Japanese Secondary English Teachers: Negotiation of Educational Roles in the Face of Curricular Reform

Abstract

Five teachers of English at the secondary level in Japan agreed to participate in this qualitative study that set about uncovering their beliefs about teaching and their current curricular activities. Findings indicate that despite their vastly different workplaces, teacher-participants continue to work in the shadow of an educational system where yakudoku (grammar-translation) remains the accepted and primary teaching method for preparing students for juken (entrance examinations). In the face of current MEXT (Ministry of Education) led curricular reforms, three themes emerged from data analysis which shed light on discerning these teachers' dissatisfaction with their status quo. These include the intrusion of non-teaching duties into participants' curricular responsibilities, institutional restrictions in the workplace and the manner which curricular reform has been interpreted and implemented within their schools. Findings indicate that current reform measures appear to be implemented unevenly within the educational system. Participants conclude that the content of English entrance examinations for universities must change in tandem with curricular reform, so that more teachers can be won over to the implementation of reform in their classrooms.