Student exchange: UH Hilo English major Logan Scribner conducts ESL research in Japan

While studying at Tokyo Gakugei University as an exchange student, Logan Scribner researched how English language is taught in Japan. His findings call for change.

By Susan Enright/UH Hilo Stories.

An English major at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, who hopes to one day teach English language in Japan, spent a year studying abroad at Tokyo Gakugei University, where he was selected to participate in an independent study program that focuses on research based in Japanese culture.

Logan Scribner studied and conducted his research in Japan from October 2024 to August 2025, where he was part of the International Student Exchange Program (ISEP), a unique program at Tokyo Gakugei University for overseas students seeking an immersive experience in Japan. Participates engage in an Individual Study project, guided by a supervisory professor, exploring topics ranging from social and cultural issues to arts, education, sciences, and other subjects of student interest.

Scribner hails from Berkeley, California, where his family still lives; he returns home during breaks and holidays. He arrived at UH Hilo in fall of 2021 and is majoring in English with a certificate in teaching English to speakers of other languages. He plans to graduate from UH Hilo in December of this year.

“The ISEP program provided a more English-focused alternative to the general (exchange) program, along with specific excursions and presentations,” says Scribner. “Throughout the course of the year-long program, we worked on our individual study projects and shared progress with peers and our assigned faculty advisors. We then went out and conducted surveys and interviews, in my case I connected to teachers from schools affiliated with Tokyo Gakugei University.”

The research project is designed for students to develop critical skills in formulating research questions, conducting investigations, analyzing data and presenting their findings in written and oral formats. They also have opportunities to explore Japan and engage with people through their projects, including field trips such as school visits and activities in arts and sports, all designed to enrich experiential learning.

“We had a couple of guest speakers come as well to conduct seminars and workshops along with the excursions, with the aim of enhancing the students’ perspectives on Japanese society and culture,” says Scribner.

Scribner and each student in his cohort then compiled their individual findings into a final research paper, and accompanied it with a final presentation given to their ISEP peers, as well as selected teachers and advisors.

The research: Teaching English language in Japan

It was a year-long research project, starting with coming up with a topic and research goal during the first few classes and finishing with a final research paper and presentation at the end of the year abroad. Scribner was assigned an advisor who helped him throughout the research process, providing information and resources, including connections to affiliated schools and teachers for visits and surveys.

“I would have to say that the highlight of this project for me was the fact that I was able to obtain data first hand, as I was blessed with the opportunity through the program to visit numerous schools and observe how classes are conducted, both English classes and classes in Japanese, or even other foreign languages,” says Scribner.

Scribner’s topic was on teaching the English language in Japan, specifically, the current state of English education, the most recent changes, and what can be done to improve it.

“I came to Japan to see for myself what it would be like teaching English here in Japan, as it was a career path that I have developed interest in due to my desire to become an English teacher as well as my interest in Japan and the idea of teaching abroad in general,” he says. “I have always been impressed by the way the Japanese people handle themselves when it comes to foreign languages, both in public and private settings, as they always try their best to be polite and use however much English they are able to in order to communicate and help as needed.”

He points out this mannerism is very different from America, “where people stick to their own languages, and if you have trouble with English it is more common to get shunned and insulted by a rather angry American local, which is quite the opposite from the polite Japanese locals.”

“My main interest with Japan and their education, however, is how classes are conducted,” he says. “Many students in the US grow to dislike certain subjects due to factors such as teachers, lack of diversity in the subject, or just poor course work.”

For his research, he focused on examining the current state of English education in Japan at multiple grade levels, aspects such as teaching methods, reasoning behind why people become teachers, their motivations, and what students should gain from the lessons.

“In the United States, each grade level is taught very differently, and with each different teacher, you have a new teaching style, a new level of formality, casualness, and a unique learning objective for that class,” he explains in his research paper introduction. “I aim to figure out if Japan is similar in that aspect or have a different approach to teaching a second language.”

“Ultimately, I have the goal of teaching abroad, so this study will allow me to gather information about what it is like to teach English as a second language, as well as give me inspiration and ideas on how to teach in general.”

In his research, he discovers that English teachers in Japan are mostly against current English curriculum, feeling it is too constraining and lacks the creative freedom necessary to help the students learn better and enjoy class in general.

“There is an overall belief that English education in Japan does not adequately prepare students for the practical application of English in everyday life, and this information gathered from my research was further supported by the results of my questionnaire.”

He found that while English education as a whole has improved greatly over the last couple of years, it is clear that there is still lots of room for improvement in both the curriculum and the creativity allowed to the teachers and the students.

“I hope that as the years go by, English education here in Japan will continue to grow and develop, allowing the teachers the freedom and flexibility they need in order to teach the materials they want and to allow the students to find joy and practicality in the learning process,” he writes in the the conclusion of his 13-page research paper filled with the data and information he collected.

He adds that he hopes to share the information he gathered over his year of research with other countries, to “help to spread the joy in creativity and expression in English education, as well as help improve English curriculum around the world for the future generations.”

“I hope to be able to teach in a world that allows me to properly share this appreciation and knowledge in a way that is both enjoyable and informative for students no matter their home country or background,” he concludes.

The takeaway

“I think this research will help me in the future as it allowed me to gain lots of experience when it comes to both conducting research, as well as insight on how I would like to teach my future classes,” says Scribner. “I was able to further shape my ideal image of how I would like to teach in the future, and gained ideas and techniques that I can use to improve my teaching style.”

He says his biggest takeaway from this project was the level of freedom and creativity that is present in the Japanese classrooms he was able to visit.

“I was able to see that depending on the grade level, as well as other factors such as school’s prestige, and private vs public school, that this aspect of the classroom can either be very present or very absent,” he explains. “For a factor that I consider pivotal in order to have a safe and comfortable environment for students, I was able to learn a lot about Japanese teaching styles and classrooms, as well as shine light on my own experiences in schools here in the United States.”

Scribner says he would never have had an opportunity such as this, or learned as much as he did, if he did not take a year studying abroad.

“I learned a lot both about education and teaching, as well as about myself, while I was studying abroad,” he says. “It has changed me in many ways, and I am excited to continue learning and growing, and potentially return to Japan as a JET Program English teacher.”

Story by Susan Enright, a public information specialist for the Office of the Chancellor and editor of UH Hilo Stories. She received her bachelor of arts in English and certificate in women’s studies from UH Hilo.