The officialization of English and ELT in Japan: 2000

要旨

Abstract: This study reports on Japanese university‐level EFL teacher (N = 50) and student (N = 660) reactions to the notion of making English an official language, as proposed by an advisory board to Prime Minister Obuchi in 2000. The study also reports on beliefs about English language learning and teaching in general in terms of goals, proficiencies of Japanese people, and appropriate instructional styles for Japanese. Students appeared to believe that it would be beneficial to be proficient in English, although a number of them did not welcome English‐only EFL classes. Students tended to link beliefs about English proficiency to legislating English as an official language, while their reactions to the officialization of the language varied widely. Teachers’ beliefs, on the other hand, appeared to be drawn from their own experiences in current English‐using contexts in Japan. The majority of teachers indicated that English should not be given official language status, and that people would not use English in their daily life even if it were to become official.

主題