Changing perceptions of English among Japanese teachers in Brussels

Abstract

Abstract Study abroad (SA) is regarded as a successful way to develop learners' English skills and intercultural understanding, and has also been incorporated into teacher training programs. Against this backdrop, KLF (English as a lingua franca)-oriented research which investigates Japanese pre-service and practicing teachers' evolving views of English propelled by their SA experiences has started to appear. This study, which is set in a nihonjingakkō in Brussels, sought to contribute to this area of research by examining the principal and English teachers' perception of English and its inÁuence on their pedagogy and school's English education policy. Nihonjingakkō is a full-time day school for children of Japanese expatriates, and Japanese teachers are sent from the government of Japan, teach at the appointed schools for several years, and subsequently return to their work in Japan. The article demonstrates that while the school principal and English language teachers appreciated the diversity of English, the school's English education policy and classroom teaching were shaped by native-speakerism ideology and traditional assumptions of Standard English as the only recognized variety. Based on the study's findings, I make suggestions which can advance integration of KLF into KLT in nihonjingakkō and mainstream schools in Japan.