Research Notes: Teaching English in Japan

With the emergence of English as the lingua franca, many Asian countries have introduced reforms to enhance English instruction, including teaching the subject on the elementary school level.

To determine how student performance is influenced by various teaching methods, Yuko Butler and Asako Takeuchi studied 6,541 English-language students enrolled in 28 Japanese elementary schools that conduct English language activities on a regular basis. They administered the STEP Silver Test, an oral test that measures basic listening and word recognition, along with a number of surveys, and found that grade level and frequency of outside instruction were good predictors of student performance. 

Motivation to learn English decreased among students as they advanced into higher grades - perhaps, the authors suggest, because the curriculum is not age-appropriate. The frequency of outside instruction, directly linked to socioeconomic status, also had a significant impact-with the suggestion of a large achievement gap in English proficiency. 

Variables That Influence Elementary School Students' English Performance in Japan appears in Asia TEFL, 5(1).