Elite Discourses of Globalization in Japan: the Role of English

Yamagami, Mai; Tollefson, James W.

doi:10.1057/9780230306196_2

Cited by 59 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 7 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…With its high level of wages, Japan cannot compete directly with low-wage countries such as India and the Philippines, and as a result, the benefits of global English are largely limited to a relatively small elite in Japan (Yanagami & Tollefson, 2011). In addition, MEXT (2014) stated that many problems remain to be resolved before English teaching can be introduced in elementary schools.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Motivation and Communicative Attitudes Among Japanese Efl Pupils

Adachi

2015

Indonesian J. Appl. Linguist

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This paper describes how gender and age affect Japanese pupils' motivation for learning English and their attitudes to communication with people from different cultures. A new foreign language curriculum was introduced to Japanese elementary schools in 2011. Although each school can officially choose any foreign language in its own right, most elementary schools are now conducting English activity. However, as most homeroom teachers lack both experiences and qualifications for teaching English, this activity puts them under pressure. In addition, the number of foreign assistant language teachers (ALTs) is not sufficient in most elementary schools. The writer surveyed fifth and sixth grade pupils' motivation and their communicative attitudes in Japan during 2010, before the new course program, "foreign language activities," began in 2011. The data were collected from three elementary schools in Japan via a questionnaire. The items on the questionnaire are related to motivational attitudes, orientations (reasons for studying a foreign language), communicative attitudes and some other variables relevant to learning foreign languages. The main focus of this study is to examine motivational and attitudinal variables among the pupils with regard to learning English, especially gender and age effects on these variables. The results show that girls generally have higher scores on motivation and communicative attitudes. Most previous studies have also shown that girls generally have a positive attitude toward learning a foreign language. This study argues that the reason behind this positive attitude toward learning English is due to their positive attitude toward communication in general. With regard to the age, there are a few differences between two school grades. As there is only one year difference in age between fifth and sixth grade pupils, the result is to be expected. The study suggests that Japanese elementary schools face a number of difficulties teaching English as it is difficult for teachers to motivate all pupils. Keywords: motivation, communicative attitudes, home room teachersThe need for communication skills in English is more important than ever in Japan as in other countries such as Sweden (Henry and Apelgren, 2008), Hungary (Csizér and Kormos, 2008) and many Asian countries (Butler, 2004, Chen andCheng, 2010). Since the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) revised its curriculum guidelines for Japanese schools in 2008 (MEXT, 2010, an emphasis on communication skills has been reinforced in the teaching of English. High school teachers are required to teach English through the medium of English. "Foreign language activities" have been included in the curriculum for elementary school teachers since April 2011. In December 2013, MEXT announced a plan to introduce English education at elementary schools. It has been said that the decision to introduce English to the elementary school curriculum was due in the first instance to pressure from the industrial world...

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Motivation and Communicative Attitudes Among Japanese Efl Pupils

Adachi

2015

Indonesian J. Appl. Linguist

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Burgess concludes that both government and society are inward-looking and remain rooted in an insular world view that sees globalisation as an external process which is owned by somebody else. Yamagami and Tollefson (2011) also found an ambivalence towards globalisation in Japan. Globalisation is perceived as an opportunity as well as a threat.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…They include employees in international companies, international organisations such as the United Nations, some non-governmental organisations and students who attend universities outside Japan. (Yamagami & Tollefson, 2011) Another interesting aspect of English in Japan is that it is linked to the idea of national development, including that of presenting Japan to the world: The quotation indicates that it is important for the Japanese people to have a voice in the global community and this voice is in English. The English language is also linked to ability in the Japanese language:…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…(Turner & Robson, 2008) A common rationale for learning English in Japan is that English is the most important international language of business, science and technology, and that English is essential for participation in the global economy. (Yamagami & Tollefson, 2011) The learning of English has been a major thrust of the government's push for greater internationalisation of Japanese society since the 1980s. Policy documents and discussion papers have focused on the need for the Japanese to learn to speak English better and more widely.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Japanese University Students’ Attitudes towards Globalisation, Intercultural Contexts and English

Morita

2013

WJEL

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…Yamagami and Tollefson (2011) found an ambivalence towards globalisation within the government. Globalisation is perceived as an opportunity as well as a threat.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Do Japanese Undergraduates Think They Will be in an International Environment?

Morita¹

2013

IJHE

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Based on a data of 217 responses to questionnaires and conducted at a top Japanese national university, this paper examines the objective of preparing students to function in an international and intercultural context in the internationalisation of universities. Many educators have proceeded to internationalise the curriculum based on this objective but few have stopped to ask students if they really think they will be in an international environment. This question is particularly pertinent in Japan given its sakoku ('closed country') history and the recent description by the government of young people as being inward-looking. The author found that although some young people are influenced by sakoku thinking, many are outward-looking and positive about globalisation. There is however a tendency to perceive globalisation as an abstract concept and not engage with it. Students in engineering and science are more likely to perceive themselves working in an international environment compared to literature and law students.

show abstract

Elite Discourses of Globalization in Japan: the Role of English

Cited by 59 publications

References 7 publications

Motivation and Communicative Attitudes Among Japanese Efl Pupils

Motivation and Communicative Attitudes Among Japanese Efl Pupils

Japanese University Students’ Attitudes towards Globalisation, Intercultural Contexts and English

Do Japanese Undergraduates Think They Will be in an International Environment?

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About