Ross Sampson

Toyo University, Faculty of International Tourism Management, Faculty Member

Kanda University of International Studies, English Language Institute, Faculty Member

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Ross has 13 years teaching experience in Japan, South Korea, Thailand and onboard a cruise ship. He also has experience running TESOL certification courses. He gained his masters in TESOL from the University of Glasgow in 2016. Since 2016, he has been actively researching, publishing and presenting. His research interests include reflective learning, social learning spaces, learner autonomy, action research, vocabulary, geography, and CLIL.

He recently accepted a new position from April 2023 within the International Tourism Management department at Toyo University, Tokyo. He is delighted with this position as he is interested in the tourism industry and will be able to further his teaching career.
He can be contact via the following email:
[email protected]
Address: Toyo University, 5 Chome-28-20 Hakusan, Bunkyo City, Tokyo 112-8606

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Papers by Ross Sampson

Review of the March 14, 2021 – Learning Advisor Education Program: Graduation Symposium

Studies in Self-Access Learning Journal, 2021

This article reviews the first learning advisor education program graduation symposium which was ... more This article reviews the first learning advisor education program graduation symposium which was held online on March 14, 2021. The purpose of the symposium was to celebrate the first cohort of graduates from the program and also celebrate participants who graduated as advisor educators. The event featured six speakers from five countries who are leaders in the field of advising. This review will begin with details about the learning advisor education program. Then, it will include a summary of the events of the symposium and the authors’ takeaways from each speaker. Finally, it will end with the authors’ final thoughts.

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Observing a Social Learning Space: A Summary of an Ethnographic Project in Progress

by Ross Sampson and Jo Mynard

Relay Journal

This paper is a brief summary of an ethnographic research project currently in progress. Although... more This paper is a brief summary of an ethnographic research project currently in progress. Although the authors plan to present multiple papers based on the research, this paper has been written with the purpose of documenting progress so far. The main aims are to keep colleagues informed and to ensure that all of the steps are recorded to aid future dissemination of the findings. The authors summarize a project which started in June 2017 and will continue for several years observing student behaviors occurring in one social learning space in the Self-Access Learning Center (SALC) at Kanda University of International Studies (KUIS).

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Aspects of Word Knowledge: An Investigation of the Explicit Exemplification of Aspects of Word Knowledge in a Global Textbook used in South Korea

The term ‘lexical item’ has proved useful in identifying pieces of language which operate as sing... more The term ‘lexical item’ has proved useful in identifying pieces of language which operate as single units. The extent of knowledge required to master these items is more extensive than many teachers and learners may realise. This study aims to learn whether one specific textbook explicitly addresses the full depth of knowledge in activities for its selected lexical items. A framework was developed to analyse the textbook and each unit was examined with a primary focus on the vocabulary sections. Which knowledge aspects in each activity were being exemplified was determined and a count was taken for each. The results reveal that ‘form and meaning’ clearly dominate attention given in activities. A few other aspects (spoken form, written form, word parts) receive some attention but many receive very little or no attention at all. This study advises that the four learning partners (students, teachers, materials writers and researchers) need to be aware of the lexical impact in language ...

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Trying on a New Hat: From Teacher to Advisor

Relay Journal

Self-Access Centre’s (SACs) which facilitate autonomous learning are becoming more prevalent in h... more Self-Access Centre’s (SACs) which facilitate autonomous learning are becoming more prevalent in higher education institutions (Morrison and Navarro, 2012). A new educational role entitled ‘Learning Advisor’ is becoming more commonplace also. Learning Advisors (LAs) have advising sessions with learners, usually one to one. During these sessions an Intentional Reflective Dialogue (IRD) takes place. This IRD is an interaction intentionally aimed at promoting autonomous and transformational learning within the learner (Kato, 2012). This paper is a reflection of the author’s first advising session with a learner conducted via Zoom, the teleconferencing platform. The session focuses on three ‘advising strategies’ selected by the author, chosen in an attempt to reflect on the author’s ability to use them effectively as an advisor. As research on advising has been relatively scarce (Kato & Mynard, 2016), the author intends this paper to add to the field of literature on first-time advising ...

Dynamics of a Social Language Learning Community

Report on the JASAL Forum at JALT2020: Fostering Community in Self-Access Environments

by Clair Taylor and Ross Sampson

JASAL Journal, 2020

Her research interests are learning space design and learning beyond the classroom. Clair is curr... more

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Shifting Identities in a Social Learning Space

by Daniel Hooper and Ross Sampson

The Learner Development Journal, 2019

In this paper, we explore the impact that a social learning space has on the identity constructio... more In this paper, we explore the impact that a social learning space has on the identity construction of six regular users. The context is an English conversation lounge which is part of the self-access center in a university in Japan. The purpose of the lounge is to provide students with an environment in which to practice speaking English, which is one of the languages which they are learning, in a relaxed and supportive space. Viewed through a poststructuralist lens (Block, 2007; Norton, 2000) that considers social conditions to have a profound influence on identity, we take a multiple case study approach. We also explore emergent themes, and attempt to shed light on phenomena that affect identity construction in this context. Findings include evidence in interviews in year 1 and year 2 showing examples of reflexive, projected, and imagined identities (Benson, Barkhuizen, Bodycott, & Brown, 2013) shifting over time as the participants engaged in participation in the English Lounge. In addition, we found that both positive and negative views of the lounge influenced these shifts in identity.

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Observing a Social Learning Space: A Summary of an Ethnographic Project in Progress

by Jo Mynard, Bethan Kushida, Daniel Hooper, and Ross Sampson

Relay Journal, 2018

This paper is a brief summary of an ethnographic research project currently in progress. Although... more This paper is a brief summary of an ethnographic research project currently in progress. Although the authors plan to present multiple papers based on the research, this paper has been written with the purpose of documenting progress so far. The main aims are to keep colleagues informed and to ensure that all of the steps are recorded to aid future dissemination of the findings.

The authors summarize a project which started in June 2017 and will continue for several years observing student behaviors occurring in one social learning space in the Self-Access Learning Center (SALC) at Kanda University of International Studies (KUIS).

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Shifting Identities in a Social Learning Space

by Jo Mynard and Ross Sampson

Learner Development Journal, 2019

In this paper, we explore the impact that a social learning space has on the identity constructio... more In this paper, we explore the impact that a social learning space has on the identity construction of six regular users. The context is an English conversation lounge which is part of the self-access center in a university in Japan. The purpose of the lounge is to provide students with an environment in which to practice speaking English, which is one of the languages which they are learning, in a relaxed and supportive space. Viewed through a poststructur-alist lens (Block, 2007; Norton, 2000) that considers social conditions to have a profound influence on identity, we take a multiple case study approach. We also explore emergent themes, and attempt to shed light on phenomena that affect identity construction in this context. Findings include evidence in interviews in year 1 and year 2 showing examples of reflexive, projected, and imagined identities (Benson, Barkhuizen, Bodycott, & Brown, 2013) shifting over time as the participants engaged in participation in the English Lounge. In addition, we found that both positive and negative views of the lounge influenced these shifts in identity.

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Review of the March 14, 2021 – Learning Advisor Education Program: Graduation Symposium

Studies in Self-Access Learning Journal, 2021

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Observing a Social Learning Space: A Summary of an Ethnographic Project in Progress

by Ross Sampson and Jo Mynard

Relay Journal

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Aspects of Word Knowledge: An Investigation of the Explicit Exemplification of Aspects of Word Knowledge in a Global Textbook used in South Korea

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Trying on a New Hat: From Teacher to Advisor

Relay Journal

Dynamics of a Social Language Learning Community

Report on the JASAL Forum at JALT2020: Fostering Community in Self-Access Environments

by Clair Taylor and Ross Sampson

JASAL Journal, 2020

Her research interests are learning space design and learning beyond the classroom. Clair is curr... more

Download

Shifting Identities in a Social Learning Space

by Daniel Hooper and Ross Sampson

The Learner Development Journal, 2019

Download

Observing a Social Learning Space: A Summary of an Ethnographic Project in Progress

by Jo Mynard, Bethan Kushida, Daniel Hooper, and Ross Sampson

Relay Journal, 2018

This paper is a brief summary of an ethnographic research project currently in progress. Although... more This paper is a brief summary of an ethnographic research project currently in progress. Although the authors plan to present multiple papers based on the research, this paper has been written with the purpose of documenting progress so far. The main aims are to keep colleagues informed and to ensure that all of the steps are recorded to aid future dissemination of the findings.

The authors summarize a project which started in June 2017 and will continue for several years observing student behaviors occurring in one social learning space in the Self-Access Learning Center (SALC) at Kanda University of International Studies (KUIS).

Download

Shifting Identities in a Social Learning Space

by Jo Mynard and Ross Sampson

Learner Development Journal, 2019

In this paper, we explore the impact that a social learning space has on the identity constructio... more In this paper, we explore the impact that a social learning space has on the identity construction of six regular users. The context is an English conversation lounge which is part of the self-access center in a university in Japan. The purpose of the lounge is to provide students with an environment in which to practice speaking English, which is one of the languages which they are learning, in a relaxed and supportive space. Viewed through a poststructur-alist lens (Block, 2007; Norton, 2000) that considers social conditions to have a profound influence on identity, we take a multiple case study approach. We also explore emergent themes, and attempt to shed light on phenomena that affect identity construction in this context. Findings include evidence in interviews in year 1 and year 2 showing examples of reflexive, projected, and imagined identities (Benson, Barkhuizen, Bodycott, & Brown, 2013) shifting over time as the participants engaged in participation in the English Lounge. In addition, we found that both positive and negative views of the lounge influenced these shifts in identity.

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