Agents in English: Exploring Student and Teacher Perceptions of English in Japanese Lower Secondary Schools

Abstract

English language learning (ELL) in Japan has been increasingly promoted since the late 1990s. The central government has expanded the number of hours in class, started ELL at a younger age, and imported large numbers of native English speakers. Despite this massive investment in time, effort, and money, Japan’s English capability still lags. The current academic literature on ELL in Japan focuses on highly competitive university entrance examinations and the “test-English” in these exams. As a result, educational institutions focus their efforts on preparing students for these exams instead of communicative English. However, policy issued by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) shows that the Japanese government is promoting communicative English, not test-English. There is a distinct lack of research on how students and teachers perceive and experience these discrepancies with English in lower secondary schools This paper employs a mixed-methods approach, combining autoethnography as an assistant language teacher (ALT), focus groups with students, semi-structured interviews with teachers, and an English learning attitudinal and motivation questionnaire to explore the perceptions of English at two Japanese public lower secondary schools. Dore and Amano’s credentialism theory is used to analyze the students’ and teachers’ perceptions of English in relation to the exams, while Sen’s human capacity theory is used as a framework to examine the levels of freedom granted by compulsory ELL in the schools. The results indicate that both students and teachers are aware of a dichotomy between the test-English they are practicing and the communicative methods they would like to pursue. Teachers tended to explain that, while they preferred to teach communicative English, the entrance examinations are more important to their students’ future. Students expressed a more mixed frustration at the missed opportunity to develop communicative competence, instead of focusing on the examinations. ALTs experienced a confusing working environment where they felt unable to meaningfully contribute to ELL in the schools due to the focus on test-English. Even if the 2021 entrance examination reforms are successful, I suspect a shift towards communicative methods would be hindered by aspects of institutional cultural norms – such as long working hours, administrative responsibilities, and English class structures. As students do not have power to change how they are taught, I recommend discourse on ELL in Japan include more emphasis on teacher health and institutional culture. Additionally, further integration and reconceptualization of the role that ALTs serve in the education system should be considered. Improving the working environment for teachers could allow teachers to both prepare students for entrance examinations and develop communicative competence.