The Institute for Research in Language Teaching (Gogaku Kyōiku Kenkyūjo) at Daitō Bunka University was established within the Faculty of Foreign Languages in 1983 to promote research in the areas of language education, linguistics, and world cultures. The Chinese, English, and Japanese Departments have all been involved with the institute ever since.

Members are drawn in loose rotation from faculty members of the three departments, representing five languages because French and German are taught as a second major within the English Department. The chairperson of the institute (always a full professor) rotates between these five languages and is supported by a steering committee (Uneiin), which includes the three heads of departments and other experienced faculty members.
The research conducted by the members of the institute involves linguistics, cultural studies, and especially research that aims to improve (foreign) language education.

The Institute for Research in Language Teaching frequently hosts lectures, seminars, and workshops. Also, it features regular research presentations by the institute’s members. To promote international academic exchange, the institute regularly invites scholars from other universities and research institutes from around the world for joint research projects. Sometimes, the institute hosts Japanese guest researches as well.

In addition to organizing regular lectures and research presentations, the institute publishes the journal Gogaku Kyōiku Kenkyū Ronsō or “The Journal of the Institute for Language and Education Research” and a separate volume called Gogaku Kyōiku Fōramu or “Contributions Towards Research and Education of Language.” The institute’s members participate in many academic conferences and publish their results also in various journals, both domestic and international.

The members of the Faculty of Foreign Languages come from various countries and are experts in foreign language education, linguistics, or culture (with a focus on either literature or history). This diversity of languages and research fields contributes to the uniquely international and interdisciplinary atmosphere at the institute.

The activities of the Institute for Language and Education Research are described in more detail below.

1.    Publishing The Journal of the Institute for Language and Education Research (Gogaku Kyōiku Kenkyū Ronsō)
2.    Publishing Contributions Towards Research and Education of Language (Gogaku Kyōiku Fōramu)
3.    Issuing the Institute Bulletin (Goken Shohō)
4.    Organizing annual scholarly lectures (Kōenkai)
5.    Organizing frequent research meetings (Kenkyū Happyōkai)

1.    The Journal of the Institute for Language and Education Research centers on language research done by members of the institute. Usually, each issue includes about 15 to 20 articles on a wide variety of topics as well as “research notes” transmitting information about the research conducted inside and outside the institute. This journal includes linguistic and language education research not only of the tenured faculty but also of adjunct professors of Daitō Bunka University’s Faculty of Foreign Languages and some Master’s or Ph.D. candidates of our Graduate School. Members of the institute review all contributions. Gogaku Kyōiku Kenkyū Ronsō publishes high-quality research that is important to unify the institute’s twofold mission of educational development and scholarly pursuit.

2.    Contributions Towards Research and Education of Language is another important outlet for regular publishing of language research, that has existed since 1989. It has the aim of putting together and displaying advanced research. The main contributors to the journal are the tenured faculty of the Faculty of Foreign Languages. It either features a collection of research papers, one longer single-authored study, or in-house research projects conducted by a team of researchers.

3.    The Institute Bulletin is the institute’s annual report. It features all activities of the institute, including sponsored lectures, research presentations, and special events such as the joint lectures of the French and the German ambassadors in 2013. Following the latest trend, the Institute Bulletin is published exclusively on the institute’s homepage since 2020.

4.    Scholarly lectures (Kōenkai): Well-known scholars or other experts within their specific areas are invited every year by the institute’s members in the fields of Chinese, English, French, German, and Japanese language (education) and culture to conduct a one-time presentation, lecture or workshop. Both professors and students benefit from these stimulating activities. All students and faculty members, along with participants from outside the university, are invited to attend. Students and professors are thus frequently exposed to research outside their own disciplines and have the opportunity to broaden their horizons.

5.    Research meetings (Kenkyū Happyōkai): Every member of the institute is presenting the results of their individual or collective research once a year. These talks are often outside the field of most of the other members, which frequently gives rise to new cross-disciplinary insights.