An analysis of demotivators in the EFL classroom

Self-regulated learning explores learners' complex intrinsic factors, including their learning strategies and motivation to learn. It offers learners the opportunity to become autonomous – a situation that is essential for ensuring that Japanese students acquire English proficiency. This study aims to explore the factors involved in self-regulated language learning of Japanese senior high school students and to identify the different types of self-regulated English learners. A 45-item questionnaire covering learners' cognitive, behavioral, and affective aspects was distributed among 1076 students from seven prefectural senior high schools in Japan. Exploratory factor analysis confirmed the presence of five factors. Cluster analysis was used to classify students into four distinct profiles, and a follow-up interview was conducted with six students extracted from each cluster group. The findings confirmed that Japanese high school students have very complex internal factors that affect their learning. These results offer pedagogical implications and emphasize the importance of EFL teachers' roles in Japan. They suggest that teachers should strive to understand each student's readiness and internal factors in order to transform them into autonomous learners.

The Dental Aesthetic Index (DAI) was used to evaluate malocclusion in Japanese high school students (n = 409, ages 15-18 yr). The purpose of this study was to obtain basic data concerning malocclusion in Japanese high school students. This study used a sample of students from randomly selected urban and rural high schools in Japan's Kyushu district. The DAI scores for urban and rural high school students, as well as the total DAI scores from these two areas were significantly higher than that of American high school students. These results showed that the number of students with an acceptable dental appearance among Japanese high school students is significantly lower than among American high school students. This indicates a higher need for orthodontic treatment among Japanese high school students.

Understanding the factors that demotivate English language pre-service teachers is crucial, as these future educators will significantly influence their students’ motivation and engagement with language learning. This study investigates key demotivation factors among pre-service teachers enrolled in an English education program at a public university in Indonesia. Using a sequential explanatory design, data were collected through questionnaires distributed to pre-service teachers, followed by semi-structured interviews with four selected participants. Quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS 23, while qualitative data were examined through thematic analysis. The quantitative findings reveal that a lack of intrinsic motivation, along with concerns about teacher competence and teaching styles, are the most prominent demotivating factors. The qualitative findings further reveal that performance pressures such as test scores intensify these experiences, helping to explain how certain factors become highly demotivating despite their lower statistical prominence. The study also contributes theoretically by extending Sakai and Kikuchi’s demotivation framework, showing how teacher-related issues, learning content, and learner psychology interact to shape pre-service teachers’ demotivation in the Indonesian EFL context. This can be achieved through more engaging coursework, opportunities for meaningful teaching experiences, and mentorship by competent educators. Furthermore, ongoing professional development for in-service teachers should also prioritize strategies to maintain motivation and improve instructional quality. By addressing these factors, both pre-service and in-service teachers will be better equipped to create motivating classroom environments, ultimately enhancing students ’ learning of English as a foreign language. The implications of these findings underscore the urgent need for teacher education programs to focus on developing and sustaining pre-service teachers’ intrinsic motivation.

Study objectivesNonrestorative sleep (NRS) has been identified as a potential risk factor for physical and mental well-being in adults, but limited research exists for children and adolescents. This study aimed to clarify the factors associated with NRS in Japanese junior high school students.MethodsThe participants were 529 Japanese junior high school students in grades 7 through 9. Participants were asked to respond to Google Forms, and responses were obtained from 392 students. Sleep habits, history of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), physical symptoms, social isolation, and the presence of the symptoms of restless legs syndrome (RLS) were identified. NRS, insomnia symptoms, and depressive symptoms were evaluated using the Restorative Sleep Questionnaire (RSQ), Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS), and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ)-9, respectively. The cut-off value for NRS determination by the RSQ score was the mean of the scores that maximized the sensitivity and specificity sum for detecting participants with AIS and PHQ-9 scores of ≥ 6 and ≥ 5, respectively. NRS-associated sleep parameters and those associated with depressive symptoms were evaluated using binominal logistic regression analysis. Multinomial logistic regression (MLR) analysis was used to confirm the reproducibility of the binomial logistic regression analysis results with lower RSQ scores.ResultsThe NRS group comprised 40.1% of participants and exhibited a higher prevalence of physical and depressive symptoms compared to those with restorative sleep. Logistic regression analysis, adjusted for sex, grade, and COVID-19 history, revealed the following odds ratios (95% confidence interval) for NRS: average total sleep time < 7 h 2.44 (1.16–4.33), AIS ≥ 6 2.74 (1.51–4.95), evening chronotype 2.58 (1.49–4.47), and RLS symptoms 2.21 (1.21–4.03). The same results were obtained using MLR as those obtained via binomial logistic regression analysis. Logistic regression analysis for depressive symptoms revealed that NRS displayed the highest odds ratio (95% CI) of 3.16 (1.90–5.27) among the sleep-related variables.ConclusionsThese findings suggest that NRS in Japanese junior high school students is associated with physical and mental health issues. Intervention and longitudinal studies are warranted to address NRS-associated sleep–wake problems in this age group.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40101-025-00412-8.

Although engaging in evening naps and extracurricular activities are popular among Japanese high school students, the associations between these behaviors and daytime sleep problems were unclear. A questionnaire on daily life and sleeping habits was administered to 1314 high school students, aged between 15–17 years. The respondents were categorized by their after-school napping habits (did not nap, napped 1–2 days/week, napped ≥3 days/week), and their extracurricular activities (no activity, cultural club, athletic club). The mean nocturnal sleep duration on weekdays (± standard deviation (SD)) was 390 ± 56 min. This was significantly shorter in those students with a higher number of days/week spent napping (p < 0.001), and slightly longer for those in the athletic club (p < 0.001). Sleep problems—including subjective insufficient sleep, excessive sleepiness during class ≥3 days/week, and falling asleep during class ≥3 days/week—were reported by 64%, 55%, and 33% of respondents, respectively. A multiple logistic regression analysis showed significantly higher risks for excessive sleepiness among students taking naps ≥3 days/week, and who belonged to athletic clubs. In addition to those factors, students in cultural clubs revealed significantly higher risks for falling asleep during classes. Future studies are required to decrease daytime sleep problems associated with evening naps and extracurricular activities among high school students.

Originating from a large-scale questionnaire-based study on Japanese high school students' attitudes towards current and long-term English learning, this study attempts to account for one of the findings, female students' superiority in attitudes to English learning over male students. This study problematises the common practice found in questionnaire-based research ending with the statistical identification of gender differences in attitudes without exploring factors influencing those differences. By utilising multidisciplinary extant data and research findings, this study argues that Japanese social elements, such as the status of English as feminised academic and professional choices and women's marginalised status in Japanese mainstream society, underlie many women's positive attitudes towards English learning. This study provides pedagogical implications for those in charge of English-related programmes either in Japan or in English-speaking countries who deal with a significant number of young Japanese female students in the programmes.

BackgroundSmartphone addiction is a growing social problem with adverse health outcomes. There are few comparative studies in Asia that examine factors associated with smartphone addiction. The current study aimed to address this research gap by presenting a comparative analysis of factors associated with smartphone addiction in Japan and Thailand, two countries heterogeneous in both their level of economic development and culture.MethodsParticipant data were collected using two population-based surveys. Participants were high school students in grade 11, aged 16–17 years old, and were selected using quota sampling in Japan in 2014 and random sampling in Thailand in 2016. The outcome of interest was smartphone addiction, measured using a modified version of the Young Diagnostic Questionnaire for Internet Addiction. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to determine factors associated with smartphone addiction (gender; nationality; family connectedness; and average time spent on smartphone per day).ResultsThis study included a total of 7694 students, 6585 students from Japan and 1109 students from Thailand. The prevalence of smartphone addiction was 35.9% among Thai students and 12% among Japanese students. Thai students were more likely to have smartphone addiction than Japanese students (AOR 2.76; 95% CI: 2.37–3.30). Being female was associated with increased odds of smartphone addiction in both Japanese (AOR 1.53; 95% CI: 1.32–1.78) and Thai students (AOR 1.34; 95% CI: 1.01–1.78). The parental connectedness variables “my parents noticed when I was unhappy” (AOR 0.77; 95% CI: 0.62–0.96) and “my parents noticed when I did something good” (AOR 0.78, 95% CI: 0.61–0.99) were associated with lower odds of smartphone addiction among Japanese students.ConclusionSmartphone addiction was more prevalent among Thai adolescents than Japanese adolescents, and more prevalent among females than males in both countries. Interventions for reducing smartphone addiction should take into account both context and gender, and should leverage the protective effect of parental connectedness.

A program based on cognitive behavioral therapy was developed for Japanese junior high school students aged 12–15 years. It consists of a single 50-minute session that targets a reduction in irrational beliefs, which is related to the improvement of psychological distress, such as anxiety and depression. The students were assigned to an intervention group (n = 238) and a control group (n = 277); the latter received an assertiveness training program. Students completed questionnaires including scales addressing irrational beliefs and self-esteem at pre- and post-program. The results revealed that, despite its short length, the OKS program significantly reduced irrational beliefs in the intervention group, in comparison to the control group. Moreover, both programs increased self-esteem. These findings imply the feasibility of a single-session universal mental health promotion program in Japanese schools.

Demotivation is a negative counterpart of motivation that affects student learning process and outcome. The present study attempted to determine the demotivating factors in learning a second language in Ghana using the Chinese language as a case study. A structured survey questionnaire data were collected from two hundred students learning Chinese at the University of Ghana to achieve the stated objective. The study identified the significant demotivation factors affecting students learning a second language: Teacher competence and teaching style, learning materials, crowded classroom, high competition in acquiring scholarship to China, less chance to get Chinese Ambassador Scholarship Award, and lack of self-confidence and experience of failure. Teachers should use more appropriate textbooks to improve their teaching skills. Also, students should be motivated to learn and participate in classroom activities to form lasting reminiscences.

Japanese High School Students' Perception of English Classes Conducted in English

The research presented in this article was informed by the notion of language learners having a second language future-speaking self-image and how it can have an effect on their motivation to learn a second language. As part of a larger project, the researcher investigated the presence of L2 (second language) future self-images among 12 Japanese high school students (aged between 15 and 18), who took part in one-to-one interviews with the researcher. A thematic analysis of their responses was conducted to examine the extent to which their L2 future self-images had an influence on their L2 motivation. The results showed that the majority of the participants possessed L2 future self-images which are unique to them and that these have had an effect on their motivation to study English. The qualitative data gathered from one-on-one interviews between the researcher and the participants showed how individual language learning experiences can shape and alter L2 future-selves in multi layered and often complex ways.

Japanese High School Students’Views on Nature of Scientific Inquiry

Associated factors of sitting time in Japanese junior high school students

This study examined the relationship between the sense of coherence (SOC), which is conceptually the ability to successfully cope with stress, of Japanese junior high school students and their mothers, and investigated SOC-related factors among the students. We analyzed self-reported data from 134 junior high school students (aged 12–14 years) and their mothers (average age: 45.5 ± 4.1 years), based in an urban area of Japan. We found a weak correlation between the SOC total scores of female students and their mothers; further, few subscales showed weak correlations. However, the SOC of male students was not correlated with that of their mothers, including the three subcomponents that constitute the SOC. The results of multiple regression analysis indicated that the SOC of female students was negatively associated with ASD-related characteristics, sensitivity to evaluation, and avoidant help-seeking style, and positively associated with a sense of belonging to the school. However, male students’ SOC showed a negative relationship with excessive response to evaluation and a strong sense of parental control. To improve SOC in adolescents, it is necessary to consider their gender differences and support them, both at home and school.

IntroductionThis study aimed to investigate the prevalence of periodontal disease and the factors of the disease among high school students.MethodThe participants were all students aged 15–18 years (n = 1202) at a high school in Japan. The data on oral health perceptions and behaviours were collected by a questionnaire survey. The prevalence of periodontal disease among them was investigated with the partial community periodontal index (PCPI). A logistic regression analysis was used to identify the factors associated with the PCPI.ResultsA total of 1069 students (88.9%) participated in this study. The prevalence of gingival bleeding, calculus, pocket depth of 4–5 mm, and pocket depth of 6 mm or more were 44.2%, 42.2%, 11.4%, and 1.6%, respectively. Approximately one-third of the students had a fear of dental treatment, and only 28.4% used dental floss. The results of logistic regression analysis, adjusted for sex and school year, showed that not visiting dentists regularly, not using dental floss, brushing teeth for less than 5 min, fear of dental treatment, and drinking sports drinks frequently were positively associated with periodontal conditions.ConclusionThis study identified a high prevalence of periodontal disease among Japanese high school students aged 15–18 years and its risk factors, such as poor oral health behaviours and fear of dental treatment.