Program for International Communication (EPIC) and the follow-on advanced EPIC Plus Program, showing how ER has been imbedded in these respective courses of study in diverging ways – from a soft, or more purist, approach in the EPIC Program to a more critical approach to ER in EPIC Plus which selectively challenges some core ER principles based on course aims. We will discuss how Extensive Reading, in varying forms, girds our overall curriculum structure, and provide working examples of ER in the language classroom.

Sean Burgoine is Associate Professor (Applied Linguistics) in the International Studies Course at Kochi University, Japan. His research interests include Pedagogic Phonetics and Phonology, World Englishes, and the use of English as a Lingua Franca.

Darren Lingley is Professor of Intercultural Communication in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at Kochi University, Japan. His research explores the concept of ‘authenticity’ in ELT, and how language teachers pedagogically mediate authentic texts, materials and experiences. Primary research interests include analysis of spoken language and intercultural pragmatics.

18:00-20:00: Awards ceremony and conference banquet (Kaiyu Inn)

Sunday, November 23

09:00-09:20: Research presentation
Exploring Beliefs, Attitudes, and Experiences of Generative AI in Education

Paul Daniels, Kochi University of Technology, Japan

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into the communicative language classroom requires a thoughtful approach that balances its advantages with its potential drawbacks. This presentation will first provide an overview of communicative language learning, which emphasizes authentic interaction and learner-centered communication. The presenter then examines potential drawbacks of AI, such as cognitive debt—when learners depend too heavily on technology, diminishing active thinking and language processing. The presenter draws parallels between current concerns about AI and those that arose during the Industrial Revolution, highlighting themes of productivity versus purpose, social inequality, and educational reform. Finally, the presentation explores the benefits of AI in the communicative classroom, such as personalized feedback, increased interaction opportunities, and data-driven insights that support teachers and learners in achieving more effective communication.

Paul Daniels is a Professor of English at Kochi University of Technology in Kochi, Japan. He is currently on the Editorial Board of international journals such the CALL Journal, the JALTCALL Journal, and TEFL Praxis Journal. He has published extensively in language learning and technology. His research focuses on project-based learning and CALL.

09:20-9:40: Research presentation
Dana Lingley, Kochi University, Japan
Reflective Practice and Peer Learning in EMI: Insights from a Japanese University Context

While English-medium instruction (EMI) lectures at Japanese universities are becoming more common, they also present unique challenges for instructors in delivering the content effectively and for students in understanding and engaging with that content. The aim of this presentation is to outline and examine key issues surrounding student comprehension, engagement, and classroom interaction in EMI contexts. Using an autoethnographic approach, this talk explores how student feedback, reflective practice, and small pedagogical adjustments -such as implementing peer learning activities – were used to help address these challenges. The presentation will also highlight some practical strategies for making EMI lectures more inclusive, interactive, and effective within the Japanese university context.

Dana Lingley has been teaching EFL in Japan and Mexico in various contexts for over 20 years. He currently lectures in Second Language Acquisition (SLA) at Kochi University. His research interests center on motivation, peer learning, learner engagement, and CLIL.

9:40-10:00: Research presentation
Children’s Literature in the EFL Classroom: Culture-bound or Culture-rich Authentic Materials?

Darren Lingley, Kochi University
Careful use of children’s literature provides learners with culturally and linguistically rich samples of authentic language – tightly compressed meaning, humor, creative language use, playful idiomatic language, and natural conversation, all of which can be a pleasure to decode for EFL students. Creative and structured use of children’s picture books offers a culture-rich way to provide authentic language input to learners, but certain confounding culture-bound features must be negotiated as well. In this presentation, I will share how I use children’s literature to supplement more traditional language teaching approaches and methods, with a focus on how the challenging concept of ‘authenticity’ is integrated in terms of language, materials, and purpose. I will also note some of the challenges I have faced in using CL.

Darren Lingley is Professor of Intercultural Communication in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at Kochi University, Japan. His research explores the concept of ‘authenticity’ in ELT, and how language teachers pedagogically mediate authentic texts, materials and experiences. Primary research interests include analysis of spoken language and intercultural pragmatics.

10:00-11:00: Panel Discussion on State of the Language Teaching Profession in Japan

11:00-11:30: Closing ceremony and best paper award

12:00-13:30: Lunch: (Okawa Tosashimizu, Japanese style)

14:00-15:00: TEFL Praxis Journal Editorial Advisory Board Meeting

15:00-16:00: Executive Council Officer Reports

16:00-16:30 Executive Council Steering Committee Meeting

16:30-17:00 Annual General Meeting (AGM)