The Evolution Of English Language Learners In Japan: Crossing Japan, The West, And South East Asia (routledge Research In Language Education)

This Book Seeks A Better Understanding Of The Sociocultural And Ideological Factors That Influence English Study In Japan And Study-abroad Contexts Such As University-bound High Schools, Female-dominant English Classes At College, Esl Schools In Canada, And Private Or University-affiliated Esl Programs In Singapore And Malaysia. The Discussion Is Based Not Only On Data Garnered From Japanese Efl Learners And Japanese/overseas Educators But Also On Official English Language Policies And Commercial Magazine Discourses About English Study For Japanese People. The Book Addresses Seemingly Incompatible Themes That Are Either Entrenched In Or Beyond Japan's Efl Context Such As: Japan's Decades-long Poorly-performing English Education Vs. Its Equally Long-lived Status As An Economic Power; Japanese English Learners' Preference For Native English Speakers/norms In At-home Japanese Efl Contexts Vs. Their Friendship With Other Asian Students In Western Study-abroad Contexts; Japanese Female Students' Dream Of Using English To Further Their Careers Vs. Japanese Working Women's English Study For Self-enrichment; Japanese Society's Obsession With Globalization Through English Study Vs. The Japanese Economy Sustained By Monolingual Japanese Businessmen; Japanese Business Magazines' Frequent Cover Issues On Global Business English Study Vs. Japanese Working Women's Magazines' Less Frequent And Markedly Feminized Discourses About English Study. Yoko Kobayashi. Cover 1 Title 4 Copyright 5 Contents 6 List of tables 10 Preface 11 1 Japan’s English education and students’ notions about English study 20 Japan’s poor English education: unintended result or institutionalized policy? 20 Japanese senior high students’ notions about English study 23 Japanese college students’ notions about English study 26 Japanese government’s notions of higher education’s internationalization 29 References 31 2 Internationalizing Japan with the help of its Asian neighbors 34 Literature background 34 Cross-cultural friendship in at-home contexts 34 Cross-cultural friendship in study-abroad contexts 36 Japanese-Korean friendship at Canadian ESL schools 37 Humanities programs’ institutional impediments to internationalization 40 References 44 3 A new alternative of studying English in English-speaking ASEAN nations 46 East Asian students’ English study in English-speaking ASEAN 46 Push factors 48 Pull factors 50 Literature background: Japanese students’ English conversation partners 52 Japanese learners of English in Singapore 54 Japanese learners of English in Malaysia 57 The root cause of Japanese students’ cultural baggage 60 References 61 4 Japanese female students’ positive attitudes toward language study 64 Literature background 64 Routes left open to Japanese women with language skills 69 The choice of leaving the domestic business world 69 The choice of waiting for opportunities until later in life 70 The choice of studying languages for self-enrichment purposes 72 The role of language professionals in female students’ orientation to English study 73 References 77 5 Japanese (fe)male learners’ (un)motivation in overseas ESL contexts 80 Japanese female students’ high enrollment in overseas ESL classes 80 Japanese male students’ low enrollment in overseas ESL classes 82 Participants 83 Procedure 84 Limitation 84 Factors behind Japanese male students’ low enrollment and motivation 85 Low demand for English-speaking Japanese male job seekers 85 Japanese men’s perceived social pressure to stay in Japan 88 Japanese men’s masculine pride and fear of making mistakes 89 The mismatch between boys’ preferences and their social responsibilities 91 English-speaking ASEAN nations as a better choice for Japanese male students with ‘why bother to study English’ attitudes? 93 References 96 6 The mismatch between Japan’s strong economy and poor English education 99 The economy and English investment in South Korea and Japan: how do the two nations differ? 99 The bestselling Japanese book on Japan’s poor English (Suzuki, 1999) 102 Japan’s non-elite English education and semi-monolingual English teachers 106 Japan’s (same-old) poor English and its (more recent) dwindling economy 109 References 112 7 Japanese business magazines’ special issues on English study methods: a window on the division between Japan’s business world and formal schooling 114 Japanese business magazines’ ideal readers 114 The major business magazines’ special articles about English study 115 Commonalities among the magazines’ cover headlines and subheads 119 Research themes on business magazines’ special issue articles about English study 121 Who are introduced as English models, based on (no) supportive data? 123 The magazines’ dual introduction of native English norms and global English practices 123 The magazines’ nonacademic information about Asian English 125 The magazines’ nonacademic endorsement of nonnative English 127 (How) do the magazines establish Japanese businessmen’s English needs at work? 128 (How) do the magazines address gender discrimination at Japanese companies? 131 Business magazines’ special issues as a window to Japan’s English education 132 References 133 8 Japanese women’s magazines’ articles about English study: a window on Japanese women’s status in the business world 135 Studies on western women’s magazines’ discourses 135 Japanese working women’s magazines’ cover feature of English study 137 Limitations 137 Headlines and subheads about English study 139 Differences from and similarities to Japanese business magazines 141 Research themes on working women’s magazines’ articles about English study 142 English study as naraigoto [self-enrichment learning] 142 English as one of the certificates [shikaku] 144 English for working women assigned to global job responsibilities 145 Seemingly mixed discourses between English study articles and others 146 Japanese working women’s magazines’ pro-women and uncritical discourses 147 Additional note 148 References 149 Afterword 151 Index 158 "This book seeks a better understanding of the sociocultural and ideological factors that influence English study in Japan and study-abroad contexts such as university-bound high schools, female-dominant English classes at college, ESL schools in Canada, and private or university-affiliated ESL programs in Singapore and Malaysia. The discussion is based not only on data garnered from Japanese EFL learners and Japanese/overseas educators but also on official English language policies and commercial magazine discourses about English study for Japanese people. The book addresses seemingly incompatible themes that are either entrenched in or beyond Japan's EFL context such as: Japan's decades-long poorly-performing English education vs. its equally long-lived status as an economic power; Japanese English learners' preference for native English speakers/norms in at-home Japanese EFL contexts vs. their friendship with other Asian students in western study-abroad contexts; Japanese female students' dream of using English to further their careers vs. Japanese working women's English study for self-enrichment; Japanese society's obsession with globalization through English study vs. the Japanese economy sustained by monolingual Japanese businessmen; Japanese business magazines' frequent cover issues on global business English study vs. Japanese working women's magazines' less frequent and markedly feminized discourses about English study"-- Provided by publisher "This book seeks a better understanding of sociocultural and ideological factors that influence English study in Japan and study-abroad contexts. The discussion is based not only on learners' and educators' voices but also on English language policies and commercial magazines that rest on their own representation of 'Japanese learners of English'. The book addresses seemingly incompatible yet theoretically rational findings on Japanese learners of English: (i) native English preference in at-home Japanese EFL contexts vs. Asian-Asian solidary in western study-abroad contexts; (ii) Japanese college women's dream of using English for career vs. Japanese working women's English study for self-enrichment, (iii) Japanese society's obsession with globalization through English study vs. Japanese economy sustained by monolingual Japanese businessmen, (iv) native English teachers' resistance against Japan's ELT vs. non-English teachers' resistance against ELT dominance. The final chapter provides an image of learners affected by the chain reaction of national changes: student population decline, the economy's and universities' survival crisis, and increased official pressure on humanities departments to offer more English-medium courses in contents of national interest."--Provided by publisher