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Effectiveness of English Teaching with JET Programme Assistant Language Teachers and Japanese Teachers of English

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Effectiveness of English Teaching with JET Programme Assistant Language Teachers and Japanese Teachers of English Effectiveness of English Teaching with JET Programme Assistant Language Teachers and Japanese Teachers of English Team Teaching Perceptions through Team Interviews Elliot Smith 1 Effectiveness of English Teaching with JET Programme Assistant Language Teachers and Japanese Teachers of English Team Teaching Perceptions through Team Interviews Elliot Smith Abstract This research seeks to develop further understandings of effectiveness of the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme. The JET programme is an internationalisation programme of which employs primarily native English language speakers into the role of Assistant Language Teachers of whom aid in teaching English within school settings across Japan. Inspiration to undertake the project arose through an observation that previous research into the JET programme displays an overwhelmingly negative perspective of the programme’s effectiveness, not least due to the consistent reduction in Japan’s perceived foreign language attainment rates in recent years. This study seeks to develop a new angle of understanding regarding the JET programme, namely through analysing its Assistant Language Teacher’s and Japanese Teachers of English’s perceptions of their own experiences within the programme, and what they each determine effectiveness to be within their own roles. These perceptions were elicited through joint interviews with pairs of Assistant Language Teachers and Japanese Teachers of English of whom work or worked together. Four interviews took place harbouring two participants in each, totalling eight participants. Through utilisation of thematic and multimodal analytical methodologies in tandem, participant pairs’ individual and collaboratively created perspectives were attained. Results displayed the importance of individual relationships towards effectiveness within participants’ working lives. Effectiveness was primarily displayed through empathetic understanding and supporting one another, alongside actions of which allowed participants to challenge the JET programme together and empower their own relationships in the process. Further, theoretical frameworks of language teacher effectiveness are utilised and display intriguing results pertaining to how participants fulfil their working roles, and how these roles act in empowering potentially problematic norms of what a native speaker is. Keywords JET Programme, EFL, Effectiveness, Self-efficacy, Relationships, Assistant Language Teacher, Japanese Teacher of English, Japanese Education, Native Speaker 2 Table of Contents Abstract .............................................................................. 2 List of Tables ............................................................................................................................. 5 List of Figures ............................................................................................................................ 5 List of Abbreviations ................................................................................................................. 6 Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................... 7 Chapter 1 Introduction ....................................................... 8 1.1 Background ..................................................................................................................... 8 1.2 Statement of the Problem ................................................................................................... 10 1.3 Aims and Research Questions ........................................................................................... 10 1.4 Limitations and Delimitations ............................................................................................ 11 1.5 Significance of the Research .............................................................................................. 12 1.5.1 Significance to International and Comparative Education ...................................... 12 1.6 Organisation of the Study .................................................................................................. 13 Chapter 2 Education and English Language Education in Japan 13 2.1 Country Background .......................................................................................................... 13 2.2 The Japanese Education System: An Overview ................................................................ 14 2.3 Inception of English Education in Japan............................................................................ 16 2.4 English Education in Japan Today ..................................................................................... 16 Chapter 3 Theoretical and Conceptual Frameworks .......... 18 3.1 The Japan Exchange Teaching (JET) Programme ............................................................. 19 3.2 Japanese Teachers of English (JTEs) ................................................................................. 22 3.3 Assistant Language Teachers (ALTs) ................................................................................ 23 3.4 Team Teaching................................................................................................................... 24 3.5 Language Teacher Effectiveness ....................................................................................... 25 3.6 English Language Teaching Qualifications ....................................................................... 27 3.6.2 CELTA (Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) .......... 29 3.6.3 Higher Education .................................................................................................... 29 3.7 JET Training – Every Situation is Different ...................................................................... 30 3.8 Foreign Language Acquisition ........................................................................................... 31 3.9 Native Speakerism ............................................................................................................. 33 Chapter 4 Methodology ..................................................... 36 4.1 Research Strategy............................................................................................................... 36 4.2 Research Design................................................................................................................. 37 4.3 Quality Criteria .................................................................................................................. 37 3 4.4 Research Methods .............................................................................................................. 39 4.4.1 Semi-Structured Interviews..................................................................................... 39 4.4.2 Team-interviews ..................................................................................................... 39 4.4.3 Participant Selection ............................................................................................... 41 4.4.4 Interview Guides and Questionnaire ....................................................................... 42 4.5 Method of Transcription .................................................................................................... 42 4.6 Method of Analysis ............................................................................................................ 43 4.6.1 Thematic Analysis .................................................................................................. 44 4.6.2 Systemic Functional Multimodal Discourse Analysis ............................................ 49 4.6.3 Speaker Dominance – Percentage ........................................................................... 55 4.6.4 Methodology Summary........................................................................................... 56 4.7 Ethical Considerations ....................................................................................................... 56 Chapter 5 Findings ............................................................ 57 5.1 ALT Perspectives ............................................................................................................... 58 5.1.1 Perspectives of themselves and other ALTs ........................................................... 58 5.1.2 Perspectives of JTEs ............................................................................................... 60 5.1.3 Perspectives of Effectiveness .................................................................................. 62 5.2 JTE Perspectives ................................................................................................................ 64 5.2.1 Perspectives of themselves and other JTEs ............................................................. 64 5.2.2 Perspectives of ALTs .............................................................................................. 66 5.2.3 Perspectives of Effectiveness .................................................................................. 68 5.3 Collaboratively Created Perspectives ................................................................................ 70 5.3.1 Anna and Mai .......................................................................................................... 71 5.3.2 Cara and Akiko ......................................................................................................
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