English language teaching in Japan from junior high school through university : Data-supported language learning for materials development

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The purpose of this research project was twofold: first, to explore the potential of "Data-supported Language Learning" for ELT materials development; and second, to provide a better understanding of the factors promoting cooperation among teachers of secondary and tertiary-level English language education in Japan.In 2005 and 2006, language data was gathered from ELT materials including authorized Japanese junior high, and high school textbooks, college-level ESL course books, and English movies. In 2006 and 2007 the data was analyzed in terms of lexical and grammatical content, the productive language skills emphasized, and cross-cultural knowledge required for EFL learners to understand. The above was utilized to develop a basic framework for more effective English language learning and teaching from junior high school through university in Japan.In order to attain the first purpose, we investigated three issues important to implement corpus-based textbook analysis within the Japanese classroom context: (1) frequency effects of linguistic items on language learning; (2) the quality of input data in view of learners' cognitive and linguistic development; and (3) learners' communicative needs in a particular communicative context. It was demonstrated that an integrated approach based on frequency, communicative needs, and language development, provides a more comprehensive framework to analyze and compare ELT materials.Concerning the second purpose, the four researchers discussed: (1) the distribution of prepositions in a textbook, (2) the paraphrasing ability of learners, (3) the instruction of process writing, and (4) cultural bias implied in a textbook. More effective ways of promoting cooperation among junior high schools, high schools and universities were suggested both in the areas of materials development and classroom practices.