Demographic and supply-side changes are occurring in the tertiary educational sector in Japan. These changes have begun to diminish the importance of the highly competitive and influential university entrance examination system, as many students, particularly at the non-elite level, are able to gain university entrance without having to sit for an entrance examination. Given this evolving context, this study uncovers how incoming freshmen at a small non-elite university studied English in secondary school and examines the attitudes and motivations that they hold about language learning. The findings reveal that participants’ English language educational experiences at the secondary level remain little changed from the past; parents and teachers continue to emphasize the importance of studying English in order to prepare for entrance examinations. Most participants have a generally negative assessment of their secondary English language experiences. Student beliefs about both the general nature of language learning and learning and communication strategies continue to parallel many of the traditional practices of their secondary language experiences once they reach the tertiary level. The author concludes that university instructors of English must come to know their students’ language experiences and consequent attitudes and motivations in order to bridge possible cultural and pedagogical gaps. In this way, instructors may find ways to help their students find a purpose for increasing their language proficiency while they are studying at university.
