English-language education in Japan: Difference between revisions

Japanese students experience great difficulty in studying English, due to fundamental differences in [[grammar]] and [[syntax]], as well as important differences in pronunciation. [[Japanese language#Sentence structure|Japanese word order]], the frequent omission of [[subject (grammar)|subjects]] in Japanese, the absence of [[article (grammar)|articles]], the functional absence of [[Plural|plural forms]], as well as [[Japanese speakers learning r and l|difficulties in distinguishing l and r]] all contribute to substantial problems using English effectively.<ref name="Dougill1">{{cite journal|last=Dougill|first=John|title=Japan and English as an alien language|journal=English Today|year=2008|volume=24|issue=1|pages=18–22|doi=10.1017/s0266078408000059|s2cid=145471291 }}</ref> Indeed, the Japanese have tended to score comparatively poorly on international tests of English.<ref name="Kowner1">{{cite journal|last=Kowner|first=Rotem|author-link=Rotem Kowner|title=Japanese Miscommunication with Foreigners: In Search for Valid Accounts and Effective Remedies|journal=Jahrbuch des Deutschen Instituts für Japanstudien|year=2003|volume=15|pages=117–151}}</ref>

An additional factor has been the use of English in daily life for "decorative" or "design" rather than functional purposes.<ref name="Ikeshima1">{{cite journal|last=Ikeshima|first=Jayne Hildebrand|title=Some perspectives on the phenomenon of "Engrish"|journal=Keio Journal of International Studies|date=July 2005|volume=15|pages=185–198}}</ref><ref name=blair /> That is, for Japanese consumption, not for [[Gaijin|English speakers]] per se, and as a way of appearing "smart, sophisticated and modern".<ref name=blair /><ref name="Dougill2">{{cite journal|last=Dougill|first=John|title=English as a decorative language|journal=English Today|year=1987|volume=3|issue=4|pages=33–35|doi=10.1017/S0266078400003126|s2cid=145079203 }}</ref> Indeed, it is claimed that in such decorative English "there is often no attempt to try to get it right, nor do the vast majority of the Japanese population {{nbsp}}. . . ever attempt to read the English design element in question {{nbsp}}. . . There is therefore less emphasis on spell checking and grammatical accuracy."<ref name="Melin1">{{cite journal|last=Melin|first=Tracy|author2=Rey, Nina|title=Emphasizing Foreign Language Use to International Marketing Students: A Situational Exercise That Mimics Real-World Challenges|journal=Global Business Languages|year=2005|volume=10|pages=13–25}}</ref> Thus exposure to English encountered in daily life in Japan is unlikely to be helpful as a learning aid. (see [[Engrish]])

Another difficulty is the potential fear that allowing the English language to assimilate into Japan will take away its distinctiveness and force them to comply with Western culture. They see English language as an extension of Western civilization. The English language is seen as an aggressive and individualistic language which is the opposite of the Japanese language and culture. For a more reserved Japanese citizen to force themself to be more 'outgoing' and 'outspoken' when they speak English, it is a direct conflict of how they should talk in the Japanese government’sgovernment's minds. If students learn to speak more 'outspokenly' and 'individualistically' too young, it might affect their Japanese speaking skills and influence their native language too strongly. It could cause the Japanese language to become Westernized instead of staying pure and strictly only Japanese.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Hashimoto|first=Kayoko|date=2000-04-01|title='Internationalisation' is 'Japanisation': Japan's foreign language education and national identity|url=https://doi.org/10.1080/07256860050000786|journal=Journal of Intercultural Studies|volume=21|issue=1|pages=39–51|doi=10.1080/07256860050000786|s2cid=145785337 |issn=0725-6868}}</ref>

{{furtherFurther|Education in Japan#Structure}}

{{mainMain|Eikaiwa school}}

Private language schools for English are known as [[eikaiwa school|eikaiwa]]. The largest of these chains were Aeon, GEOS, and [[ECC (eikaiwa)|ECC]]; only ECC and AEON have not yet filed for [[bankruptcy]]. The industry is not well regulated. Nova, originally by far the largest chain with over 900 branches in Japan, collapsed in October 2007, leaving thousands of foreign teachers without money or a place to live. Other teachers work in universities, although most university positions now require a graduate degree or higher.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Hendrickx|first1=Chelsea|title=What Are The Basic Requirements To Teach English in Japan? |url=https://www.internationalteflacademy.com/blog/what-are-the-basic-requirements-to-teach-english-in-japan |website=International TEFL Academy |date=2023 |accessdate=18 December 2023}}</ref>

Agencies, known in Japan as ''haken'', or dispatch companies, are increasingly used to send English speakers into [[kindergarten]]s, [[primary school]]s, and private companies whose employees need to improve their English for business. Agencies have recently been competing fiercely to get contracts from various Boardsboards of Educationeducation for elementary, junior and senior Highhigh Schoolsschools, so wages for teachers have decreased steadily in the last four years.

Average wages for teachers in Japan are now under ¥250,000 Yen per month,<ref>[http://www.onlinetefl.com/tefl-jobs-abroad/tefl-jobs-in-japan.html "Teach English in Japan"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100827123641/http://www.onlinetefl.com/tefl-jobs-abroad/tefl-jobs-in-japan.html |date=27 August 2010 }}, . "With a degree and a TEFL certificate, you should be able to demand somewhere in the region of 230,000 and 250,000 Yenyen a month. That's about US$2,200."</ref> although that can rise slightly depending on experience. Along with wages, working conditions have also steadily declined, resulting in industrial action and court battles that have made the news in local and international press.<ref>Currie-Robson, Craig (2015);. ''English to Go: Inside Japan's Teaching Sweatshops''. {{ISBN|978-1505350937}}.</ref>

Employees of Thethe [[Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme]] are sponsored by the [[Government of Japan]] to assist language teachers at Japanese high schools and elementary schools in the Japanese cities and rural countryside.<ref andname=itefla>{{Cite citiesweb |title=What is the JET Program (Japan Exchange & Teaching Program)? |url=https://www.internationalteflacademy.com/blog/what-is-the-japanese-exchange-and-teaching-program-jet |website=International TEFL Academy |date=2023 |accessdate=18 December 2023}}</ref>

{{mainMain|Shame society}}

When it comes to communicating in English, many Japanese students tend to become anxious about possibly stumbling over their words or not making themselves clear; therefore, they shy away from speaking English altogether.<ref>Aiga, Yoshie. "Is Japanese English education changing?." ''Cross Currents'' 40.3 (1990) 139. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 30 November 2009.</ref> However, by addressing the anxieties of the students, the English instructor can help to come up with cognitive, effective, and behavioral strategies in which students can use to cope with the anxiety they experience in English-language classrooms.<ref>Kondo, David Shinji, and Ying-Ling Yang. "Strategies for coping with language anxiety: the case of students of English in Japan.". ''ELT Journal: English Language Teachers Journal'' 58.3 (2004). pp. 258-265258–265. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 30 November 2009.</ref> "Demotivation can negatively influence the learner’slearner's attitudes and behaviors, degrade classroom group dynamics and teacher’steacher's motivation, and result in long-term and widespread negative learning outcomes."<ref>Falout, Joseph, James Elwood, and Michael Hood (2009). "Demotivation: Affective states and learning outcomes.". ''System'' 37.3 (2009)pp. 403-417403–417. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 29 November 2009.</ref> In addition to helping students out with their anxieties, the teacher should also have a good idea about the students' learning strategies and their motivation, in order that he or she can focus on "positive motivations [that] will be helpful to the students in acquiring new information and decrease the effects of negative motivations which can interfere with the students’students' second language acquisition".<ref>ENGİNEngi̇n, ALIAli OSMANOsman (2009). "SECONDSecond LANGUAGELanguage LEARNINGLearning SUCCESSSuccess ANDand MOTIVATION.Motivation". ''Social Behavior & Personality'' 37.8. (2009)pp. 1035-10411035–1041. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 29 November 2009.</ref>

* [[Glossary of language teaching terms and ideas]]

{{Reflist|2|refs=

<ref name=blair>{{cite journal|title=The Role of English and Other Foreign Languages in Japanese Society|url=http://iteslj.org/Articles/Blair-EngJpn.html|last=Blair|first=R. Jeffrey|workjournal=The Internet TESL Journal|volume=3|issue=7|date=July 1997|access-date=24 January 24, 2014|quote=''Multilingual commercial texts used for sentence level communication almost always supplement the native Japanese with English or French (...); English evokes an image of quality, reliability, (Haarman, 1984a and 1984b) and modern living (Haarman 1986 and Loveday, 1986)...''}}</ref>