PAC7 at JALT2008 Proceedings Article Data

Article title, keywords, abstract, and writer profiles

Title:
Japanese public junior high school policy and reality

Keywords:
MEXT policy JHS implementation JTEs

Abstract:
In 2003 the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology unveiled their new junior high school (JHS) English education policy, which focused strongly on oral communication. The research, based on JHSs in a mid-sized Japanese city (approx. pop. 478,000), focused predominantly on Japanese teachers of English (JTEs), but also included students, and their parents. Focus group sessions, questionnaires, and one-on-one interviews were used to collect data. The study reveals that passing the senior high school (SHS) entrance examination is the main concern for everyone involved and so, test impact from this examination exerts the greatest pressure on JHS JTEs. The JTEs also perceive themselves as facing other issues such as student motivation, JTE speaking proficiency, and large class sizes. The research also shows gaps between the official JHS policies and what is actually occurring.

Writer profiles:
Douglas Rapley is the head of the Kawasaki Medical School English department. He has been teaching EFL in Japan for the last 12 years. His first 6 years in Japan were spent as a junior high school ALT.

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