At the PanSIG Conference to be held on May 17th – May 18th, 2025 at the Kanda University of International Studies in Mihama Ward, Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture, we will be holding a forum by a distinguished panel of speakers on this topic: “Motivations for Lifelong Learning in Undergraduate & Graduate Studies.” The forum will take place on Sunday, May 18 in Room B3-102 from 13:40 – 14:40.
Motivations for Lifelong Learning in Undergraduate & Graduate Studies
University education can be part of lifelong learning, but it can also instill lifelong learning habits. A panel of speakers who have studied at the undergraduate and graduate levels in Japan and abroad will compare their university trajectories and explain how their prior and subsequent learning and life experiences affected, and were affected by, their tertiary studies. The speakers will represent those just beginning a Master’s program, those who are well into their doctoral studies, and those whose studies have led to careers in academia after completing a PhD. Their diverse research interests include: homeschooling (and alternative) schooling, how English use influences cultural norms and identity, how language learners acquire intercultural competence, and the grammatical awareness of EFL students in Japan. After summarizing the educational and career paths that led them to where they are now, the forum speakers will discuss the key points along their journey and share what they found to be the most conducive in inculcating lifelong learning habits.
The speakers will include:
- Julia Rosa Nakanishi is an MA student at Aoyama Gakuin University. Her research interests include homeschooling and alternative schooling. She is actively involved in presenting at conferences nationally and internationally.
- Asia Dobbs, a lecturer at Ferris University with degrees from UC Berkeley and the University of Hawaii, researches Japanese sociology, focusing on how English use influences cultural norms and identity.
- Mokuren Yokozeki studied French as an undergraduate and teaches both French and English at both the high school and university levels. She is also currently studying toward her doctorate in Aoyama Gakuin University’s English Department on the topic of how students who study languages acquire intercultural competence.
- Junko Shibuya is a part-time lecturer at Aoyama Gakuin University, Kyorin University, and Seijo University. She obtained a PhD from Aoyama Gakuin University this spring. Her research interests include the grammatical awareness of EFL students in Japan. She was a high school teacher in Kyoto and Fukui.
- Joseph Dias coordinates the Integrated English Program for the English Department at Aoyama Gakuin University in Tokyo. His research interests include the assessment of international virtual exchanges and autonomy in language learning. He is passionate about guerrilla gardening, photography, and amateur marine videography.
