Creating engagement and motivation in the Japanese university language classroom

Many English teachers who come to Japan to work in universities bring with them a stereotype of Japanese students as lacking motivation to learn English. At best, these students are dutiful but barely participatory; at worst, they are indifferent to homework and exams, often tardy, or absent altogether. This stereotype is hardly the complete story, but the students who match it are a frequent source of frustration for instructors who wish their students were more active participants in class.