Japan and the Need to Reform English Education
Written by Shinichiro Noriguchi, the University of Kitakyushu
It is often pointed out that English education in Japan has not advanced much
since the Meiji era (1868-1912). As if to support this view, a newspaper here
reported that the average TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) score
for Japanese examinees, at 498 out of 677 points, was the lowest among 25
Asian countries. A year later, the average score for Japan had risen to 501,
ranking 18th out of 21 Asian countries. Nevertheless, scores in China and South
Korea were 543 and 535, respectively, still much higher than Japan's average
score.
Naturally, students here wonder why this is, as they study English for about 10
years starting in junior high school.
1) The main reason for Japan's disappointing results lies with the fundamental
differences between the English and Japanese languages. In addition, many
people believe that Japanese think quite differently from English-speaking
people.
2) Japan is a homogeneous country with 99 percent of the population speaking
Japanese as their first language. And as it is the only official language, it can
thus be argued that other languages are not as necessary here as they are in
China or South Korea.
3) The Japanese way of English education has been slanted mainly towards
grammar and translation. Its purpose has primarily been to access information
necessary to catch up with Western civilization and scientific technology.
All these reasons are plausible to some extent, but that is no reason not to
change the system.
To further improve English education in Japan, I propose two big
improvements: First, we must upgrade English textbooks in junior high schools,
and second, replace about 50 percent of our Japanese English teachers with
native speakers.
Concerning the first point, the importance of textbooks on English education
cannot be underestimated. On the second, teachers of a foreign language are
extremely influential on students' motivations.
Let's compare junior high school English textbooks in use in China, South Korea
and Japan. China's English textbooks have about 1,000 pages, including
workbooks. South Korea's run to about 830 pages. But Japan's have only about
330 pages, and also have many pictures with the exercises. They need many
more pages and vocabulary, so they can cover topics more deeply.
Second, Japanese textbooks should also increase the vocabulary content from
the current 950 words with 44 grammatical points to 1,400 words with more
demanding stories. China includes about 1,400 words with 45 grammar items,
and Korea about 1,300 words with 53 items.
We will always lag behind if we do not change things. We are in effect
depriving Japanese junior high school students of the opportunity to push their
brains to compete at the same level as students in China and South Korea.
Textbooks used in all three countries, however, share a common emphasis on
communication skills, and all three focus on improving listening
comprehension and communication abilities. For example, Chinese textbooks
include many exercises related to daily conversation. What's most impressive in
the Chinese textbooks is that they often instruct students to debate the content
of the textbooks in pairs and small groups. South Korea's English textbooks use
about eight pages per lesson to develop conversation.
The teacher must first and foremost remember that effective self-expression in
English requires much more than just saying a few words; the speaker also
reveals something about his or her own personality.
Shinichiro Noriguchi is professor of English at the University of Kitakyushu
Asahi Shimbu