How to Test Speaking Skills in Japan

Chapter 1 The conundrum of teaching English in Japan

The gap between stated aims … If you’ve taught English in Japan for any length of time, you are no doubt familiar with the fundamental conflict at the core of ELT in this country: the vast gap between official language policy and what is actually done in the classroom (Tahira, 2012) As you know, En glish is one of the major core subjects taught throughout all levels of education It enjoys an equal status to other mainstays, such as math, science, social studies, and Japanese The language has been taught for decades during the six years of junior and senior high school Students going on to university are also often required to study it further In addition, now that English is making its way into many elementary school curriculums (Machida, 2016), it will be quite commonplace for most Japanese citizens to have had at least eight to ten years of study by the time they reach adulthood In fact, the emphasis on English is so strong that it has come at the expense of other foreign languages, none of which come close in terms of

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