Job Discussion Forums

[Vaqueiro]

Will Japanese universities simply brush past these presentations and scoff at my lack of journal publications, or do they count for something?

I appreciate any and all input here!

Vaqueiro

[Glenski]

[Vaqueiro]

Thanks for the helpful reply, Glenski. I have a couple of articles under review right now.

On to my follow-up question(s): How much do Japanese employers generally discern between various levels of publication? If I apply to Doredemo　Gakuin, will the hiring board know the difference between, say, The ELT Journal and The Internet TESL Journal?

[Glenski]

Here is a link to another forum where I and others experienced in uni work have contributed to answering some questions.
http://forum.gaijinpot.com/archive/index.php/t-67717.html
I highly encourage you to read the links I provided there.

There are probably some variations in how much importance unis put on various publications. They will almost always, though, have a point system for them along with the application itself.

Full points if you get the application in on time to the right person and in the proper language with all materials completed as requested.

As for publications, single-authored articles in peer-reviewed journals get top merit. Two-authored ones are probably next. Multi-authored ones follow that. Books and other publications are last. It also matters to some unis whether you've published in the school's journal/bulletin (weaker merit than a peer-reviewed article), in an internationally known journal (high merit), or in something just within Japan. Online publications will also count, but be low on the list unless they have some peer review system behind them.

Just how they actually know where some of the journal names fit in the scheme of things, I don't know.

Glick has this to say:
You should submit papers to the highest level journals possible; if the paper is rejected and subsequent editing and resubmission fails, work your way down the ladder of prestige until your paper is finally accepted. Most important, do not feel intimidated. Journals interested in furthering the exchange of ideas and understanding will accept papers from anyone so long as the content is lucid and original. Furthermore, if you are currently working part-time at an institution, you can use that institution for your affiliation. In addition, this affiliation may entitle you to submit papers to the university's or even department's kiyo, its journal, which you should do. The ideal strategy is to submit to the kiyo preliminary drafts focusing on facets of your research, because kiyo are only lightly refereed, thus worth fewer "publication points," while continuing to work on the papers to submit more complete versions to international refereed outlets, making note that preliminary versions appeared in the kiyo. You can also publish works by yourself (Washida, 2001, p. 119-120). Lastly, try to choose catchy, concise, and attractive titles for all your works (Washida, 2001, p. 119-120), since most of your publications will likely go unread beyond the titles in the hiring process.
http://www.jalt-publications.org/tlt/articles/2002/09/glick

McCasland and Poole said this:
Did the committee read my publications?

Many universities rate the accomplishments of the applicant on a grading scale. A full-length, feature publication in a reputable international journal will receive high marks while an institutional (in-house) journal or a magazine publication might have less value. Similarly, an invited presentation to an international conference would receive more weight than a presentation at a small conference.

Be advised that some interview panels will actually read your publications and even attempt to challenge your research, so be able to diplomatically defend both. The fastball question may be more of a test of your presence of mind under pressure, than an actual challenge to your research methodology. The point is research does count: it is often a vital consideration for the hiring committee. Moreover, the manner in which it is documented and defended is a crucial part of your overall presentation. Keep in mind, the presentation is not just the person (yourself), nor is it just the package (the documentation); it is a finely tuned orchestration of both.
http://www.jalt-publications.org/tlt/articles/2004/10/mccasland

Dillon and Sower wrote:
Publishing in one's field is a basic requirement for obtaining limited-contract full-time positions. Universities are very concerned with paper qualifications, and publications are becoming more and more important even for part-time staff. Most university departments have academic journals and sometimes part-time staff are permitted to submit papers to them. This usually occurs when full-time instructors choose not to publish, leaving space for part-time staff. Articles can also be published in language teaching journals in Japan and abroad, for example our own The Language Teacher and the JALT Journal, or The TESOL Journal. A complete list of ESL related academic journals can be found in the above noted Misc.Education.Language.English FAQ page. Most schools value academic publications that are rigorously researched and have long bibliographies.
http://www.jalt-publications.org/tlt/files/96/oct/job.html

[Mr_Monkey]

Slightly divergent from the OP, but I've wondered this for a good few years:

Why do Japanese universities care so much about publications, when - frankly - an MA/MSc in Applied Linguistics and publications doesn't really allow the potential employer to reliably infer ability to teach?

Is the prestige of a published author really all that matters?

[Drizzt]

[Glenski]

I agree with the idea that publishing is more important than teaching. Of course, some would say that one's teaching ought to be based on the research they do (in liberal arts fields, anyway). Perhaps that is a university's justification.

There seems to be a slowly growing trend in Japan towards universities being told to provide more FD (faculty development) training. This is a catch-all term, IMO, but it can include teaching teachers how to teach better. I gave such a seminar earlier this year myself to the grad school teachers, who were all told that the grad school was going to be changed to teach a lot (most) in English. FD has a role if done properly -- to train faculty to be better educators.

Publishing can, in some circumstances, also be seen as an activity which demonstrates that a teacher isn't just going to the classroom and turning on a tape recorder for 90 minutes.