SIT Graduate Institute/SIT Study Abroad SIT Digital Collections MA TESOL Collection SIT Graduate Institute 2010 A Competency-based Proficiency Framework for Ritsumeikan Secondary Schools Ann Flanagan SIT Graduate Institute Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/ipp_collection Part of the Applied Linguistics Commons, First and Second Language Acquisition Commons, and the Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons Recommended Citation Flanagan, Ann, "A Competency-based Proficiency Framework for Ritsumeikan Secondary Schools" (2010). MA TESOL Collection. 490. https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/ipp_collection/490 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the SIT Graduate Institute at SIT Digital Collections. It has been accepted for inclusion in MA TESOL Collection by an authorized administrator of SIT Digital Collections. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A Competency-based Proficiency Framework for Ritsumeikan Secondary Schools Ann C. Flanagan Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Arts in Teaching degree at the School for International Training, Brattleboro, Vermont. August 30, 2010 IPP Advisor: Kathleen Graves The author hereby grants to the School for International Training permission to reproduce either electronically or in print format this document in whole or in part for library archival purposes only. Author’s signature _________________________________________ © Ann C. Flanagan 2010. All rights reserved. ii This project by Ann C. Flanagan is accepted in its present form. Date Project Advisor Project Reader iii ABSTRACT This paper describes the research and development of a competency-based Proficiency Framework for Ritsumeikan Secondary Schools in Kyoto, Japan as part of curriculum renewal with the campus relocation. The author developed a six-year competency-based curriculum for the EFL classes. It is based on the Common European Framework of Reference. In addition to creating guiding principles and proficiency frameworks, the author has included suggested vocabulary and content, sample themes and topics, entry and exit profiles, and teacher competencies. Two programs, extensive reading and pen pals, have been integrated into the curriculum in order to offer more support for students’ second language acquisition; they are proving to be quite successful and are described in this paper in detail. This paper is a culmination of a two-year summer research sabbatical from April 2007 until March 2009. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I offer my sincerest gratitude to my supervisor, Kathleen Graves and my reader, Steven Cornwell who without their support, patience, and encouragement, I could not have completed my thesis. This thesis would not have been possible without the financial support of Ritsumeikan Trust. I am grateful to the Division of Secondary Education for giving me the opportunity to obtain my MA Degree from the School for International Training and supporting me in my research. I would especially like to thank Mr. Sumio Shiozaki, Ms. Kyoko Ukita, Mr. Fumio Goto, Mr. Kazuo Sumi, and Mr. Kenji Yamaoka for their encouraging words and guidance throughout the sabbatical. I am indebted to all of my colleagues in the English Department at Ritsumeikan Junior and Senior High School (Fukakusa Campus) for their cooperation, feedback, and hard work over the past 13 years. I could not have written this curriculum without their collaboration. I would like to thank my professors at SIT for their wisdom, feedback, helpful guidance and nurturing learning environment. To all my classmates in SMAT 26, thank you for all the suggestions, gentle nudges to reflect deeper and friendship. Each one of you has touched my life in a special way. Last and most importantly, I would like to thank my husband, Vincent, my family and friends for their constant support these past three years. I could not have done it without you. v vi Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) Descriptors Competency Based Education Curriculum Development Curriculum Reform Cultural Education Language Proficiency Secondary Education Second Language Learning Vocabulary Development Reading Ability LIST OF TABLES vii Number Page Table 1 The Junior High School English Courses in 2009 ..............................................10 Table 2 Eiken Grades ...........................................................................................................11 Table 3 The Senior High School English Course .............................................................12 Table 4 Beginner 2: Oxford Classic Tale Plays (100 headwords) .................................23 Table 5 Penguin Young Readers Level 2 (400 headwords) ...........................................23 Table 6 Extensive Reading Results from the 1 st Year ......................................................25 Table 7 Extensive Reading Across Three Years in Junior High School .......................31 Table 8 Extensive Reading Across Three Years in Senior High School .......................33 Table 9 7th Grade Pen Pal Project Exchange Schedule ....................................................43 Table 10 CEFR Common Reference Levels: global scale ................................................57 Table 11 Ritsumeikan Junior and Senior High School Reference Levels.......................58 Table 12 Foundation Level 1: Suggested Structure and Vocabulary ............................72 Table 13 Exit and Entry Profile for 7 th Grade .....................................................................74 Table 14 Foundation 2: Suggested Structure and Vocabulary .......................................77 Table 15 Exit and Entry Profile for 8 th Grade .....................................................................78 Table 16 Fluency Skills Level 3: Suggested Structure and Vocabulary ........................81 Table 17 Fluency Skills Level 4: Suggested Structure and Vocabulary ........................83 Table 18 Exit and Entry Profile for 9 th Grade .....................................................................84 Table 19 A statistical analysis of the number of English words needed to meet at a given occurrence rates to ‘learn’ that number of words ....................................................................................100 Table 20 Senior High School Culture Projects .................................................................102 Table 21 Basic Competence Level 5: Suggested Structure and Content .....................109 Table 22 Exit and Entry Level for 10 th Grade ...................................................................111 Table 23 Basic Competence Level 6: Suggested Structure and Content .....................113 Table 24 Exit and Entry Profile for 11 th Grade .................................................................115 Table 25 Social Competence Level 7: Suggested Structure and Content ....................117 Table 26 Exit and Entry Profile for 12 th Grade .................................................................119 viii LIST OF FIGURES Number Page Figure 1 2007 Results from 1000 and 2000 Bilingual Word Test ................................ 20 Figure 2 7th Grade 1000 Word Level Test: June and October (2009) ......................... 28 Figure 3 8th Grade 1000 Word Level Test: June and October (2009) .......................... 29 Figure 4 9th Grade 1000 Word Level Test: June and October (2009) .......................... 29 Figure 5 8th Grade 2000 Word Level Test: June and October (2009) .......................... 30 Figure 6 9th Grade 2000 Word Level Test: June and October (2009) ......................... 30 Figure 7 Christmas Cards ................................................................................................ 45 Figure 8 An Example of a Culture Poster ..................................................................... 46 Figure 9 Another Example of a Culture Poster ............................................................ 47 ix TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT .............................................................................................................................................................. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ........................................................................................................................................ v LIST OF TABLES................................................................................................................................................... vii LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................................................... viii CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................... 1 My Proposal .............................................................................................................................................. 5 CHAPTER TWO: RITSUMEIKAN JUNIOR AND SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL ............................................ 7 A Scenic Journey ...................................................................................................................................... 7 The Structure of Ritsumeikan Junior and Senior High School .............................................. 7 The Junior High School English Program ..................................................................................................10 The Regular Course ..............................................................................................................................10