Abstract
This study aims to understand Japanese university students’ perceptions of foreign English teachers (FETs) through a two-phased exploratory sequential mixed-methods design. During the initial phase, a quantitative survey was performed with first and second-year Japanese university students (n=377). Despite a lack of precision and a high dispersion measure, the Quantitative data analysis revealed certain outliers. A significant number of participants viewed their FETs as more of an entertainer, preferred FETs of American/European heritage, and believed FETs of Asian descent may not be able to teach the language and culture as effectively as FETs of American/European heritage. Thus, a qualitative inquiry was performed to explain and build upon the quantitative findings. Two focus groups with students from the quantitative survey were given interviews. The responses confirmed the existence of phenotypical, gender, and personality FET stereotypes in Japanese university EFL classes. In addition, past educational experiences, socio-cultural factors, and mass media were also found influential in students’ perceptions of FETs. Based on the findings from the focus group interviews, the researchers propose intercultural activities as an effective pedagogical strategy to promote reflective teaching practices and intercultural competence in Japanese university EFL classes.
Highlights
Previous research studies suggest that there may be certain preconceived notions about ideal foreign English teachers (FETs) in Japanese society (Appleby, 2014; Bailey, 2007; Houghton, 2014; Kubota, 2011; Nagatomo, 2016)
As the affirmative perception statements (APSs) I and II indicated, the majority of the participants did not feel anxious about speaking with their FETs yet still opted to study English with Japanese teachers of English (JTEs)
The responses for the APS IV indicated that a significant number of the participants preferred to be taught English by FETs of European/American heritage, yet many of them remained neutral
Summary
Previous research studies suggest that there may be certain preconceived notions about ideal FETs in Japanese society (Appleby, 2014; Bailey, 2007; Houghton, 2014; Kubota, 2011; Nagatomo, 2016). The general assumption is FETs should be male, Caucasian with an entertaining persona The implications of these FET stereotypes on Japanese English education are well-documented in various studies (Appleby, 2014; Bailey, 2007; Houghton, 2014; Kubota, 2011; Nagatomo, 2016). There has been little research on how Japanese university students perceive FETs from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds in the presence of the aforementioned stereotypes. The changing landscape of Japanese tertiary English education has created new opportunities for students to interact with FETs from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds. The study proposes intercultural awareness building as an effective pedagogical strategy to help students develop a tolerant and accepting view of people from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds
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