Implementing EFL policy reform in elementary schools in Japan: a case study

Abstract

This case study examines the implementation of Foreign Language Activities (English language education), which officially began in Japanese elementary schools in 2011. Subjects in this study included 37 Japanese classroom teachers (20 males and 17 females) in four elementary schools in Tokyo. The Teacher Foreign Language Anxiety Scale [Horwitz, E. K. (2008). Becoming a language teacher: A practical guide to second language learning and teaching. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon], observations in classrooms, and individual interviews were used to investigate teachers' responses to English as a Foreign Language policy reform. The study found that this new policy, which required fifth- and sixth-grade teachers to team-teach English with native English speakers (assistant language teachers [ALTs]), resulted in affective and pedagogical changes. Seventy-three percent of the teachers reported anxiety about their ability to speak or instruct in English. Teachers expressed concern about working with ALTs, whom they considered poorly qualified. Suggestions are made for successful policy implementation.