Japanese students’ EFL experience: the role of the student's voice

Abstract

Japanese students are often said to have little success in developing communicative skills in a foreign language. This is evident from Japanese media, researchers in education, public concern, and from government policy documents. Much of the existing research has examined factors in the environment or in the psychology of the learners. However, Japanese students ‘views have not been adequately taken into consideration in the debate. This study investigates Japanese students ‘views about the teaching of English as a foreign language (EFL). In doing so, two main research questions are set; 1) What are students’ opinions about EFL principles? 2) What are Japanese students’ experiences in the EFL classroom? The data was collected from 14 Japanese students at universities in Tokyo by interviews. Thematic analysis was used to identify similarities and differences between participants’ views. The data shows that: 1) the students were well informed and had clear views; 2) they do not consider the situation problematic; 3) instead, they offered possible causes of the factors that affect English performance and suggestions for improving practice. Finally, several suggestions are offered to improve EFL classes arising from the students’ views.