English Language Education Policy in Japan: At a Crossroads

Glasgow, Gregory Paul; Paller, Daniel Leigh

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-22464-0_7

Cited by 12 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 56 publications

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“…Interview results of teachers' weak identification and strangeness toward GCE may confirm Glasgow and Paller's (2016) viewpoint of English as a symbol, and teachers' lack of critical awareness toward teaching materials. Additionally, previous research showed that GCE is a very new concept in the field of ELT (Basarir, 2017), which also echoes with the interview results in this study that teachers are generally lack of knowledge about integrating GCE into ELT.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 87%

Scrutiny of Global Citizenship in Chinese Elementary School English Textbooks and Teachers’ Practices during COVID-19 Pandemic

Sun¹,

Buripakdi²

2022

APJEE

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Problems associated with globalisation have been exacerbated with the COVID-19 pandemic, which made us more aware of the interconnected nature of the world. Global pandemic requires global solutions, and the educational system should look beyond the confines of national borders to advocate for Global Citizenship Education (GCE) to provide such solutions. However, it is still underexplored that to what extent Chinese elementary school English textbooks reflect the notion of GCE and how they guide teachers’ practices particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. To address the gap, a mixed-method study was conducted to scrutinize two versions of Chinese elementary school English textbooks and explore teachers’ practices, so as to contribute to China’s context-specific GCE endeavours through English language teaching (ELT). The findings demonstrate that the themes of GCE are embedded in two versions of textbooks to varying degrees and with unbalanced distribution. Some elements that do not comply with the proposition of GCE and the excluded themes may impede the full realisation of global citizenship values. Interview results show that teacher training is urgently needed to integrate GCE into interdisciplinary subjects and raise teachers’ critical awareness to challenge the prevailing routines in ELT. The findings could also provide some pedagogical enlightenment for teachers’ practices during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 87%

Scrutiny of Global Citizenship in Chinese Elementary School English Textbooks and Teachers’ Practices during COVID-19 Pandemic

Sun¹,

Buripakdi²

2022

APJEE

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“…Although the Japanese government's globalisation rhetoric includes emphasis on 'the mastery of the English language as the international lingua franca' and 'communication skills' (Yamada, 2010, pp. 492-493), English is seen by many citizensincluding the student intervieweesas a symbol of foreign cultures and communicative potential, rather than a living language with which to engage (Glasgow & Paller, 2016). This was seen in Ryan's (2009) large-scale attitudinal study, wherein secondary and post-secondary Japanese students 'liked English' largely for socially conditioned reasons, and less often out of a genuine desire to learn.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Besser and Chik (2014) argue that several factors influence young language learner identities: educational policy, cultural values, and distribution of resources. Applied to this Japanese context, the students' weak identification with global citizenship may arise from the popular view of English as a symbol (Glasgow & Paller, 2016), common Japanese values of modesty and self-effacement (Yamagishi et al, 2012), and the fact that teachers lack time to substantially supplement or improve the provided materials.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reaching the world outside: cultural representation and perceptions of global citizenship in Japanese elementary school English textbooks

Davidson

Liu

2018

Language, Culture and Curriculum

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Research on the representation of culture in language textbooks rarely incorporates the concept of global citizenship, despite its increasing relevance to language education in our globalising world. To address this critique, a mixed-method study was conducted to investigate cultural representation in Japanese elementary school English textbooks, and the degree to which students feel connected to the concept of global citizenship. Content analysis of Japanese textbooks and thematic analysis of student and teacher interviews found that the texts are culturally simplistic and did not help this population of students fully realise the values of global citizenship. Meaningful cultural representation may reinforce cultural awareness, open-mindedness, and social responsibilitythe core dimensions of global citizenship. To this end, future English curricula would benefit from supplementary authentic materials, cultural exchange experiences, and explicit discussions of culture between teachers and students.

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“…At the same time, there is clear evidence of a gap between the rhetoric of communicative reform and the reality of L2 instruction, which is likely to have a negative effect on student motivation. Glasgow and Paller (2016) maintained that there is a "continued disconnect" between de jure policy, with its emphasis on communication, and de facto pedagogy, leaving teachers to "make sense of policy messages that are not reconciled with classroom and institutional practices" (p. 175). Communicative reform is substantially rhetorical, Glasgow and Paller asserted, which gives students little incentive to appropriate English as a practical tool of thought and action.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Oriented to English: Motivations and Attitudes of Advanced Students in the University Classroom

Shea

2017

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The orientation to English among university students in Japan is a complex and shifting amalgam of attitudes and experiences that shape engagement in the classroom. Although research on learner motivation has highlighted the instrumental value of EFL in terms of imagined identity and investment, motivation is also affected by social factors such as Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) policy and teaching practice encountered prior to university entrance. In this paper, I report on a qualitative analysis of orientations among high proficiency advanced students in a 1st-year EFL class at a large university in Tokyo. Findings suggest that paths of study and admission routes varied widely, that a strong commitment to English was coupled with low levels of confidence, and that orientation seemed to shift noticeably after entering university, as students sensed the possibility of attrition and a reduced scope of English study. At the same time, students welcomed the chance to engage with content and build ideas in English as the role of the EFL classroom took on increased importance. 日本の大学生の英語への指向は一様ではなくその態度やこれまでの経験も様々であり、英語の授業に対する意欲も日々変化している。学習者の動機づけに関する研究は、自己効力感や自己投資に関するEFLの手段的価値を強調しているが、動機づけは同時に文部科学省の方針や高校における入試に対する指導法のような社会的要因にも影響される。本論文では、質的分析の方法を用い、東京の大規模なある大学の上級レベル１年生の英語授業における、学生の英語に対する姿勢を分析した。その結果、大学に入るまでの学習経験や入学形態は様々であること、英語に対する学習意欲は高い反面自信があまりないこと、燃え尽きの可能性や学習範囲の狭窄を感じ始め、大学入学後は英語に対する姿勢が著しく変わること等が分かった。しかし同時に英語で意見を構築する機会を好意的に受け入れ、EFLの授業の役割がより重要になる傾向が示された。

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English Language Education Policy in Japan: At a Crossroads

Cited by 12 publications

References 56 publications

Scrutiny of Global Citizenship in Chinese Elementary School English Textbooks and Teachers’ Practices during COVID-19 Pandemic

Scrutiny of Global Citizenship in Chinese Elementary School English Textbooks and Teachers’ Practices during COVID-19 Pandemic

Reaching the world outside: cultural representation and perceptions of global citizenship in Japanese elementary school English textbooks

Oriented to English: Motivations and Attitudes of Advanced Students in the University Classroom

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