Keise, from Japan, graduated from the MSc Language Education programme in 2022. Here, he talks about how the programme changed his way of thinking and his approach to language teaching. Prior to studying at Edinburgh, Keise was working as a cram school teacher and studying cognitive linguistics in order to develop interesting explanations of concepts and components of grammar in English. 'These grammar concepts are necessary for language education, which many Japanese English as a Foreign Language students find boring,' says Keise.'A completely new field for me'This time, I wanted to study English education based on sociolinguistics, which is a completely new field for me. I wanted to explore sociolinguistics and how this knowledge is incorporated into language education. Also, I wanted to take in a new perspective and gain greater skills in teaching English to Japanese English as a Foreign Language students. The University of Edinburgh has a number of excellent teachers whose specialities are sociolinguistics and language education methodology based on the discipline. So, I chose to study at Edinburgh.'A totally different way of thinking with regards to language education'I studied multilingualism (or plurilingualism), which is a totally different way of thinking with regards to language education than those prevalent in my country. It emancipated me from the ideology of native-speaker beliefs, which make some feel that they need to speak like 'native speakers', but also makes language learning difficult.I learned to critique my own work and make adjustments in order to improve my arguments. Critical thinking and research skills are what I developed the most during my time as a student.I used 'critical discourse analysis' as a methodology for my research, which enables us to interpret hidden discourses in communication. I think this mindset can be applied not only in academic research but in daily lives, which are filled with vague expressions.Taking his learning forwardThis programme provides us with not only the knowledge for language education but also for academic research. The course, the sources of knowledge, for example, taught us different research paradigms, which we need to assume properly, depending on what we want to investigate. This knowledge is essential to conduct research in the field of the humanities.I think that the degree will broaden my access to employment opportunities. I have gained knowledge and a skillset that not many educators have attained.'My teachers, my personal tutor, my supervisor, friends, and family were my emotional support'Actually, I encountered a lot of hardships in studying at Edinburgh. I had difficulty in keeping up with my studies due to lack of knowledge in this specific discipline. Also, I caught COVID in the second semester and couldn’t do much during that period. To make matters worse, my mother also had COVID when I was working on my dissertation, and she passed away right after I finished it. This was so difficult a time for me that I couldn’t focus on my writing. But during that time, my teachers, my personal tutor, my supervisor, friends, and family were my emotional support. Thanks to their help, I managed to complete this programme. What I want to say here is that when you take on a challenge, hardships are bound to occur. However, you can overcome them with the support of the people around you. The important thing is to share your hardships with others. Don't be afraid to talk about your struggles.Want to learn more about our MSc Language Education programme?Our highly flexible programme encompasses all languages and is suitable for both experienced and novice language teachers. MSc Language Education Tags Language Education Publication date 21 Apr, 2026
