Speaker
Description
This presentation analyzes the extent to which MEXT-approved junior high school English textbooks from six publishers reflect the Course of Study’s objective of fostering cultural awareness through competencies associated with 21st-century skills. Findings indicate that although intercultural awareness has developed, cultural representation remains at a surface level. Cultural content remains a central focus across grades. Regarding the development of 21st-century skills, although communication is emphasized in textbook activities, collaboration and creativity remain limited.
Abstract section 3: Content/method
This study employed mixed-methods content analysis of MEXT-approved junior high school English textbooks (Grades 1-3) from six publishers, analyzing all content, including QR-code materials. Cultural content was coded by activity using Cortazzi and Jin’s (1999) framework and Yuen’s (2011) 4Ps, excluding simple country-name references without cultural context. Using the 4Cs (P21, 2019), reflective tasks were coded as critical thinking, discussion as communication, pair or group work as collaboration, and original output as creativity.
Abstract section 5: References
Cortazzi, M., & Jin, L. (1999). Cultural mirrors: Materials and methods in the EFL classroom. In E. Hinkel (Ed.), Culture in second language teaching (pp. 196–219). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Houghton, L. (2020). Issues of representation in Japanese junior high school English textbooks. In P. Clements, A. Krause, & R. Gentry (Eds.), Teacher efficacy, learner agency. Tokyo: JALT. https://doi.org/10.37546/JALTPCP2019-06
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. (2017). Chūgakkō gakushū shidō yōryō kaisetsu: Gaikokugohen [Course of study for junior high school: Foreign languages]. Retrieved from: https://www.mext.go.jp/component/a_menu/education/micro_detail/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2019/03/18/1387018_010.pdf
P21 (Partnership for 21st Century Learning). (2019). Framework for 21st century learning. Battelle for Kids. https://static.battelleforkids.org/documents/p21/P21_Framework_Brief.pdf
Shin, J. K., & Crandall, J. (2014). Teaching young learners English: From Theory to Practice. National Geographic Learning.
Sonoda, A. (2023). The treatment of culture in junior high school English textbooks—From the perspective of “visible culture” and “invisible culture”. Kyoaigakuen Maebashi Journal, 23, 13. https://doi.org/10.34443/00000248
Yuen, K. M. (2011). The representation of foreign cultures in English textbooks. ELT Journal, 65(4), 458-466.
Abstract section 4: Outcomes/results
The findings indicate a progression in cultural depth in the MEXT-approved junior high school English textbooks from six publishers. Across grades, source culture remains dominant (56%-60%), while there is a slight decline in the target culture and an increase in the international culture. Grades 1 and 2 emphasize the “Products” and “Practices” aspects of cultural content, demonstrating Big “C” culture learning, while Grade 3 textbooks show increased “Perspectives” and “Persons”, associated with small “c” culture. However, the emphasis on the “Products” dimension raises concerns regarding the advancement of cultural knowledge. Although communication skills are emphasized, collaboration and creativity remain limited.
Abstract section 1: Relevance
Japan’s revised course of study for junior high school English education emphasizes fostering competencies associated with 21st-century skills by broadening students’ intercultural understanding (MEXT, 2017). Similarly, Shin and Crandall (2014) argue for developing students’ 21st-century skills to use English in daily conversations and for cultivating students’ ability to convey their own cultural perspectives. However, previous studies have noted limited cultural representation beyond Japan and inner-circle nations (Houghton, 2020) and notably an emphasis on surface-level culture (Sonoda, 2023). Nevertheless, few studies have explored how cultural content and 21st-century skills are integrated and sequenced across grade levels among the six publishers.
Abstract section 2: Contribution/research questions
The study addressed the following research questions:
(1) To what extent do the MEXT-approved junior high school English textbooks reflect the Course of Study’s objective of developing students’ cultural awareness through the integration of 21st-century skills?
(2) What trends and progressions of cultural content are evident across the first, second, and third-grade textbooks?
| Title | Cultural Progression and 4Cs in JHS English Textbooks |
|---|---|
| Teaching Context | Junior/senior high-school |