Abstract
This study explores how the English education policy in Japan (external factor) and Japanese EFL learners’ mindsets toward their dialects (internal factor) affect their attitudes toward Japanese English. Also, we discuss how their attitudes toward dialects influence their self-esteem and self-confidence. First, the Japanese English education policy focuses on American or British English and strongly encourages learners to speak either of the two varieties in place of Japanese English (a unique variety of English spoken in Japan from the World Englishes point of view). In other words, it prioritizes American or British English over learners’ own English (Japanese English), which results in their negative attitudes toward Japanese English. Second, we review some studies showing how Japanese speakers’ negative attitudes toward dialects in general influence their perception of Japanese English (internal factor) and how they eventually influence their self-esteem and self-confidence, negatively affecting L2 performance. Finally, in this paper, we propose effective ways to introduce the concepts of “English as an International Language (EIL),” “World Englishes (WE),” and “Intercultural Competence (IC)” into English education based on the pedagogical implications of previous EIL studies. By learning these new ideas, Japanese EFL learners can gain the confidence to accept and speak Japanese English, leading to greater self-esteem and confidence in using English.
Author Information
Arifumi Saito, Utsunomiya University, Japan
Paper Information
Conference: ACEID2023
Stream: Foreign Languages Education & Applied Linguistics (including ESL/TESL/TEFL)
This paper is part of the ACEID2023 Conference Proceedings (View)
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To cite this article:
Saito A. (2023) Challenges and Approaches in Adopting EIL in a Japanese EFL: Internal and External Factors ISSN: 2189-101X – The Asian Conference on Education & International Development 2023 Official Conference Proceedings https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2189-101X.2023.43
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2189-101X.2023.43
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