Nihonggo No Benkyou: The Case of Filipino ESL Teachers in Graduate School

In 2010, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) institutionalized the offering of foreign languages in the curricular programs of higher education institutions to accord global acceptance of local graduates in the Philippines. In graduate school, Nihongo is one of the foreign languages commonly offered in the local university.  Theoretically, the second language acquisition of adult learners (i.e., graduate students) is crucial and different from adolescent language learners. And there is a dearth of literature on Filipinos learning Nihongo; most of them involve college students and overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and less among ESL teachers in graduate school. This study: (1) contributed to the limited evidence in Japanese language learning of Filipino students; showed qualitative evidence on the CPH of adult learning a third or fourth language. Results revealed that though most of the ESL teachers in graduate school were middle-aged, they partly considered their age crucial in learning Nihongo and declared that their age was not the only factor in recognizing their difficulties in learning a foreign language rather other learning limitations such as affective factors, learning environment, workload, etc.; (2) presented the ESL teachers’ difficulties in learning Nihongo language in the graduate school such as writing and translating sentences and phrases, vocabulary and pronunciation; and (3) showed their strategies in learning the Japanese language as an academic requirement were creating mental linkages, applying images and sounds, reviewing well, and employing actions. Thus, this study presented recommendations for the effective teaching of Japanese language among graduate students in the Philippines.