Effects of Japanese national identification on attitudes toward learning English and self-assessed English proficiency

Sullivan, Nancy; Schatz, Robert T.

doi:10.1016/j.ijintrel.2009.03.001

Cited by 28 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 79 publications

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“…One study that has examined this notion was conducted by Sullivan and Schatz (2009), who assessed the effects of national identification on the attitudes of 377 Japanese university students towards the West (specifically, the United States) and the study of English. They examined four concepts of identification in relation to perceptions of EFL: "patriotism (positive identification with and affective attachment to country), nationalism (perceptions of national superiority and support for national dominance), internationalism (support for international goodwill and cooperation), and commitment to national heritage (devotion to national symbols and cultural heritage)" (p. 486).…”

Section: Japanese Identity and Efl Education In Japanmentioning

confidence: 99%

Learner Perspectives on National Identity and EFL Education in Japan : Report of a Questionnaire Study

Turnbull¹

2017

The Journal of AsiaTEFL

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Although the Japanese discourse of nihonjinron argues that the increasing hegemony of the English language will have negative effects on the Japanese identity, some scholars have suggested the opposite, that English in Japan plays a significant role in strengthening and maintaining the ideologies of the Japanese national identity. This paper investigates the potential for both positive and/or negative impacts of English education in Japan by analysing the attitudes and perspectives of 97 Japanese tertiary-level EFL students towards the study of English on Japan's national and cultural identity. The findings suggest that support for the theories of the nihonjinron discourse are not as strong amongst the younger generation in Japan as what they once were. Participants identified the Japanese language as a constituent element of national identity, and it is therefore suggested that removing Japanese from the EFL classroom entirely, as has been advocated for in foreign language policies, may actually cultivate negative ideologies towards the study of English in general. The findings suggest the need to build a positive relationship between the English language as a support for Japanese identity if we are to see an improvement in Japanese students' attitudes toward, and development of, EFL on the whole.

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Section: Japanese Identity and Efl Education In Japanmentioning

confidence: 99%

Learner Perspectives on National Identity and EFL Education in Japan : Report of a Questionnaire Study

Turnbull¹

2017

The Journal of AsiaTEFL

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“…In early studies of experiences by English teachers in Japan, most of them pointed out the shyness common to all Japanese students, at high school and university levels (Claro, 2007;Doyon, 2000;Mayer, 1999;Miller, 1995;Williams, 1994). Most highlighted the importance of addressing cultural differences that play a large role in students' behavior in class (Brown, 2004;Doyon, 2000;Johnson, 2009;Kubota, 2001;Sullivan, 2009). In a study conducted by Williams (1994), building up intimacy among students and between the teachers led to active student participation during oral and aural activities.…”

Section: English Learning Attitudesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Student‐Teacher Shuttle Card for Japanese Dental Students Taking a Dental English Course

et al. 2011

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There has been a noticeable change of curricula in specialized and technical courses offered in Japanese schools and universities. One of these is the integration of English for general and specific purposes in the dental curriculum. Although a number of studies have assessed the former, very few have assessed English for specific purposes education for dentistry in Japan. Further, studies that look into methods of facilitating its integration into the dental curriculum, what the course comprises, and the specific needs of students are therefore needed. Because Japanese students rarely participate actively in studentteacher interaction, this article describes how the student-teacher shuttle card, a type of journal, was used to identify students' specific satisfaction or needs and implications for improving course management. Consecutively used for 3 years in a dental school setting, freshmen students were able to convey their questions and opinions easily through the card. Entries from the card may be used to maintain, improve, or develop better teaching methods. They may also identify students who need more attention or who can be used as models for others during group discussions or practical exercises.

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“…While considerable attention has lately been given to language ideologies and the functions of English in mainland Japan (Gottlieb, 2008;Hino;Honna, 1995;Honna & Takeshita, 2005;Kawai, 2007;Kubota, 1998;McVeigh, 2002;Seargeant 2005Seargeant , 2008Seargeant , 2009Sullivan & Schatz, 2009) and attitudes towards English among young Japanese learners (Matsuda, 2000(Matsuda, , 2003bMcKenzie, 2008;Ryan, 2009;Sakuragi, 2008), there appears to be only been one study to date that has explicitly focused on the role of English in a particular local language context in Japan (Kubota & McKay, 2009). In recent years there have been repeated calls in the literature for more in-depth analysis of English in Japan and other countries in the expanding circle (for example, Berns, 2005;McKenzie, 2008;Ryan, 2009).…”

Section: Rationale For the Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Kokusaika and its accompanying rhetoric are often considered as Japan benignly adapting to the realities of globalization: others however, have claimed the concept to be tacitly employed in disseminating nihonjinron at the international level (Hashimoto, 2000;Kubota, 1998;Seargeant, 2009;Sullivan & Schatz, 2009). For these researchers, the internationalism that is promoted via kokusaika is often narrowly defined according to specific "Japanese needs" and presents "an international image to the international community while still managing to adhere to a nationalist or even isolationist agenda" (Seargeant, 2009, p. 72).…”

Section: English and English Language Education Policies In Japanmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In contrast, studies such as Matsuda's (2003) mixed-method inquiry into attitudes and ownership in secondary schools fail to consider what Seargeant (2009) refers to in his critique of it as "other sources of information which might influence the students' views in conflicting ways" by focusing exclusively the classroom as the context of research (p. 94). A number of other studies (Sakuragi, 2007;Sullivan & Schatz, 2009) use a quantitative attitude framework to explore the relationship between language learning and variables such as cross-cultural attitudes and national identification in Japan. There is a similar danger here in that, while large-scale questionnaires allow for generalizable results, they do so at the expense of ignoring contextual factors and at the same time running the risk of reducing the complexity of the object of study to a narrow and reified notion.…”

Section: This Study Provides Valuable Insight Into Our Understanding mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Using scale to bridge the local and the global : an exploratory case study of English in the lives of five Okinawan women

Luke¹

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This thesis has the dual objectives of: i) reviewing and critiquing several theoretical frameworks currently employed in research on the role of English in globalization; and ii) testing sociolinguistic scales, orders of indexicality and polycentricity (Blommaert, 2010) as an alternative or complementary set of conceptual tools. To determine whether these concepts address a number of limitations found in the currently dominant frameworks, an exploratory case study of the position of English in the lives of five women in the Japanese prefecture of Okinawa was conducted. These women were found to occupy multiple and sometimes conflicting subject positions vis-a-vis English. It is argued that by focusing on local micro practices in addition to macro approaches typically taken, sociolinguistic scales provide a viable conceptual means of bridging the gap between local and global, allowing for deeper understanding of how local experience and practice engages with and is implicated in global discourses of English.iii AcknowledgmentsThanks are due to a number of people who made the writing of this thesis possible:Lynne Young filled my head with ideas during my time at Carleton and were more accessible than I ever imagined professors could be. Janna Fox, Peggy Hartwick, and Jaffer Sheyholislami provided me with valuable work experience, and Joan Grant helped me with all things administrative. Thanks to Andrzej Szeib and the rest of my cohort for conversation, debate, healthy competition and friendship.In particular I owe an incredible debt of gratitude to Ellen Cray, who not only introduced me to the field of language policy and planning, but constantly pointed me in all the right directions in terms of areas of research, spent countless hours in debate and discussion with me, was always available and lent me her office when I needed a place to get away and write. Her close reading and counsel helped me shape these ideas and data into this thesis and I could not have done it without her.My wife Maya endured constant discussion, provided endless love and support and heard about and read this document more times than she probably would have liked. My son Leo had to compete with this thesis for my attention in the early months of his life. He probably won't remember this, but still I ask his forgiveness.

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Effects of Japanese national identification on attitudes toward learning English and self-assessed English proficiency

Cited by 28 publications

References 79 publications

Learner Perspectives on National Identity and EFL Education in Japan : Report of a Questionnaire Study

Learner Perspectives on National Identity and EFL Education in Japan : Report of a Questionnaire Study

The Student‐Teacher Shuttle Card for Japanese Dental Students Taking a Dental English Course

Using scale to bridge the local and the global : an exploratory case study of English in the lives of five Okinawan women

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