@article{oai:air.repo.nii.ac.jp:00002448,
 author = {グラフストロム, ベン and GRAFSTROM, Ben},
 issue = {16},
 journal = {秋田大学教養基礎教育研究年報},
 month = {Mar},
 note = {English language education reform is a significant part of the broader education reform proposed by Prime Minister Abe in early spring 2013. The reasons for this reform are purely economical, rather than pedagogical. That is, the Abe administration thinks Japan needs citizens with a strong command of the English language to help Japan become a global competitor in both the finance world and in scientific & engineering research. There seems to be some agreement among English language education specialists that 2,000 hours of learning English is necessary for Japanese L1 learners to achieve some measure of high level proficiency. This high level of English language proficiency is what Abe's education reform requires to succeed. Japanese high school students receive about 400 hours of English class time upon graduating from high school. This means that for students to achieve the 2,000 hours called for by education specialists, approximately 1,600 more hours are needed prior to graduating university, joining the work force, and supporting the country's efforts to compete globally. Most if not all universities in Japan lack the finances and personnel to add 1,600 hours of English courses to their course offerings. However, programs like Akita University's Autonomous Language Learning Rooms (ALL Rooms) and the opportunities they offer to students play a significant role in helping students achieve the 2,000 hour goal. This paper describes one of the ALL Rooms's most successful programs, the English Conversation Circle. This paper provides evidence that the ALL Room's Conversation Circle truly 1) fosters autonomous learning among students, and 2) is a valuable supplement to the university's basic English course offerings.},
 pages = {19--26},
 title = {Fostering Learner Autonomy at Akita University : English Programs that Supplement Course Offerings},
 year = {2014}
}