Communication‐oriented Policies Versus Classroom Realities in Japan

Nishino, Takako; Watanabe, Michinobu

doi:10.1002/j.1545-7249.2008.tb00214.x

Cited by 132 publications

(67 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…Studies in Vietnam and other Asian countries such as Japan (Nishino & Watanabe, 2008), Thailand (Tayjasanant & Barnard, 2010), China (Hu, 2002) and Korea (Yoon, 2004) found a mismatch between CLT tenets and local classroom cultures. Therefore, it is recommended that every EFL/ESL teacher be flexible and innovative in adopting and adapting new pedagogical approaches in their own educational contexts.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Code-switching in English Language Education: Voices from Vietnam

Nguyen

Grainger

Carey

2016

TPLS

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Abstract-Why do bilingual language teachers and students switch between the two languages in their language classrooms? On the evidence of current research findings in relation to English-Vietnamese codeswitching in the educational contexts of Vietnam, this article identifies that classroom code-switching between the second language and the first language has its own pedagogic functions and it can be a valuable language classroom resource to both teachers and learners. In Vietnam, the implementation of the monolingual approach of teaching English-through-English-only faces many challenges such as inadequate classroom resources, students' low levels of English competence, motivation and autonomy, teachers' limited English abilities, and inappropriate teaching methods. Many Vietnamese teachers of English support code-switching in the classroom and they teach English through the bilingual approach. English-Vietnamese code-switching is reported not to be a restriction on the acquisition of English; rather, it can facilitate the teaching and learning of general English in Vietnam. This practice of code-switching is not just due to a lack of sufficient proficiency to maintain a conversation in English; rather, it serves a number of pedagogic functions such as explaining new words and grammatical rules, giving feedback, checking comprehension, making comparison between English and Vietnamese, establishing good rapport between teachers and students, creating a friendly classroom atmosphere and supporting group dynamics.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Code-switching in English Language Education: Voices from Vietnam

Nguyen

Grainger

Carey

2016

TPLS

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“…These views are supported by many empirical case studies, such as those in Hong Kong (Carless, 2003(Carless, , 2007, China (Wang, 2008;Hu, 2002), Korea (Yoon, 2004;Jeon & Hanh, 2006). Japan (Nishino & Watanabe, 2008;Sato, 2002), and Thailand (Nonkukhetkhong, Baldauf, & Moni, 2006;Segovia & Hardison, 2009;Tayjasanant & Barnard, 2010).…”

Section: Task-based Language Teaching In Vietnammentioning

confidence: 99%

Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT): A Vietnamese Case Study Using Narrative Frames to Elicit Teachersʼ Beliefs

Barnard

Viet²

2010

LEiA

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Like many other methodological innovations, Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) has been applied to many English language curriculums across Asia. However, little research has been done to explore what teachers know and believe about these reforms in their specific contexts. This paper derives from an in-depth study of teacher cognition in Vietnamese high schools using multi-methods of data collection. It will present and discuss findings from one of the methods used to elicit teachers' knowledge and attitudes -'narrative frames' (Barkhuizen & Wette, 2008). Specifically, teachers were asked to write (in Vietnamese) reflective comments about their attitudes towards TBLT, and their recent experience of applying it in their classroom. After presenting some of the findings, the application and usefulness of this approach to data collection in relatable contexts will be considered.Two versions of curricular innovation have been identified: the intended reform, which presents idealised prescriptions, and the realised version, which is actually implemented in classrooms (Coleman, 1996;Fullan, 1993;Markee, 1997). There is often a gap between the two because the experience and perceptions of the key decision-makers -the teachers -are usually not taken into account (MacDonald, 1991;McGee, 1997). This paper reports an aspect of an in-depth case study into the beliefs and practices of a group of Vietnamese teachers in regard to the innovative national curriculum in Vietnamese high schools in which Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) and Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) are fundamental features. The paper will focus on the initial phases of data collection in the research project, in which teachers were asked to complete narrative frames (Barkhuizen & Wette, 2008) and thereby reflect upon their attitudes and experiences of using the new curriculum materials in their classes. Extracts from these narratives will be presented and briefly discussed to bring out the extent of convergence and divergence from their understanding of communicative language teaching and their reported classroom practices. The paper will conclude with a discussion of the methodological issues of this approach to eliciting teachers' beliefs and attitudes.

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“…This familiarity has in turn led to scepticism about the program's performance in the educational context. In addition to multiple academic studies documenting the program's apparent failure to improve foreign language proficiency (that is, Browne and Wada, 1998;Tajino and Walker, 1998;Nishino and Watanabe, 2008), a leading Japanese foreign policy expert acknowledged to The Guardian in the program's twentieth year that "While JET has been successful in forging people-to-people ties, that hasn't always translated fully into the quality of English teaching in public education" (McCurry, 2007).…”

Section: The Jet Program As Public Diplomacymentioning

confidence: 99%

Willing interpreters and receivers: American alumni of the Japan exchange and teaching (JET) program

Metzgar

2017

Palgrave Commun

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Established in 1987, the Japanese government's Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program has generated more than 60,000 alumni worldwide, half of them Americans. Coalescing over three decades, the American JET alumni community offers a compelling example of how the creation of "willing interpreters and receivers" (Nye) through an international exchange program can yield benefits for both sponsors and participants. Focused on the American JET alumni community's composition and its efforts to organize into an independent actor in its own right, this paper offers insight into a large-scale effort to promote soft power in the context of the strategically important US-Japan relationship. This article is published as part of a collection on soft power.

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Communication‐oriented Policies Versus Classroom Realities in Japan

Abstract: TESOL Quarterly publishes brief commentaries on aspects of English language teaching. For this issue, the editor focused on the theme of government policy versus classroom reality in the new millennium. Reports from two countries are presented.

Cited by 132 publications

References 2 publications

Code-switching in English Language Education: Voices from Vietnam

Code-switching in English Language Education: Voices from Vietnam

Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT): A Vietnamese Case Study Using Narrative Frames to Elicit Teachersʼ Beliefs

Willing interpreters and receivers: American alumni of the Japan exchange and teaching (JET) program

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