“They Were American but Shy!”: Japanese University Students’ Encounter with Local Students in Hawai‘i

Abstract

This qualitative study is twofold. First, I begin with my personal narrative about the time I found myself feeling frustrated with Japanese university students, and I immediately ascribed my frustration to the Japanese students’ “native-speakerist” behaviors. However, as I revisit the concept of “native-speakerism,” I realize I was the one fixated on the native/non-native binary (which may be considered a “native-speakerist” behavior) not the students. To better understand the students’ side of the stories, in the second part of this study, I present online survey and follow-up interview data collected from the students. Findings suggest that a majority of the students share an image of Americans being “white, native English speaking, bold, casual, and insensitive” which may easily be glossed over as the native-speakerist stereotypes. However, as shown in students’ responses, their understanding of “Japanese” and “American” was challenged when they visited Hawai‘i and interacted with local students who were indeed “American” by nationality but did not always fit the stereotypes held by the Japanese students. I argue that this type of experience helps students to see beyond the binary constructs such as native/non-native and Japanese/American which currently undergird the concept of native-speakerism . Therefore, moving beyond such binaries may be the necessary first step toward post-native-speakerism.

Appendix: Online Survey Questions (Conducted in Japanese)

1.1 Background Questions

• 1. Name

• 2. Email address

• 3. Age

• 4. Gender

• 5. Prefecture you’re originally from

• 6. Citizenship

• 7. Which country do you wish you were born in? Why?

• 8. Religion

• 9. Occupation

• 10. Marital status

• 11. What is your mother tongue (first language(s))?

• 12. Which school did you last attend in Japan?

• 13. Have you traveled abroad for leisure? If so, how many country(ies)?

• 14. Have you lived overseas? If so, how many country(ies)?

• 15. Have you studied abroad? If so, how many country(ies)?

• 16. Have you worked overseas? If so, how many country(ies)?

1.2 Gateway Questions

• 1. What is your English proficiency?

  i.e., Fluent, excellent, good, okay, poor, none, other

• 2. What kind of (Whose) English do you want to speak? Why?

  e.g., I wanna speak Brad Pitt’s English because he is cool.

1.3 Core Questions

• 1. What was your image of Hawai‘i before arriving?

• 2. How similar/different was your image once you were in Hawai‘i?

• 3. What was your experience like interacting with the Hawai‘i University students? How similar/different was it from what you had imagined of “American” students?

• 4. What was the most memorable experience during the Hawai‘i field study?

• 5. How has your perspective of English changed by participating in the Hawai‘i field study course?

  e.g., I came to like English because I met different people.

1.4 Guiding Questions

• 1. What is your opinion about the popular discourse of English as being an international language?

• 2. What kind of English do you want your (future) students to speak? Why?

  e.g., I want them to speak English fluently for their future.

• 3. How do you want to teach your students English? Why?

  e.g., I want them to like English, so I want to teach English in a fun way using English songs.