Dominique Vola Ambinintsoa, Kanda University of International Studies
Emily A. Marzin, Kanda University of International Studies
Welcome to Volume 8, Issue 2 of Relay Journal. Dedicated to supporting research, pedagogical practice, and critical reflection in learner and teacher autonomy, self-access learning, and advising in language education, the journal also serves as a platform for ongoing academic dialogue through its post-publication peer review model. This issue emphasizes the importance of reflection by means of dialogue in professional development since it features two reflective papers on mentoring and advising sessions. It also includes a paper presenting a perspective on terms used in advising and a paper discussing the insights from the 14th LAb session organized by the Research Institute for Learner Autonomy (RILAE).
The first paper is authored by Tomoko Noda, who reflects on her experience mentoring a novice teacher. To support the novice teacher’s professional development, Noda aimed to enhance her self-awareness and direct her focus toward her well-being using advising strategies during the mentoring session. Noda stresses that such support is crucial given the increase of burnout teachers tend to face and that mentoring can be the best way to offer peer support and foster teachers’ resilience (Claro & Gordon, 2025). Her paper reinforces the positive influence of mentoring on professional development that has been reiterated in previous issues of Relay Journal (e.g., Hooper and Garin, 2023).
In the second reflective paper, Ruth Bilke describes her implementation of a second-language (L2) identity-focused class activity. Adapted from a body silhouette task developed by Dressler (2015), the activity requires learners to represent aspects of their L2 identity through drawing. Bilke’s adaptation of the task was implemented in an English bilingual kindergarten in Japan. Engaging with this drawing-based activity prompted reflection on how linguistic identity might be more intentionally explored and supported within immersive early childhood language learning contexts.
In the third paper, Samuel Reid discusses the usage and potential pitfalls of terminology such as genuineness and authenticity, which are concepts that are often said to be related to skills in advising in language learning (e.g., Mozzon-McPherson and Tassinari, 2020). Reid argues that, especially as a novice learning advisor, implementing these concepts can be problematic due to their theoretical ambiguity, the impractical pressure they place on learning advisors, and the inherently subjective nature of identifying “authentic” feelings. This paper prompts readers, especially learning advisors, to reconsider the terminology taking into account their practical strategies, and perhaps, emotional experiences associated with conducting advising sessions.
The last paper of this journal issue is an event review written by Dominique Vola Ambinintsoa. The event was the 14th RILAE LAb focusing on the theme of motivation and language learning beyond the classroom, held on July 3rd, 2025. Ambinintsoa synthesizes theoretical concepts that can be used to research motivation in learning beyond the classroom as well as practical implementations that can foster such motivation that she has learned from the event. Her account, thus, offers readers a concise overview of the event’s key insights regarding fostering and researching learner motivation outside the classroom.
We would like to thank Tamiko Tsukinoki and Ayaka Shioya for their vital contributions to the timely publication of this issue. We would also like to express our gratitude to Kayo Hirono, who has made the publication of the Relay Journal issues over the last two years possible, and wish her the best for the next chapter of her life. As noted above, Relay Journal follows a post-publication open review system, so readers are warmly invited to engage with the articles by sharing their comments in the “Leave a reply” sections provided under each paper.
Notes on the editors
Dominique Vola Ambinintsoa is a senior learning advisor and lecturer at Kanda University of International Studies in Japan. She holds a PhD in Applied Linguistics (Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand) and an Ed.M in TESOL (State University of New York at Buffalo, US). Her research interests include learner autonomy, self-regulated learning, psychology of language learning, and advising in language learning.
Emily Marzin is a learning advisor and a lecturer at Kanda University of International Studies, Japan. She completed a Master in Didactics at Jean Monnet University, France and an EdD at The Open University, UK. Her research interests are self-directed learning and intercultural communication.
References
Claro, J. & Gordon, A.L. (2025). Managing well-being and workload with beginning teachers. In L. Molway & A. L. Gordon (Eds.), Mentoring language teachers in secondary school: A practical guide (pp. 155–166). Routledge.
Dressler, R. (2015). Exploring linguistic identity in young multilingual learners. TESL Canada Journal, 32(1), 42–52. https://doi.org/10.18806/tesl.v32i1.1198
Hooper, D., & Garin, A. (2023). Taking on a Life of Its Own: Relational Mentoring for Mutual Professional Growth. Relay Journal, 6(1), 76-85. https://doi.org/10.37237/relay/060105
Mozzon-McPherson, M. & Tassinari, M. G. (2020). From Language Teachers to Language Learning Advisors: A Journey Map. Philologia Hispalensis, 34(1), 121-139. https://dx.doi.org/10.12795/PH.2020.v34.i01.07