This research investigates the extent to which emotional labour is experienced by non-Japanese teachers of English as a foreign language in Japan, what coping mechanisms are employed and how it impairs individual performance. Understanding these issues is pivotal in improving the competitive advantage of these organisations and the productivity of the many individuals that continue to work in the industry. The research has demonstrated that teachers carried out surface acting on a daily basis and several instructors acknowledged the need to perform deep acting over a sustained period of time. Whereas some teachers endured the working conditions, the most important coping mechanism involved engaging in camaraderie. Teachers had difficulties not being allowed to exhibit any form of creativity, having excessive workloads, dealing with students who were silent, had mental problems or were xenophobic. These factors made their working conditions stressful and emotionally draining.

This article seeks to understand impact of employability on technology acceptance in students from a constructivist perspective. The growing significance of technology usage in academia prompted this research as well as the need to understand if the technologies that I and my colleagues use on a regular basis were successful in engaging learners. It was imperative to understand if we were meeting the expectations of our students as well as Coventry University London which has invested a great deal into their implementation. Therefore, 20 students from Coventry University London were interviewed to uncover their thoughts and experiences into their acceptance and ultimate use of learning technologies. These students were interviewed over a two-year period (2016-2017) in order to capture accurate data and keep pace with the ever-evolving and arguably ephemeral nature of technology. Students also participated in focus groups after each set of interviews in order to explore relevant issues in greater depth. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was then applied to ascertain if employability was a significant variable in influencing technology acceptance. It was important to understand if the learning technologies utilised by academics were able to help students gain employment and be successful in their chosen occupations. The empirical data confirmed the view that learning technologies which had a positive perceived benefit in enhancing employability outcomes play a significant role in engaging an array of international students in their studies. These findings arguably demonstrate the need for the institution to reconfigure and enhance the clarity of its technology-enhanced learning strategy as well as its level of support to teaching staff. This proposal will allow academics to have sufficient opportunity to effectively utilise and apply learning technologies as part of their own individual pedagogical strategy and students to improve their employability skills as a result.

Online International Learning (OIL) is an innovative teaching paradigm that facilitates intercultural competence via meaningful online discussions between higher education practitioners and students in distant locations (de Wit 2013). OIL has been elucidated as a collaborative form of pedagogy that enhances 'virtual mobility', collaborative learning and the student experience (ibid). Similarly, international field trips allow students the opportunity to enhance their cultural awareness by active learning and immersion in new, dynamic and exciting learning environments (Jakubowski 2003). Piggott (2012) argues higher education students revel in experiencing real situations that can often bring what is taught in the classroom 'to life'. The case study integrated OIL and international field trips as a combined pedagogical strategy with the intention to deliver a best practice policy in assessment. This platform provided the opportunity to share ideas and views, discuss good business practices, explore cultural differences and encourage debate on current global affairs. It is contended that this practice not only fills a 'gap' but is in fact a unique strategy that has not been identifiable in any literature to date and is much deeper than the OIL-only strategy conducted by Villar-Onrubia and Rajpal (2015).

It is vital for teachers to keep abreast of new innovations to maintain student expectations and continuously improve performance in the classroom. A major development in recent pedagogical practice has seen the invention, development and implementation of the flipped classroom. Advantages include greater flexibility for students as they can study at their own leisure. In addition, there are opportunities for teachers to make seminars more interactive and to focus on exploring topics in greater depth after fundamental concepts have been practiced in a flipped class. This scenario has also led to greater student engagement and motivation and reduced tardiness and attendance issues. However, there are several disadvantages regarding its use. The most prominent criticism is that it is not possible to ascertain if a student has actually completed a flipped class until they attend a seminar. The whole flipped model is also wholly reliant on students having the motivation to do work in their own time. The creation, development and implementation of flipped classes can also be labour-intensive and onerous for teachers with already busy schedules. Further criticisms include the lack of instructor contact and necessity for developers to possess requisite technological skills. This study uncovered both positives and negatives regarding its efficacy with a number of students doubting its value in enhancing academic standards. Overall student performance and satisfaction levels were also lower when compared to the previous term when the same module was not flipped.