English Language Education in Japan by Glasgow, Gregory Paul; Matikainen, Tiina;

Short description:

Edited by two educational sociolinguists with teaching experience in Japanese universities, this volume aims to fill the gap in the literature on how educators, curriculum developers, and textbook writers in Japanese contexts are navigating the recent geopolitical, economic, technological, and sociocultural changes affecting the world.?

Long description:

Edited by two experienced educational sociolinguists with over two decades of teaching experience in Japanese universities, this volume aims to fill the gap in the literature on how educators, curriculum developers, and textbook writers in Japanese contexts are navigating the recent geopolitical, economic, technological, and sociocultural changes affecting the world.

Featuring contributions from both emerging and established scholars, this volume is divided into four sections: the incorporation of multilingualism into the Japanese EFL classroom, digitization and innovation, diversity and representation in educational materials, and initiatives to promote intercultural exchange inside and outside the language classroom. By addressing these issues, the book provides practitioners with knowledge and strategic orientations that can inform their engagement with ongoing transformations within a system in which possibilities for change may emerge, but only contingently and unevenly. The volume offers refreshing perspectives on the evolving landscape of language teaching and learning, engaging with specific topical areas and offering practical pedagogical insights regarding bridging the ever-elusive theory?practice divide.

This is an essential volume for educators, teacher trainers, policymakers, and researchers in the field of English education, as well as those interested in innovative practices taking place in the Japanese English education system. Though the volume is centered on the Japanese context, international readers will definitely benefit from a comprehensive examination of not only how the interplay between global and local forces can shape English language policy and praxis but also the practical challenges stakeholders experience when attempting to navigate these complex changes and the structural and cultural constraints that affect them.

'With Japan as a case from the Expanding Circle, this volume makes a monumental contribution to English language education research. Developing upon the scholarship on how global needs are negotiated with local values, the book reveals that dynamics in local contexts add new challenges and opportunities to English language teaching.'

Nobuyuki Hino, Professor, Otemon Gakuin University, Japan (Professor Emeritus, The University of Osaka, Japan)

'An exciting and timely volume exploring how global transformations are negotiated through local innovation in English language education in Japan. Bringing together established and emerging scholars, it offers a rich examination of how policy, pedagogy and practice respond to change, with valuable insights and practical implications extending well beyond the Japanese context.'

Nicola Galloway, Professor, University of Exeter, UK

'This is a welcome and much needed volume insofar as it relates to the Japanese situation where reductionism and essentialism in language education can sometimes overshadow the sorts of innovation and creativity found in each of the chapters. Readers will get a sense of the synergy and dynamism that infuses the contributions of individual authors, especially in the way hybridity, plurality, and transformation are made to come alive in the discussions.'

Glenn Toh, Senior Lecturer, Nanyang Technological University,?Singapore

'This is a significant addition to the research literature on English education in Japan. Strengths of the volume include the range of learning contexts examined (elementary,? junior high school, high school, university EFL, university EMI) and a focus on elements crucial for understanding English education in Japan (textbooks, ICT implementation), making it essential reading for those based in Japan. Due to its coverage of contemporary issues related to pedagogy in translanguaging, global Englishes, virtual exchange, and intercultural exchange, international scholars will find it relevant and insightful for understanding how educators and other stakeholders approach key issues in language teaching to value linguistic and cultural diversity.'

Gene Thompson, Professor, Rikkyo University, Japan

Table of Contents:

English Language Education in Japan in an Era of Transformation and Uncertainty? Part 1:?Multilingualism in English Education??1. Translanguaging in Japanese EFL Education: Transformational Potentials??2. What are we Missing? Turning a Bi/Plurilingual Lens to EFL in Japan??3. World Englishes in a Japanese Prefectural University: Promoting Linguistic Diversity in the Classroom???Part 2:?Technology and Digital Innovation??4. Innovative Policies for Integrating Digital Technology in English Education in Japanese Primary Schools??5. Asynchronous Video-Based Virtual Exchanges Between Taiwanese and Japanese Elementary School EFL Learners??6. Bringing Global Englishes to the Classroom: Taking Students Beyond the Textbook Using Online Listening Practice Materials??Part 3:?Representation in Ministry-Approved Textbooks??7. Diversity and Social Justice in English Language Education: An Analysis of Japanese Junior High School English Language Textbooks??8. Evaluating Representations of Gender and Sexual Diversity in Elementary School English Textbooks in Japan??Part 4:?Intercultural Exchange Within and Beyond the EFL Classroom??9. Filipino Assistant Language Teachers Only: Innovation and Consequent Diversity Issues in Japan?s Public Elementary Schools??10. Exploring the Impact of Linguacultural Diversity on Domestic and International Students? Positional Identities in an English-Taught Program??11. Japanese Students Learning English as a Lingua Franca through Study Abroad in Global Contexts???Beyond Pedagogy: Agency, Structure, and the Limits of Change in Japanese EFL Education??