Executive Summary

One of the primary focuses of Japan in the 21st century has been to embrace a rationalistic world view. The country has made progress in achieving the goal through setting up democratic regimes, ratifying human right conventions, expanding the space of participation, urbanization, industrialization, and social reforms. However, the country has been unable to realize the momentous benefits of the digital age transition because of lingual aspects. The current educational reforms have been unable to resolve challenges in learning English, the lingua franca of the 21st century. The problem continues to be a major setback of the Japan’s determination to interact with the rest of the globe despite years of replicating English language teaching models adopted by other nations. The underlying challenge is focus on lingual uniformity and efficiency, and ignoring cultural sensitiveness. Nevertheless, Japan can realize its goal of adopting English as a second language by redesigning the training approaches to be congruent with the Confucian values. For instance, the country can utilize the hierarchical organization of the Japanese society by rolling out a teacher-centred curriculum, where current deficits in pronunciation and speaking abilities can be resolved through training and development. Besides the teacher-student relationship, policymakers can embrace cultural values of group dynamism in a learner-to-learner relationship. The proposition is informed by the significance of pulling together in Confucianism. Despite the cultural-sensitive approaches, turn-taking should be encouraged. While the approach does not lie within the Japanese cultural setup, contemporary theories and evidence have confirmed its effectiveness in ELT classes.

The implications of intercultural communication and its impact on the teaching of English

• Introduction
  • Background Information

In recent years, Japanese English Language Teaching (ELT) has experienced tremendous changes with the focus being to integrate the country with global systems. The reforms started in the 1990s when the Ministry of Education suggested that high schools, as well as primary schools, needed more communicative English classes. The determination to adopt the transformative policies was to expose the Japanese society to the outside world, a move which many practitioners believed was going to inject new ideas, and in turn stimulate an era of enlightenment and economic prosperity (Long and Doughty, 2011, pp. 1987).

The desire to execute the plan to realize the benefits has seen a series of reforms in the Japanese education system, including the restructuring of foreign language departments. However, the intention to expose the society to the global systems through improving language curriculum and classroom environment has been faced with a myriad of problems, which threatens the progress of Japan in embracing English as a second language. A key concern is limited understanding of how innovativeness in ELT interacts with existing cultural tools in the education system and wider society (Sakamoto, 2012). The challenge has led to a growing concern among practitioners, where experts have been suggesting that current ELT approaches are being frustrated by traditional elements. Cultural values and belief have been a major setback, an issue that is highlighted by Rashidi, Meihami and Gritter (2016) in their suggestion that elements outside the educational system view existing ELT models as incompatible with the cultural values. They suggest that innovations in teaching English in a Japanese class will be reduced to a level of superfluous anomalies if immediate changes are not implemented. The development is not only disadvantageous but also a heartbreaking move to efforts that have been made at both local and national levels to ensure the formulation as well as the adoption of English as the Japan’s second language is successful. Despite the shortcoming, Bradly (2014) assures involved parties that an acceptable ELT curriculum is possible. However, the formulation process has to consider history, beliefs, as well as values of the Japanese society. For instance, the modern ELT classroom should observe the Confucian ideal of teacher-student relation where the instructor is perceived as a loving parent (McKinley, 2013). The supposition informs the coverage of the case study, where the central area of exploration will be integrating cultural materials in redesigning an acceptable system in Japanese ELT classroom.

• Purposive Statement

The case study examines the implication of cultural aspects in social ideologies as well as educational arguments. The key focus will be exploring the influence of Confucianism suppositions on the Japanese ELT classroom. The discussion will also explore implications of embracing new sociolinguistic models, an aspect that will be applied to resolve the current cultural challenges in English language teaching.

• Methodical Approach

Qualitative content analysis was used in collecting materials used in the discussion. Merriam and Tisdell (2015, pp.179) support the approach of extended literature review in by suggesting that existing secondary information offers broad views on the study subject.  The utilization of the design is also informed by the existence of a growing body of evidence on the effectiveness of cultural competence in second language acquisition.

The material collection process employed diverse approaches to mine needed information from sources such as books, reports, journals, newspapers, and websites. The search process was spiral-based where new key keywords were developed based on the search results, an approach that made it easy to document related articles for the intended information for review. Customization of search process also ensured results was strictly based on matching keywords and phrases, a process that helped in narrowing down the search and increasing chances of picking the most relevant material. The analysis entailed classifying existing literature into themes.

• Discussion

Globalization has emerged as one of the single most aspects in the 21st century. It has not only improved communication but also expanded the limits of commerce and international travel. However, the emerging opportunities call for fluency in English, as it is a global language used in all sectors of the world economy (Jagoe, 2008). The demand has increased immediacy of rethinking ELT policies in several countries. In the Japanese context, the need for English skills has considerably increased in recent days as international critics continue to pressurize the nation to drop meritocratic values (Hu and McKay, 2012) However, the move has led to both progress and conflicts in Japanese ELT practices. For instance, while the government has adopted a number of reforms, including employing college graduates as assistants language teachers and embracing experimental approaches, conservative elements has limited the development of English (Toh, 2013). Despite years of massive investment and intensive approaches, Japan is a monolingual society where the native language is used in all socioeconomic and political sectors. The issue has resulted in a paradoxical situation, where the government produces its materials in English to observe the spirit of internationalization. However, the majority of Japanese finds it hard to speak in English (Miller, 2014).

An underlying aspect in the widespread demotivation is the disconnect of the current ELT approaches with the Confucianism, where the Japanese system seeks to promote the virtues of hard work, respect, and solidarity. The deep-rooted tradition calls for cramming to pass tests over understanding concepts for communicative purposes. Another limitation is a determination of learners to be good students over the out-group language focus of becoming an internationalized native English speaker. The grammar-translation approach utilized by most tutors has thus focused on studying and writing skills over listening and conversation fluency. Confucians also perceive teachers are authoritative figures who should observe the Japanese culture (Trent, Gao, and Gu, 2014, pp.174). The conformity to cultural values has affected the expression of frankness, freedom, and equality critical in the language classroom.  Attempts to address the challenge by employing foreign expatriates have resulted in resistance, with the society perceiving the move as cultural imperialism. Nevertheless, the inadequacy of current models can be addressed by embracing cultural values and traditions that are considered part of Japaneseness. Adoption of cultural-based learning approaches can be a motivation in changing the trend where the development of English as a second language has been static.

• Group Dynamics in the ELT

One of the cultural values evident in the socioeconomic institution of the Japanese society is the emphasis on harmony and unified action. Despite its contribution to the societal activities, solidarity has been ignored in the Japanese ELT classroom. The move is against existing stock of knowledge on second language acquisition, where scholars suggest that in-group dynamics, solidarity, as well as a feeling of identification, and loyalty shapes emotional as well as non-verbal interaction among learners. The view was confirmed by Gass (2013), where he found out that child preferred learning from their colleagues rather than the teacher.

Although Gass’ study explores pedagogical issues, its finds broad applicability in addressing ELT challenges facing the Japan. While teachers play an influential role in picking a book to be used in by students, anecdotal evidence reveals that students prefer listening to their colleagues read the conversational dialogues. The lived experience is easier to associate with that when an expatriate is leading the session. They familiar pronunciation naturally encourages them to try new things, an aspect that plays a critical role in skills development.

The significance of using groups in Japanese ELT classroom setting is supported by the importance of negotiated communication in enhancing communicative abilities. Matsumoto (2015) supports the view by noting that daily interactions help in solving miscommunication. Nevertheless, the form and meaning of negotiation are influenced by group membership. Subscription to a cultural or linguistic group thus plays an instrumental role in second language acquisition. The proposition is supported by Gaas (2013) model of input interactions and output, where he suggests that relationship among a cohort enhances readiness for learning. Peer-to-peer interaction should thus be encouraged in ELT classrooms over an expert-driven approach

• Enhancing Capacity of Native Teachers to Model Students

Another highly embraced cultural value of the Confucianism is the top-down approach of power where the learned and older people are treated as symbolic figures in the Japanese society. The hierarchical ideal should inform the macro-approach of training and development to enhance skills and knowledge of teachers. The view is problem-oriented as the existing stock of literature suggests that poor exposure of teachers is one of the greatest undoings. The views are echoed by Humphries, Burns, and Tanaka (2015), in their arguments that Japanese English teachers exhibit poor skills in spoken English. However, in-service training has the potential to change the current trends in ELT where many students do not express confidence in their communicative skills. The supposition is informed by the tradition, where teachers are treated as models by the Japanese society. However, they have failed in their roles because of limited exposure, an aspect that has affected their pronunciation, creativity, as well as speaking ability.

Hofstede expounds the significance of observing the value of hierarchy in the Japanese society in his argument of power distance, where he suggests that imagery of teacher is very strong in the culture (Yoo, 2014). Tutors have authoritative powers to act as trainers and parents, an aspect that has led to the dependence of teachers in conveying morality. The authoritative figures pass down the wisdom in a highly personalized approach. However, failure of teachers to express command in spoken English has led to rejection by the student population, resulting to counter-dependence, which is mostly expressed through disinterest in ELT classes. Many students prefer turning their attention to other subjects (Matsumoto, 2015). Nevertheless, the trend can be reversed by helping trainers address the resourcefulness deficits.  The approach does not only assist in improving ELT practices but also recognizing the Confucian teaching style of the family-like power structure in a classroom setting. The spill-over impacts would also be experienced in the current grammar-translation strategy, as teachers would have the needed competency. The learned expertise and personality would also help teachers win respect from the students.

Training and development program does not only address cultural gaps in the current replicated models but also helps in resolving the contemporary tension in the obligation of English teachers. While the popularity of English has significantly increased in the digital age, the professionalism of instructors has been a major challenge. Many practitioners in countries with increased desire to embrace English as a second language express significant deficits in needed competency. The trend has resulted in setting of organized English classes in North America and the UK, as well as periphery centers in countries where English is a national language (Rappel, 2011). However, the approach focuses primarily on linguistic issues of uniformity and efficiency.  Ignoring cultural aspect in the designing of the programs has proved to be catastrophic for the adoption of English as a second language in several countries such as Japan, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and Thailand among others. However, the challenges can be addressed by considering both international as well as multi-ethical exposures. Such is the case of improving knowledge of native instructors in Japan to ensure they are not only technicians but also cultural workers. The role would help in addressing the controversial issues in ELT classroom on policy formulation as well as intercultural relations

• Conclusion and Recommendations

The global village scenario has improved mass communication and interaction, making the teaching of English a critical tool in improving the level of understanding and engaging other people. The language would not only enhance the ability of Japanese learners, but also skills for linking Japan with the world. However, the goal has not been realized as policymakers replicated methodologies utilized in other countries without contextualizing them in Japanese classrooms. The approach has led to a myriad of challenges, which many practitioners highlight as cross-cultural. The Confucian-based society has rejected interaction-based strategies as the society is hierarchical based where students play a passive role. However, with the global integration continuing to grow stronger, there is a need for addressing underlying issues in the dysfunctional ELT classroom to ensure Japanese are not disadvantaged.

The current challenges can be addressed by adopting cultural-sensitive models. For instance, building the capacity of trainers through enhancing their mastery of Standard English is a critical move in addressing confidence of learners. Similarly, the value of solidarity in the Japanese society can be exploited by encouraging group activities in ELT classes. Nevertheless, there is a need for challenging some cultural limitations. For instance, the hierarchical classrooms are expert-driven, an aspect that limits practicability required in language ability. To address the shortcoming, independence of learners should be encouraged. Collaborative approaches should also be encouraged for the student to see teachers as resourceful friends. The proposition is central to ensuring individual are the primary targets for skills acquisition. The views are supported by Larsen-Freeman and Long (2014) who suggest that effort of each student is fundamental in improving the quality of learning.

 

 

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