ERIC Number: EJ1072218
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-1747-7506
EISSN: N/A
Implementing EFL Policy Reform in Elementary Schools in Japan: A Case Study
Machida, Tomohisa; Walsh, Daniel J.
Current Issues in Language Planning, v16 n3 p221-237 2015
This case study examines the implementation of "Foreign Language Activities" (English language education), which officially began in Japanese elementary schools in 2011. Subjects in this study included 37 Japanese classroom teachers (20 males and 17 females) in four elementary schools in Tokyo. The Teacher Foreign Language Anxiety Scale [Horwitz, E. K. (2008). "Becoming a language teacher: A practical guide to second language learning and teaching". Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon], observations in classrooms, and individual interviews were used to investigate teachers' responses to English as a Foreign Language policy reform. The study found that this new policy, which required fifth- and sixth-grade teachers to team-teach English with native English speakers (assistant language teachers [ALTs]), resulted in affective and pedagogical changes. Seventy-three percent of the teachers reported anxiety about their ability to speak or instruct in English. Teachers expressed concern about working with ALTs, whom they considered poorly qualified. Suggestions are made for successful policy implementation.
Descriptors: Educational Policy, Program Implementation, English (Second Language), Educational Change, Case Studies, Elementary School Curriculum, Anxiety, Interviews, Investigations, Team Teaching, Teacher Collaboration, Native Speakers, Teacher Aides, Elementary School Teachers, Grade 5, Grade 6, Self Concept Measures, Rating Scales, Coping, Teaching Methods, Communicative Competence (Languages), Teacher Attitudes, Educational Practices, Foreign Countries, Observation
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: Elementary Education; Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; Grade 5; Intermediate Grades; Middle Schools; Grade 6
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Japan
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A