Important Notices
Changes in JALT’s Membership Fees
An explanation of the upcoming rise in JALT’s membership fees is explained in JALT Notices.
Final Columns
With a move to online delivery of information, plus a reformatting of TLT’s content throughout this year, a number of columns will be ending their print publication in this issue.
Grassroots Outreach, SIG News, Chapter Events, Chapter Reports, and Conference Listings
New Content
This issue we welcome two new sections to TLT.
Pre-Conference Supplement: Conference information will now be published in a pullout centre insert in each pre-conference issue of TLT. This enables us to give more timely information right up to JALT2015,
The Writers’ Workshop: This is a new column written by members of our Peer Support Group. It offers advice and guidance to new writers. This month, we introduce the column and the people behind it.
More changes and additions will be included in each issue of TLT over the coming months.
In this month's issue
Welcome to the May/June 2015 issue of TLT. During the graduation season in March, we experienced many farewells. However, as the new school year started in April, though you have probably returned again to your hectic life in either new environments or your old work places, I hope you have already spent some special time with your new students and colleagues.
It has been 4 years since the Great Earthquake hit the Tohoku Area. The reconstruction process seems far from complete. JALT expresses our sincere wishes for the wellbeing of the people in these devastated areas, and asks JALT members to continue their help and support, both mentally and physically.
In this month’s issue, our Feature Article by Zack Robertson, Setting the Bar High: Micro-Level Perceptions of MEXT’s Elementary School EFL Policy, examines the opinions and perceptions of 15 elementary school teachers and administrators regarding the English Education Reform Plan released by MEXT in December 2013. In Readers’ Forum, Cheryl Kirchhoff shares her qualitative study, Global Personnel Development through Study Abroad and Study + Work Abroad, with students’ narratives for growth in English language use, initiatives to take challenges and responsibility, and intercultural learning. Finally, for the JALT2015 pre-conference article, Jean-Marc Dewaele from the University of London proposes that emotions are the heart of the foreign language learning process, and reports on some recent work that has investigated the role of emotion in the foreign language classroom, both positive (foreign language enjoyment) and negative (foreign language anxiety).
As always, we really appreciate the hard work and dedication of all the volunteers at TLT. We hope that you find this issue enjoyable and helpful!
Toshiko Sugino, TLT Japanese Language Editor
TLTの2015年5/6月号へようこそ。3月の卒業シーズンにはたくさんのお別れを経験しなければならなりませんでした。しかし、新学期が始まった4月には、新しい勤務先や従来の職場で、すでに多忙な日々の中、新入生や新しい同僚と出会ってすでにわくわくするような毎日を送っていらっしゃるのではないかと思います。
2011年3月11日に起きた東日本大震災からすでに4年経ちましたが、まだ完全な復興とはほど遠いものがあります。JALTは引き続き被災者のご健勝を祈りつつ、会員の皆様のご支援をお願いする次第です。
本号のFeature ArticleではZack Robertson氏が、Setting the bar high: Micro-level perceptions of MEXT’s elementary school EFL policy の中で、「グローバル化に対応した英語教育改革実施計画」の6年間にわたる実施にあたり、小学校レベルでどのような問題があるかを突き止めるため、その実施計画を基にそれぞれの小学校関係者の意見をまとめた結果を考察しています。Readers’ ForumではCheryl Kirchhoff氏が、Global Personnel Development through Study Abroad and Study + Work Abroadという質的研究において、外国で語学学習のみを経験した者と、就業経験を伴う語学留学経験者が書いた文章とを、比較・分析しています。最後に、2015年JALT年次大会のPre-conferenceの論文として、ロンドン大学のJean-Marc Dewaele氏が、On emotions in foreign language learning and use の中で、外国語学習において肯定的感情（例：外国語学習の楽しみ）および否定的感情（例：外国語学習不安）が果たす役割について報告しています。
いつものように、TLTの発刊に際し、一生懸命に取り組んでくださったすべてのボランティアの方々に感謝の意を表したいと思います。皆様どうぞ本号をお楽しみください。
Toshiko Sugino, TLT Japanese Language Editor
