English Education IssuesSalvador NavaC. TakahashiJAPN 311 Social Issues in JapanSpring 2013

Outline Why this topic? Research Questions Explanation of Issues Student Perceptions of Their Education Solutions Conclusion Resources

Why this topic? Interested in many issues concerning

Japan (Previously choose abortion)

Going to Japan this August as an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) Becoming more and more interested in

this area

Research Questions What are the common problems with

English education?

How do students feel about the way they are being taught?

What is the Ministry of Education doing in order to deal with the issues?

Overarching Problems with the English Education System Reading and writing centered

Abundance of information during the Meiji Restoration

Used as a filter for higher education Evident in juken eigo, studied for the sole

purpose of college entrance exams

Overarching Problems with the English Education System Teacher’s Background

Majority were English Literature majors Lack of English as Second

Language/English as a Foreign Language background

Fosters negative attitudes among students

Student’s Perceptions of Their Teachers Were not taught how to use English to

communicate about everyday topics

Teachers did not facilitate discussion in English among the students

Teachers did not place a high emphasis on how to use English in real life situations

Student’s Perceptions of Their Classes Students acknowledged several

negative elements in their classes Reading activities took presedence over

Communicative activities

Strictly textbook oriented classes Translation exercises are excessive

Focus was primarily on passing exams

Attempted Solutions Availability of English in Elementary Schools

Increase study abroad opportunities

Implementation of standardized tests

Accrediting over 100 schools for their effective English teaching methodology

JET Program

Training for teachers

Curriculum amendment (Ministry of Education’s Course of Study Guidelines)

My Solutions Establishing English as an official language

Setting concrete and realistic curriculum

Changing college entrance exams

Increase social exchange with English speaking countries

Conclusion Well balanced system needs to be

introduced, Japan needs to do what other Asian countries are doing with their English curriculum.

Establishing adequate teacher training.

Students learning should take precedence over everything.

ResourcesHonna, N., Takeshita, Y. (2005). English Language

Teaching in Japan: Policy Plans and their Implementations. RELC Journal, 36, 363-383.

Kikuchi, K., Browne, C. (2009). English Education Policy for High Schools in Japan: Ideals vs. Reality. RELC Journal, 40, 172-191.

Seargent, P. (2008). Ideologies of English in Japan: The Perspective of Policy and Pedagogy. Language Policy, 7(2), 121-142.