In the EFL space action research can be the most effective way to tackle barriers to not only socio-economic but also cultural interpretations. It also allows us to critically consider how to effectively overcome these barriers in order to improve ELL for students from different walks of life.
In Chapter one of A framework for design, Creswell (2003) extrapolates in depth on the various types of knowledge claims under the research design purview which were extremely enlightening. The aspect of knowledge claims that was especially resonant, was about the application and purpose of pragmatic knowledge claims.
A pragmatist in the EFL classroom may be deeply in-tune with not only graded scores of EFL learners, but also the cultural context in which EFL is taught and acquired. Teaching language learning is then not simply a matter of delivery but also of the active pursuit of knowledge and clarity to fully comprehend the contexts in which EFL students might be learning. Pragmatism thus provides the flexibility for AR teachers to employ a plethora of methods (Creswell, 2003, pg. 12) in order to understand the problems they might be experiencing in classroom, engaging in both qualitative and quantitative methods to understand the limitations of L2 learning (Creswell, 2003) to apply teaching concepts for things such as grammar or phonetics acquisition.
There were some broadstrokes claims by ChatGPT when prompted to consider “how might pragmatic knowledge claims in action research be potentially employed for teachers in Japan?“, which ChatGPT stated provided greater autonomy and innovation for teachers than rote drilling (OpenAI, 2025). Upon sourcing this claim, the study based in North Dakota that was cited by ChatGPT, explains with more nuance and context about the differences between innovation and innovationness, stating that the study was not focused on an outcome but is instead a qualitative query into revealing the factors surrounding teacher innovation (Xia. J, and O’Shea. C, 2023., pg. 249).
This is a critical factor in considering action research in EFL spaces in Japan, as personal experiences in the field might establish that resistance to autonomous decision making is extremely rare and generally frowned upon in an institutionalized setting. ChatGPT states that as a challenge, institutionalized constraints might be a risk factor, but referring back to how action research deployed in classrooms requires not only immense personal responsibility, but also innovation (OpenAI, 2025) the resistance to teacher-led change in classrooms is also an individual responsibility. Teachers are generally unwilling to risk social currency to push for innovation, or deploy innovationness to further change in their institutions due to cultural norms, particularly because of the need for collective decision making. The dependency on rote memorization and drills is standard, despite the government trying to push along more ICT related processes by setting up infrastructures such as cloud computing, distributing tablets and PCs to public school students (Digital Agency, 2025) as well as freely available digital textbooks (Yomiuri Shimbun, 2025, February 15) that will be mandated across all educational institutions from 2030 onwards. That is to say, the rate of innovation and AR methods and mentalities is dependent upon the cultural subtext within individual institutions.
Future reflections
Moving forward with action research for EFL as a foreigner is a tall hurdle that requires deep thought not just for me but native teachers of the english language as well. Most foreign teachers in Japanese classrooms have a fair bit of freedom as they are not yoked to a standardized curriculum, but also have to deal with the fact that expectations out of foreign teachers is low. There is a certain level of dismissal due to to preconceived notions as to how foreign teachers conduct their classrooms as well as how compatible foreign teachers might be within the Japanese educational system.
All that being said, pragmatism is a motivating space to consider these issues on because it is flexible in its mixed research approach. Pluralistic assessments for problem recognition means that action research can also attribute contextual data (Creswell, 2003) as well as quantitative scoring which implies that international language frameworks for English such as IELTS, TOEFL as well as the nationally recognized EIKEN, play an important role in understanding EFL learning in Japan. This creates a space that is perceptible to change. Engaging in collective spaces such as JALT (Japan Association for Language Teaching) allows individual teachers (including foreign ones) to explore different avenues through which research might be conducted, or at the very least, evaluated. Issues and problems in the EFL classroom can be pedestaled under the aegis of a collective EFL educator space, thus utilizing the aspects of collective thinking and decision making to propel change from within and without the Japanese EFL spaces.
References:
- Digital Agency. (2025, June 28). Education DX Roadmap (Revised edition of the Educational Data Utilization Roadmap). Digital Agency, Government of Japan. https://www.digital.go.jp/en/news/511df327-5ba3-456e-a5cd-2ebeddd8c960
- OpenAI. (2025). ChatGPT (Sept 29 version) [Large language model]. https://chatgpt.com/share/68da2258-3500-8005-973a-1cf7d25ac0b3
- Xia, J., & O’Shea, C. (2023). What makes a difference in teacher innovativeness? Evidence from the TALIS 2018 US teacher data. Journal of Research in Innovative Teaching & Learning, 18(2), 248–268. https://doi.org/10.1108/JRIT-09-2023-0144
- Yomiuri Shimbun. (2025, February 15). Digital textbooks eyed to become ‘official textbooks’ in Japan from 2030; Report includes concerns of what age to introduce new textbooks. The Japan News. https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/society/general-news/20250215-238681/
- Creswell, J. W. (2003). A framework for design. In Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (pp. 3–26). SAGE Publications.