Abstract
In 2011, English was officially incorporated in Grades 5 and 6 (35 h per year for each grade) under the name of Gaikokugo katsudo (foreign language activity, hereafter, FLA) in Japan. This chapter summarizes the results and background of this current study and the nation’s long-term (a couple of decades) history of preparations prior to the implementation of mandatory ELES in 2011, along with the role of Neyagawa City in Osaka, which worked as a pilot area for the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT) and was the site where this research took place. Following this background description, reasons why this research was necessary and hurdles faced in conducting this research are discussed. Finally, I briefly summarize the pros and cons of the effectiveness of ELES in Japan from available resources and again examine the meaning of this research from the standpoint of our being on the way to a fully fledged English curriculum in elementary schools in 2020.
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Notes
- 1.
MEXT recommends written comments based on some basic lists instead of the usual grading by score or scale. National Institute for Educational Policy Research (2012). Gaikokugo katsudo ni okeru gakushu hyoka [Evaluation of foreign language activity] Retrieved October 6, 2014 from the World Wide Web:
http://www.nier.go.jp/kaihatsu/hyoukahouhou/shou/0211_h_gaikokugo.pdf
- 2.
Calculated based on the exchange rate as of February 4, 2015.
- 3.
Calculated based on the exchange rate as of February 4, 2015.
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Uematsu, S. (2015). Introduction. In: Long-term effects of Learning English. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-493-1_1
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