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[JimDunlop2]

Is the future really so bleak?

Taken from today's Mainichi Daily News online:
http://mdn.mainichi.co.jp/news/20050322p2a00m0dm012001c.html

Full article:
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Japanese students' English ability improving

Japanese students have boosted their English ability over the past year, a survey released by educational firm Benesse Corp., has found.

In a test to compare the English ability of first- and second-year high school students in Japan, South Korea and China, Benesse found that Japanese students' English ability improved noticeably over a one-year period.

A total of 2,052 students from four schools in Japan, 4,188 students from six schools in South Korea, and 3,554 students from three schools in China took part in the revised Global Test of English Communication between October and December last year, the second time it has been held.

Benesse also asked students and 107 teachers about their satisfaction with education standards and study habits.

The test was separated into three categories: reading, writing and listening. When officials examined the results of second-year high school students from Japan who had taken the test in the previous year, their average score stood at 440 out of a possible 800, about 40 points up from their results in the first test.

Japan showed the biggest improvement out of the three countries. The average score of South Korean students was 27 points higher than the previous year, compared with a 24-point increase shown by China.

First year students in Japan who took the latest test scored an average 8 points more than the first year students who sat the previous test. South Korean students showed a major increase, scoring an average 40 points more.

When asked to evaluate their own language ability, Japanese students tied their ability to their scores. However, Chinese and South Korean students with scores lower than those of their Japanese counterparts answered that they had ability in English.

In a question asking students to give an evaluation of themselves when they participated in activities involving the use of English, such as making telephone calls in English and looking at English Internet pages, Chinese and South Korean students gave a high opinion of their own abilities.

However, the number of Japanese students who said they had not attempted such activities was overwhelmingly higher than in China and South Korea.

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology has designated some schools in Japan as "Super English Language High Schools (SELHi). In the survey, a comparison of results of students from these schools was made with those from other schools. For first- and second-year students from ordinary schools, a 34-point rise was seen, compared to a 73-point increase among students from SELHi schools.

Chinese students held the strongest aspirations for their use of English in the future. In terms of satisfaction, Chinese students were more satisfied than Japanese and Korean students with their schools and lessons, but common traits also existed.

"In the three countries, we can see common behavioral traits, such as the difficulty experienced in fostering students' abilities to express themselves and their communication ability," Benesse official Masanori Takeda said. (Mainichi Shimbun, Japan, March 22, 2005)

[guest of Japan]

I noticed they didn't actually give a comparison of the countries for average test scores. I also wonder about the quality of the schools that participated and the academic abilities of the students.

Thanks for posting the article.

[Glenski]

As much as I respect Bennesse, I found this survey lacking.

Four schools surveyed? FOUR???? Not really much of a sample size, even if there were more than 2 thousand students. WHICH FOUR SCHOOLS? Higher level? SELHi? It really wasn't clear.
And, when I see statements like this...

[Mike L.]

Gee I wonder which "4 schools" in Japan they picked for such a widespread survey?

These Japanese studies with ant ant's eye view of the world are really funny!

Or the ability to ignore things like piles of garbage all over your national treasures and still think their beautiful!

What's next? A survey of 4 "sellected companies" like Nissan to say "Japanese economy goingu upu!!"

It's Japanese way! LOLOLOLOLOLOL

[Gordon]

I too noticed that they omitted the test scores. Low level students will always have the greatest improvement. I bet the Japanese scores still stunk and they probably chose better students to help skew the test scores.

[Mike L.]

[Glenski]

Let's look at this article even more closely. (I didn't have time the first time around.)

[Gordon]

Glenski, Mainichi Shimbun is not exactly a reputable source for news. Let's not forget, they're the ones with Wai Wai.

[JimDunlop2]

deleted due to duplicate post anomaly...

[JimDunlop2]

Hey, come on now. I LOVE Wai-wai. Everyone who is anyone knows that wai-wai gives nothing but the hard, honest truth.

I mean... Where would we be today unless it were exposed that the Expo boom bad news for Nagoya's boom-boom biz or that Scientist gets scoop on Madame butterfly poop.

I started reading Wai-wai MUCH more seriously ever since I started doubting that the Weekly World News's Batboy was for real and nothing more than a photo-montage hoax.

P.S. You also gotta read the Fisher files... Spellbinding stuff!

[PAULH]

Just thought you guys might like to know that Benesse corp is the mother company that owns Berlitz.

http://www.benesse.co.jp/english/gogaku/index.html

[taikibansei]

Speaking of newspaper articles on Japanese education, anybody catch the recent series in Sankei Shinbun? Among other things, the articles refer to the establishment of the 「日本リメディアル（補習）教育学会」 (Japan Remedial [Developmental] Education Society) in order to 'deal' with a lot of the educational issues we've been discussing on this board.

'Deal' is put in quotes for the usual reasons--e.g., their initially offered brilliant 'solution' to Japan's educational problems is basically "Better textbooks and more study...". However, this group appears to have sponsored some interesting research themselves. One study found that 65% of non-English majors at Japan's private universities (number surveyed unmentioned) had English levels no different from 3rd-year junior high students. Which of course begs the question, what about all that 'intensive' English study in high school?

Another interesting article describes how Japan has begun to require universities to undergo outside, ostensibly independent auditing for quality control. The criteria for passing is somewhat vague. Still, so far, 34 universities have been audited, with 32 'passing.' The two that did not pass were Nasu Daigaku in Tochigi Ken and Ou Daigaku in Fukushima Ken. Not 100% sure what failing this external audit means, however...probably very little.

PM me if you want the full articles--I have them saved on my computer at home.

[Mike L.]

Notice how there's now author for this piece of propaganda?

I guess even the "company man journalists" of Japan have some dignity left!

What's the next article going to be?

Japanese Way Of English is Besto!!

[GambateBingBangBOOM]

[taikibansei]