Message from the Conference Chairs:
Maria Gabriela Schmidt and Samuel Nfor
Dear conference attendees,
It is with great excitement and pride that we welcome you to the 51st Annual JALT International Conference on Language Teaching and Learning, held here in Japan. This year’s conference theme, LanguageS: Learning, Teaching, Assessing—JALT 50 Years—Challenges and Perspectives, invites us to reflect on the dynamic past, present innovations, and future directions in language education. The theme underscores the multifaceted nature of language education, embracing diversity in language, context, and learner experience while acknowledging the evolving challenges we face in teaching and assessment.
As we celebrate JALT’s 50-year journey, we are proud to gather educators, researchers, and practitioners from around the globe to share knowledge, explore emerging ideas, and foster professional growth. We hope you would find the presentation sessions, plenaries, panel discussions, and networking opportunities enriching and inspiring as we explore the evolving landscape of language learning, teaching, and assessment.
This year, for the first time in our organization’s history, the conference is co-chaired by members from Europe (Maria Gabriela Schmidt) and Africa (Samuel Nfor). We believe this representation highlights the truly global and inclusive nature of our field, and we are honored to bring diverse perspectives to this important event.
We look forward to reconnecting with distinguished colleagues and engaging with new attendees joining us for the first time in Tokyo this fall.
Warm regards,
Maria Gabriela Schmidt and Samuel Nfor
Conference Co-Chairs, JALT2025
Dr. Maria Gabriela Schmidt has been working with university and language learners since 1987, first in Europe and then in Asia (South-Korea and Japan). She is the CEFR LP SIG president and is currently a Special Appointed Professor at the College of Humanities and Sciences, Nihon University.
Dr. Samuel Nfor is a member of the Performance in Education SIG of JALT. He currently holds an Associate Professor position at Seitoku University.
