ERIC Number: EJ1138320
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-2331-186X
EISSN: N/A
English Language Testing of Very Young Children: The Case of Japan
Otomo, Ruriko
Cogent Education, v3 n1 Article 1209802 2016
Taking commercial English language tests is becoming common practice among young English learners in Japan. With a specific focus on the "Jido Eiken" test, this study examines English language test-taking activity by analyzing textual data retrieved from three data sources. "Jido Eiken" is found to represent a complex phenomenon involving many stakeholders, including very young learners of English who have not fully acquired their first language and adults who often initiate the test-taking. This test-taking phenomenon is embedded in a "testing culture" in which individuals' ascribed social worth is based on test results, resulting in severe competition. In light of such findings, I discuss how "Jido Eiken" might be used in the near future, and draw attention to the negative and unintended consequences of the potential scenarios with respect to English language education and language policy in Japan and other contexts in the Asia-Pacific region.
Descriptors: English (Second Language), Second Language Learning, Educational Policy, Language Planning, Foreign Countries, Language Tests, Competition, Early Childhood Education, Second Language Instruction, Content Analysis, Testing Problems, Elementary School Students, Test Use, Teaching Methods, Parent Attitudes, Private Schools, Stakeholders, Qualitative Research
Cogent OA. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Japan
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A