1. English Education Issues Salvador Nava C. Takahashi JAPN 311 Social Issues in Japan Spring 2013

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

3. 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

4. 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?

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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)

10. My Solutions  Establishing English as an official language  Setting concrete and realistic curriculum  Changing college entrance exams  Increase social exchange with English speaking countries

11. 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.

12. Resources Honna, 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.