Leiden University Student Repository

Zwart, Anne (2021)

English education in Japan: Instruction, politics and classes

Bachelor thesis | Japanstudies (BA)

In this thesis, I argue that English education in Japan is failing to teach learners English. An outdated educational paradigm that is too focused on written understanding and test-based English, and educational policy that fails to modernize this paradigm create a problematic base for learners and teachers alike. Teachers feel unequipped to teach communicative skills and have to deal with a lack of motivation in the classroom. Learners do not feel a drive to learn English, yet there is a cultural crisis surrounding a strongly felt but undefined need to learn English. These factors contribute to the issue of Japan's lacking English skills.

Japan

English education in Japan

educational thought

educational policy

classroom experience

Author

Zwart, Anne

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Specialisation

English Education in Japan

Supervisors

Keiko Yoshioka

ECTS Credits

10

Language

en