2016 Fiscal Year Research-status Report
Assessing Foreign Language Activity Assistants' perspectives on primary Foreign Language Activities
Project/Area Number |
16K02952
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Research Institution | Fukushima University |
Principal Investigator |
Mahoney Sean 福島大学, 行政政策学類, 准教授 (50292454)
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Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
猪井 新一 茨城大学, 教育学部, 教授 (80254887)
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Project Period (FY) |
2016-10-21 – 2020-03-31
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Keywords | 小学校外国語活動 / 外国語活動協力者 / ノン・ネイティブ・スピーカー / 教科 / 予備調査 / 英語の非母語話者 / EAA / 外国語活動支援者 |
Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
We are in the process of analysing data from a pilot questionnaire conducted with 33 non-native English speaking assistants at public primary schools. Fifteen questionnaires were in Japanese, with 18 in English, representing English activity assistants (EAAs) drawn mainly from Fukushima, Tochigi, and Miyagi Prefectures. We have attended forums in Kyoto, Tokyo, and Fukushima on the future of primary school English education, gaining the latest insights and making new contacts. The Principle Investigator has since interviewed two EAAs in Fukushima, and plans to see visit more EAAs elsewhere in the coming months. He has begun a paper based on findings from the pilot questionnaire. The Principle Investigator will deliver an oral summary of project background and findings to his Faculty in June. He and his associate are currently looking for appropriate conferences at which to present findings from the pilot survey of 2016.
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Current Status of Research Progress |
Current Status of Research Progress
2: Research has progressed on the whole more than it was originally planned.
Reason
While the announcement and distribution of Grant-in-aid funds was not received until late October/early November 2017, the Chief Investigator had already begun a review of the literature regarding non-native English speaking teachers of English and their assistants. He had also established contact in early FY 2016 with several regional groups of non-native assistant teacher groups and had thereby executed a pilot study of n=33 participants. It has been difficult and time-consuming to find out which schools utilise EAAs, either Japanese or non-Japanese, as such information is not public. Moreover, since many EAAs are employed only temporarily or for just a few months of the year, surveying has progressed a little less quickly than planned. Still, we have met most of our goals so far.
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Strategy for Future Research Activity |
The Principle Investigator plans to publish a paper based on the EAA pilot survey results in FY 2017. We plan to submit a presentation proposal to the annual International Korean TESOL Conference (Seoul), in order to share results obtained so far while establishing contacts with local primary school teachers. Visits to the National Assembly Library and the Korean National University of Education should also yield information on the early stages of Korea's experiences with a sudden, turbulent implementation of English as a core (evaluated) subject in primary schools in the late 1990s. We hope to assist Japan in its preparations for a similar step in 2020, and will focus efforts on how it can possibly curtail similar struggles.
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Causes of Carryover |
Official notice of the grant-in-aid was received in late October (as opposed to April in general), and all paperwork was completed in November. I was told that mine was a special case, and that I need not rush to spend the year's budget in just five months.
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Expenditure Plan for Carryover Budget |
I plan to adhere to the original plan as closely as possible, and will be 1) visiting various schools to interview non-native English speaking assistants and record classes, 2) purchasing data-storage equipment, 3) presenting on our pilot survey, and 4) travelling to Korea to get information on their transition to establishing a Core-English programme at primary schools in the late 1990s.
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