Agency Development in English as a second language classrooms in Japan: Policy Ideals and School Practice

• In Event: Poster Group 8
  In Poster Session: Agency Development in English as a second language classrooms in Japan: Policy Ideals and School Practice

Proposal

English language education was introduced as a formal subject for 5th and 6th grade elementary school students for the first time in Japan only in the 2020 school year. The new curriculum guideline is unique in its emphasis on dialogue (対話的), deeper learning（深い学び), and agency (主体的) which goes beyond the standard linguistic, communicative, and cultural competencies. Although the change to official subject status reflects the pressures of beliefs in English as economic and cultural progress under Modernization theory (McCowan, 2022), it also shows a pushback towards dominance. The shift in non-linguistic learning objectives is coherent with current trends in language education policy reflecting concerns towards English Linguistic Imperialism and Social Reproduction through educationally profitable linguistic capital and its attempt to mitigate tensions through diverging from the banking model of education.
However, Japan is a country where learning in schools has traditionally been teacher-centered knowledge cramming. Moreover, the wider society is known to be reluctant to collective actions of change such as protests, strikes, and social movements compared to other cultures meaning that the idea of a “meaningful voice” reflected in this policy change is not deeply embedded in social practices. On the other hand, parts of the school curriculum, such as Integrated studies (総合学習の時間), have always centered community learning and student-centered approaches such as field trips, research, and projects. Given this reality of preexisting student-centered practices in the margins of standard subject classrooms, I have chosen to learn how existing current practices can contribute to fostering a “meaningful voice” in English language classrooms. Thus, the research questions are as follows:
How are “dialogue,” “deeper learning,” and“agency” being approached in English language classrooms?
What are the discrepancies in the implementation and policy ideals of “dialogue,” “deeper learning,” and“agency” in English language education?
How can other parts of schooling practice (other subjects, homeroom, free time) be applied and help elevate “dialogue,” “deeper learning,” and“agency”?
Through a short-term intensive ethnographic inquiry, the potentials and limitations of current practices in compulsory public elementary school education to foster “voice” were studied. I attended two elementary schools in Yamanashi prefecture, located in central Japan, following a week of classes for 5th and 6th grade students. Although located in the same district, the two schools had differing socio-economic student populations and resource allocations within the school. Triangulating multiple methods of inquiry including, participant observations, teacher interviews, student surveys of agency, student conversations, and content analysis of policy and textbooks led to the following two categories:
Textbook Dominance and Defining Student Capacity for Depth (教科書の独占と生徒の深い学びのキャパシティー): The pressures of perceived textbook usage and compliance among teachers, limits the creativity and flexibility in core subjects. This is reflected in classroom activities and what teachers deem possible as hurdles and difficulties for students.
The “Leeways” of the school (学校の余裕): Human resources, household climates, time, student and teacher emotional/mental security as influences to creating or hindering “leeways” for “dialogue,” “deeper learning,” and“agency.”

Author

• Lilac Field, Columbia University Teachers College