What made primary English education in Japan different from the global trend? A policy process analysis
What made primary English education in Japan different from the global trend? A policy process analysis
复制标题
日本的小学英语教育与全球趋势有何不同？
DOI：
10.1016/j.linged.2022.101084
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发表时间：
2022
影响因子：
1.6
通讯作者：
Takunori Terasawa
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
McLean;S.;Stewart;J;& Batty;A.;Hideki Abe;新谷崇;小島大輝;Yoko Asari;Takunori Terasawa
本文旨在考察日本在小学实施英语教育的政策过程，重点关注两项改革：（1）2011年引入必修科目，强调跨文化体验（而不是英语技能的培养）和（2）2020年将英语作为正式科目引入。本文运用政策过程理论中的机会窗口理论和历史制度主义来分析这些政策变化的深层原因。对政府文件的分析表明，1）2011年的改革可以被认为是90年代的特殊改革加速了路径依赖效应的结果，2）2020年的改革可以被认为是80年代后期开始的政府内部政治权力平衡的变化。这些研究结果表明，即使是一些全球性的政策，如英语教育改革，可以由历史/政治条件，主要是国内，而不是全球的特点。
This paper aims to examine the policy process of implementing English education in primary schools in Japan, focusing on two reforms: (1) the introduction of a mandatory subject in 2011, emphasising cross-cultural experiences (rather than English skill development) and (2) the introduction of English as a formal subject in 2020. The paper investigates the underlying reasons for these policy changes through the two policy-process theories: windows-of-opportunity theory and historical institutionalism. Analysis of governmental documents revealed that (1) the 2011 reform can be considered a consequence of the path dependence effect accelerated by a peculiar reform in the 1990s, and (2) the 2020 reform can be attributed to a change in the political power balance within the government, originating from the late 1980s. These findings indicate that even some globally orientated policies like English education reform can be determined by historical/political conditions that are largely characterised as domestic, rather than global.