Globalization Presents a Challenge for Japan: is there a Solution?

Tom j Dolan
Tokyo, 2014
2014
Globalization, an established fact of life in the 21
st
century is bringing with it economic opportunity
but also social & cultural challenges. One challenge has been to accept a language that would be
used by all (or most) participants in our steadily Globalizing world.
It should come as no surprise that English has evolved to become the lingua franca of choice for
international business, education and travel. While many countries were prepared for English
communication, others have been rushing to catch up with un-ending English classes being offered
to students of all ages. There are still others that are having English difculties. Japan falls into this
third category. How did that happen to Japan and is there a solution?
Its true that English has been taught in Japan in one fashion or other since the 1600s. By the latter
part of the 19
th
century, English was being taught in a majority of Foreign Language schools. Today,
English is taught in thousands of public and private schools throughout Japan. Its taught in English
Conversation Schools, Company classes, Jukus (cram schools), coffee shops, on TV & Radio, and
online. To understand the Globalization difculties Japan is experiencing, lets briey look at
contemporary English Language Education in Japan.
English is offered in over 99% of Junior and Senior High Schools with the majority of students
electing to take the non-mandatory course. The majority of University & College students also elect
to continue to study English. Additionally, the parents of many students, feeling that the Public
Schools are not adequately teaching English, will choose to send their child(ren) to an after school
Juku to expand and strengthen their English skills. Additionally, thousands of English Conversation
Schools and independent English Teachers are teaching English group and private lessons to children
and adults.
The result of this relentless availability, some would say assault, is an unlimited opportunity to learn
English privately or in school, after school, early morning, at night, on weekends, at the Company
during or after business hours, or while having a coffee & snack. And lets not ignore all the people
using English Education materials like Books, Magazines, CDs, DVDs, and on-line courses. A
mlange of never ending English education available 24/7.
With all the available class time, personal time invested, and money spent individually, by the
Company, and at the local and National level, it seems implausible to even consider that Japan is not
ready linguistically for Globalization. But if you think that, youd be wrong. There is one area of
English communication where Japanese fall way behind: Speaking English.
The one aspect of communication that is most needed today for Global success, is the ability to
Speak English. Yet, its a well known fact in Japan, that the Japanese education system emphasizes
English reading and writing skills, but not Speaking skills. A surprising fact, but a fact never-the-less.
If you perform a cursory web search on this subject, youll unearth enough reading material to
consume your 2-week vacation. Here are some typical examples:
Of Japanese elementary school teachers nationwide, 68.1% said they dont have much condence or
no condence in teaching English.
~ Benesse Educational Research and Development Center, 2010
All too often, the pressure to pass the increased number of English components on entrance exams
steers classes toward testable, not communicative English.
~ Japan Times, Editorial, Jun16, 2013
poor methods, particularly the rote learning Hult sees in Japan, can be responsible for poor results
despite strenuous efforts.
~ Philip Hult, EF Education First, The Economist, Who Speaks English? Apr 5, 2011
teaching methods at most universities, as well as secondary schools, remain mired in one-way,
teacher-centered approaches that do not help students acquire condence, communication skills or a
broader understanding that they need for engaging in international situations.
~ The Japan Times, Too many inward-looking students, Jun 16, 2013
A study by the Japanese Education Ministry found that only 20 percent of English teachers, at
public schools in 2010, taught their classes in English
~ School Curriculum in Japan, Jeffrey Hayes, factsanddetails.com 2012
Large high school & college classes do not offer much opportunity to build skills in aural/oral
English, and, University Entrance examinations require considerable knowledge about English, but
offer little or no opportunity to demonstrate ability to perform in English.
~ Teaching English in Japan, S.Kathleen Kitao, Kenji Kitao, Kazunori Nozawa, and
Masayo Yamamoto 1995
In 2010 the Japanese Education Ministry announced that in 2011 English Education would begin in
the 5
th
and 6
th
grades. Response to the Program is typied by these comments:
kids in this age group will have at least one lesson per week.
many argue that training for teachers is far from sufcient.
time is very limited for developing teaching materials and preparing for lessons.
~ The Japan Times, Are schools ready for English? Feb 26, 2011
fear of making mistakes works as an effective lter, debilitating their condence in communicating
through English
~ Communication Apprehension in a Second Language: A Study of Japanese High School Students.
Tollefson, Michael. and Knox, Ronda, Nov 15, 2007
The reasons English Language Education in Japan does not produce English Speakers points in
many directions: culture, politics, traditional education, history, un-trained Teachers both Japanese
and Foreign, and more, but,
The fact that Japanese, generally, can not and do not Speak English after years of study
under the ideal social conditions of stability, good health, and security... is undeniable.
Lets take a moment to look at some revealing statistics.
TOEFL Country comparison results is one way to gauge the performance of English acquisition in a
country. TOEFL scores are used internationally by governments, educational institutions, and
scholarship programs. Although sample size may vary, TOEFL results viewed in a chart makes
comparison inevitable and informative.
Looking at the Speaking scores of Asian countries, the chart clearly shows that TOEFL tested
Japanese are weak Speakers of English when compared to all other tested Asian countries.
Among suggested solutions to this self-administered but unfortunate plight: adding Pages to text
books, Digitizing learning materials, beginning English study at earlier Grade levels, and replacing
non-english-speaking English Teachers with Native English Speakers. The solutions are broadly
directed at xing the current systemic state of English education. But theres one critical issue,
central to Japans Globalization aspirations, thats nally receiving ofcial recognition at the highest
levels of government, and too, big business.
Speaking
Copyright 2013 by Educational Testing Service
The Japanese workforce tasked with the success of Globalization is, unfortunately, ill-equipped to
produce it. The reason, the current Japanese workforce and those students about to join it simply
dont speak English well enough. Yes, education system repairs are being implemented, but how
much time will be necessary for them to take effect? 15-20 years or more to build a Globalized
generation is time that Japan cant afford.
Meanwhile, other Asian countries not crippled by the inability to Speak English are building a lead in
Global business that Japan may never overcome. The Asian Competitors on the TOEFL chart are
getting stronger and theyre not waiting for Japan to catch-up.
Japanese Universities and Business organizations are searching for solutions. Frequently they simply
increase the type of training that accounts for much of the stress theyre experiencing. English
classes may have their place in an overall strategic plan, but the fact is, more-of-the-same non-
Speaking English classes solves nothing in the immediate future.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Are young working Japanese and the University students about to join their ranks,
willing to accept their fate as the Lost Generation?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Japanese adults and University students that want to participate in Globalization need a type of
English Language Training and Coaching thats almost certainly different from anything theyve
previously experienced. There is an alternative to the typical non-Conversation English class and
its called an English Language Speaking WorkShop.
An English Language Speaking WorkShop is an interactive, proactive, Performance learning
experience. It provides a supportive environment where all participants use the skills each has
already learned but have never had ample opportunity to use. Participating in this supportive
environment, Workshop members are encouraged to make mistakes knowing they will learn from
them and from the mistakes of others under the guidance of the Teacher.
A WorkShop delivers minimal lecture while emphasizing skills demonstration, practice, and
acquisition. This process generates new information, develops physicality and broadens perspective
by the students while building skills through the participation & interaction of all its members
including the Teacher. From all, to all.
A Proven Solution is now available in Japan.
Performance of Speaking WorkShops are a unique learning experience available for anyone who
actually wants to Speak English. As a WorkShop member, you speak to the group at every meeting
using the vocabulary you have now, while developing the vocabulary you want and need. You will
also learn Public Speaking Skills: How & why to maintain Eye Contact, Stage Movement, the Power
of Posture, Body Language, Rehearsal Techniques, How to Prepare, and more. Youll learn them by
doing. Youll replace Fear with Skills and through this process, youll develop the Condence to
use these Skills and build upon them throughout your lifetime.
The Public Speaking WorkShops Ive developed specically for Japanese speakers of English are
guided by two concepts.
In a recent Study, a high percentage of Japanese students claim they suffer with Communication
Anxiety(CA), but CA is a complex psychological issue as is Glossophobia, the Fear of Speaking.
Both of these technical terms may explain why some people do not engage in Public Speaking. But
in my opinion, it is fallacious to broadly apply either term to the general population of people who
simply avoid public speaking for lack of skill, condence, and experience.
Teaching adult American students has shown me that the prevalent excuse I have a Fear of
Speaking more typically means: I dont want to be embarrassed in front of others. And of course
the Fear of Embarrassment can be caused by any number of personal reasons. I have consistently
witnessed in a Workshop environment, as Speaking Skills develop, the Fear of Embarrassment
diminishes or is eliminated. In Japan too, people may avoid Public Speaking for various social &
cultural reasons, but with skills acquisition and Coaching, I believe these reasons can be managed or
overcome.
I have designed the Performance of Speaking WorkShops using the concept of Content and
Language Integrated Learning (CLIL). The concept of CLIL has emerged as a signicant curriculum
trend in Europe. It is a means of teaching a subject like English, through the study of a specialized
skill like Public Speaking.
In English we call this: hitting 2 birds with one stone (i-sekki ni-cho).
The merging of English and Public Speaking is a winning combination that can rapidly advance
English Speaking capabilities: build speaking skills, expand vocabulary, ne-tune listening skills,
and develop self-condence.
Its naive to think that this kind of physical skills training can be had in a coffee shop, online, or from
traditional study tools like books, CDs & DVDs. Speaking English well requires student effort,
physical participation, risk taking, and commitment to results. Achievable results can be attained &
accelerated with a skillful Teacher in a supportive learning environment. English is a difcult
language, if you want to speak it skillfully, you must put yourself in an English Speaking situation.
Anything less is a waste of your time & money.
Tom j Dolan, the Author and media professional, is the producer of Performance of
Speaking an educational website w/videos, articles, and programs devoted to Training and
Coaching Native English Speakers & ESL Speakers who want to contribute to the Global
conversations shaping the future of their Profession, Community, Country, and Planet.
To Learn More: If you, your organization, school, or Globalizing company is interested in discussing
exactly how the Performance of Speaking WorkShops and Read2Speak can be adapted to meet
your particular needs, contact me for a no-obligation Consultation/Demonstration:
e-mail: info@tomjdolan.com
website: tomjdolan.com
e-course: udemy.com/performance-of-speaking
References:
Communication apprehension among Japanese students in native and second Language
~James C. McCroskey, W.B. Gudykunst, T. Nishida
Communication Research Reports, 2, 1985
Communication Apprehension in a Second Language: A Study of Japanese High School Students
~Tollefson, Michael. and Knox, Ronda.
allacademic research, 2012
English Next: David Graddol, British Council 2006
English Teaching: Theory, Research, Practice
~Kitao, K., & Kitao, S. K.
Tokyo: Eichosha. pp. 3-20. ISBN 4-268-00243-x C3082 1995
The Impact of Communication Apprehension on College Student Retention and Success
~James C. McCroskey, Steven Booth-Buttereld, and Steven K.Payne
Communication Quarterly, Vol. 37, No.2, Spring 1989
Additional References
~ Benesse Holdings, Inc. Annual Report 2012
~ British Council
~ English Next India 2010 Launch, British Council, David Graddol, You Tube
~ The Japan Times
~ Wikipedia