Historic events

Speaker:
佐久間 康之　教授
Professor Yasuyuki SAKUMA 

 
福島大学 人間発達文化学類
Faculty of Human Development and Culture, Fukushima University

Topic:
Cognitive Effects of Early English Education in Japan from the Perspectives of Working Memory

Abstract:
From the 2011 Japanese academic year, English education as activities became compulsory in the upper grades of elementary school (grades 5 and 6). Furthermore, from the 2020 academic year, English education as activities was taught from the third grade of elementary school. In the middle grades of elementary school (grades 3 and 4), classroom teachers now teach English as an activity once a week for a total of 35 hours per year. The goal of English education at this level is to familiarize students with simple vocabulary such as numbers and colors. In the upper grades of elementary school, English is taught as a subject by the classroom teacher twice a week for a total of 70 hours per year. Classroom teachers are not necessarily licensed or trained English teachers. Whether English is taught as activities or as a subject, the main focus of instruction is on verbal skills, especially listening. In junior high school, English is taught as a subject four times a week for 140 hours per year. The main focus of instruction here is the development of communicative competence in English, including reading, writing, speaking, and listening. In order to examine the effects of early English education from the perspective of memory mechanisms, I have been conducting longitudinal cross-sectional research since the 2005 academic year on elementary school and junior high school students exposed to English from the perspective of working memory (WM), which is an evolved concept of short-term memory and is composed of multiple cognitive function complexes. Within WM, the phonological loop and the central executive system are two of the most important functions for the second language learning as well as the first language acquisition. In this talk, I will discuss the salient effects of early English education based on scientific data focusing on these two functions.

中文節錄：
從2011年起，英語被列為日本小學高年級必修課程。從2020年起，小學三年級也開始納入英語教育。重點在口語技能，尤其是聽力。中學英語被視為學科，每週四次，主要培養英語交際能力。為探討早期英語教育對記憶機制的影響，我自2005年開展橫斷面研究，著重於工作記憶的角度，討論了語音迴路和中央執行系統兩個關鍵功能。在這次演講中，我將根據這兩個功能的科學數據，討論早期英語教育的顯著效應。

Speaker:

何敏   副センター長  
Assistant Director Min HE

 
福島大学 国際交流センター 

Fukushima University International Center

Topic:
An Overview of the Present English Language Education in Japanese Universities and a Unique Initiative of Fukushima University

Abstract: 

I will begin with an overarching introduction to the historical context of Japanese government administrative policies regarding English education in higher education institutions. The presentation will then explore the decoupling of three key policies —admissions, curriculum, and diplomacy —pertaining to English language education, following a general outline of the Ministry of Education’s role at the secondary education level. I will then share findings from my recent research on government-authorized junior high school textbooks, highlighting limitations in phonology instruction and the resulting lack of phonological awareness among Japanese English language learners. The presentation aims to offer insights into enhancing students' phonological awareness through targeted intervention measures, with a particular focus on English syllabification. Drawing from studies on English L1 reading fluency, I will underscore the importance of prosodic processing centered on the syllable, given the opaque grapheme-to-phoneme correspondence in English. Additionally, I will discuss the relevance of developing syllable awareness in Japanese EFL learners, whose native language features a unique mora-based phonology and incorporates Kanji characters. It is important to note that Kanji characters have a different sound system compared to Chinese Hanzi. Furthermore, I will introduce an English pronunciation teaching material designed specifically for an intervention program.

中文節錄：
本次演講將先概述日本政府在高等教育機構中英語教育政策的歷史背景。接著探討與英語語言教育相關的三項關鍵政策——招生、課程和外交的脫鉤，並說明教育部在中等教育水平的角色。我將分享最近對政府授權的初中教科書的研究結果，突顯音韻學教學的限制及日本英語學習者缺乏音韻意識的問題。演講旨在提供針對性的干預措施，以增強學生的音韻意識，特別聚焦於英語音節化。此外，我將討論發展音節意識對日本EFL學習者的重要性，並介紹專為干預計劃設計的英語發音教材。