Details of a Researcher

Toya Mitsuyo

写真a

Title	Professor
Researcher Number(JSPS Kakenhi)	00295289
5

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Current Affiliation Organization 【 display / non-display 】

Duty University of the Ryukyus Faculty of Global and Regional Studies international language culture program Professor
Concurrently University of the Ryukyus Graduate School of Community Engagement and Development Language and Representation Professor

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Academic degree 【 display / non-display 】

University of Hawaii at Manoa - Master of Arts

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External Career 【 display / non-display 】

1996.10

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1997.03

University of the Ryukyus, Faculty of General Education, Assistant Professor
1997.04

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2003.01

University of the Ryukyus, Faculty of Law and Letters, Department of Languages and Cultures, Assistant Professor
2003.02

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2008.03

University of the Ryukyus, Faculty of Law and Letters, Department of Languages and Cultures, Associate Professor
2008.04

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2013.09

University of the Ryukyus, Faculty of Law and Letters, Department of Languages and Cultures, Associate Professor
2013.10

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2018.03

University of the Ryukyus, Faculty of Law and Letters, Department of Languages and Cultures, Professor

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Research Interests 【 display / non-display 】

English as a Foreign Language
Applied Linguistics

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Research Areas 【 display / non-display 】

Humanities & Social Sciences / Foreign language education

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Published Papers 【 display / non-display 】

English Speaking Activities Based on Individual Online Sessions with Overseas Instructors and Hylable Discussion Analysis

MITSUYO TOYA

2026 [ Peer Review Accepted ]

Type of publication: Research paper (scientific journal)

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This paper discusses a flipped classroom practice from late 2024 that integrated the Logical Speaking (Gakken) teaching material with a system called Hylable Discussion. Students completed twelve 25-minute one-on-one online sessions as out-of-class assignments, followed by in-class collaborative activities to reinforce the topics. Hylable Discussion was used to analyze group interactions, providing data for students' end-of-term reflections. Building on Toya (2025), which demonstrated reduced speaking anxiety and increased motivation in a 2023 cohort, this study compares those findings with the 2024 results. Consequently, the paper explores effective ICT integration in speaking instruction and considers future developments in AI-driven language learning applications.
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Pre-service English Teachers: A Study on its Variety and Usage

MITSUYO TOYA

SCRIPSIMUS ( 33 ) 41 - 66 2025.10

Type of publication: Research paper (bulletin of university, research institution)
Enhanced Motivation in an English-as-a-Foreign-Language Classroom: One-to-One Remote Lessons, Hylable Discussion, and Group/Paired Work

TOYA, Mitsuyo

The Southeast Asian Conference on Education 2025: Official Conference Proceedings 553 - 562 2025.05 [ Peer Review Accepted ]

Type of publication: Research paper (international conference proceedings)

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This study reports how an English classroom practice with information and communication technology (ICT) enhanced 17 Japanese university students’ motivation and self-assessment regarding their speaking skills. This involved a 15-week class, meeting weekly for 90 minutes, plus additional 12 mandatory online lessons with English-speaking instructors from the Philippines. Each online lesson was 25 minutes long and based on a textbook that introduced topics focusing on personal interests and social issues. The Japanese students were required to speak on a one-to-one basis with the instructors, and a flipped-classroom format was used for in-person class sessions, wherein students shared their outcomes in groups and prepared for their next online lesson in pairs. Each group was provided with a recording device (Hylable Discussion) that recorded each member’s utterances and analyzed the relative volume of talk among members, directions and frequencies of interactions, and talker/listener tendencies. At the end of the course, the participants reflected on their Hylable analysis results over the semester and answered questionnaires about course activities, including overseas online lessons, group work, and paired work. Most respondents felt an improvement in their speaking skills and decreased anxiety. Group and paired work were almost equally popular among the participants, although the Hylable analyses was not included in the paired work. This study provides practical tips for using ICT to enhance classroom activities.
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Trajectory Equifinality Modeling Analysis of Critical Career Events Leading to Teaching English in English by High School Language Teachers in Japan

TOYA, Mitsuyo

言語学習と教育言語学：2024 年度版 ( 日本英語教育学会・日本教育言語学会合同編集委員会編集論文集 ) 34 - 47 2025.03 [ Peer Review Accepted ]

Type of publication: Research paper (scientific journal)

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This research aimed to identify critical variables for Japanese teachers of English to decide whether to use English as a medium of instruction (EMI) in senior high schools. Their use of English in class is far from the English-only policy established in the Course of Study (CS), irrespective of their high proficiency. Interviews of ten alumni teachers before the pandemic about their teaching English in English (TEE) journeys were mapped using the trajectory equifinality approach, highlighting the landmark events and the social/personal factors that either enhanced or suppressed the passages toward TEE. The impact of role model teachers, overseas experience before and after becoming tenured, and in-service training opportunities are discussed in trajectory equifinality modeling analyses. The additional influence of CS and school transfer is also addressed. The findings indicated that teachers’ experience envisioning themselves teaching the target students successfully in English was critical in implementing TEE. The study suggests future directions for effective first language use in class and more support for novice teachers toward EMI.
A Longitudinal Study on Bilingual Speaking Proficiency of an Early Elementary School Child Focused on BICS and CALP by a Japanese Couple of Non-Native English Speakers A Case Study of the Development of BICS and CALP in a Japanese-English Bilingual Girl, 6 to 7 Years

9 81 - 94 2025.03 [ Peer Review Accepted ]

Type of publication: Research paper (bulletin of university, research institution)
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