The Effect of Increased English Activities on Sociocultural Attitudes and Intercultural Communicative Attitudes of Young Japanese Learners

概要

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This research on Japanese elementary school pupils' intercultural communicative and sociocultural attitudes was conducted at an elementary school in Aichi prefecture. The writer surveyed the fifth and sixth grade pupils' intercultural communicative attitudes and some other variables about learning a foreign language at both ends of the school year in 2007 and 2008. The main purpose of this analysis is to investigate the differences in the pupils' attitudes before and after getting lessons of English activities from their home room teachers and to find out the relationship between intercultural communicative attitudes and other variables. The findings show as follows. First, pupils maintain their awareness of the vitality of English and their avoidance of uncertainty (being cautious about an unknown foreigner) seems to decrease. However, as their awareness of the importance of Japanese culture also seems to decrease, more learning activities at younger ages may have an adverse effect on their identity. Second, as pupils' communicative attitudes are influenced by the attitude toward learning multiple languages as well as English and the attitudes toward people who use English as a second or a foreign language indirectly, it will be suggested that various language programs will be important for pupils to enhance their intercultural communicative skills.
2011-03-30