This study investigates the educational effectiveness of integrating the American film Back to the Future, directed by Robert Zemeckis, into English language instructions for engineering students in Japan. The participants included students from four classes at a Japanese college, focused on training future engineers, and a university class of students specializing in technical sciences. Three surveys were administered using Google Forms: before viewing the film, after watching the first half of the film, and after the film viewing was complete. The surveys assessed the learning outcomes of students, self-evaluation of communication skills, and their recognition of English vocabulary and expressions encountered while viewing the film. The findings suggest that students viewed the film as a valuable resource to improve everyday conversational skills, expand vocabulary, and understand cultural and social contexts, as well as to assimilate non-verbal communication cues. However, they exhibited lower confidence in their English composition abilities and interpersonal communication as a result of the film. The post-viewing analysis showed that although students could conduct a thorough engineering analysis of the film, their comprehension of the English vocabulary and expressions remained at a level similar to that of Japanese lower secondary school students.
The study concludes that the primary insights gained from viewing the film were engineering-focused, accompanied by limited linguistic advancement. To enhance the educational outcomes with regard to the use of films in engineering education, this study recommends the incorporation of pre-viewing activities that are focused on conversational expressions and vocabulary, in addition to engineering concepts.

Authors:
Mikako Nobuhara, Nagaoka University of Technology, Japan
Takashi Okoda, Tokyo Metropolitan College of Industrial Technology, Japan

About the Presenter(s)
Professor Mikako Nobuhara is a University Assistant Professor/Lecturer at Nagaoka University of Technology in Japan

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