Japanese University Students’ Perceptions of Foreign English Teachers

This study aims to understand Japanese university students’ perceptions of foreign English teachers (FETs) through a two-phased exploratory sequential mixed-methods design. During the initial phase, a quantitative survey was performed with first and second-year Japanese university students (n=377). Despite a lack of precision and a high dispersion measure, the Quantitative data analysis revealed certain outliers. A significant number of participants viewed their FETs as more of an entertainer, preferred FETs of American/European heritage, and believed FETs of Asian descent may not be able to teach the language and culture as effectively as FETs of American/European heritage. Thus, a qualitative inquiry was performed to explain and build upon the quantitative findings. Two focus groups with students from the quantitative survey were given interviews. The responses confirmed the existence of phenotypical, gender, and personality FET stereotypes in Japanese university EFL classes. In addition, past educational experiences, socio-cultural factors, and mass media were also found influential in students’ perceptions of FETs. Based on the findings from the focus group interviews, the researchers propose intercultural activities as an effective pedagogical strategy to promote reflective teaching practices and intercultural competence in Japanese university EFL classes.