An Analysis of English Textbooks Used at Primary and Secondary Schools in Finland : In Search of Features Conducive to the Success of her English Language Education at School

Abstract

Finland has long been attracting attention of researchers and educationalists worldwide due to her constant top-level achievement in the PISA. It is not so well known, however, that Finland has also been ranked among the top-level countries in the TOEFL performance, implying that her English language education at school is highly successful. This paper, based upon a previous research which acknowledged English textbooks as a significant factor contributing to the success of English language education at school in Finland, has analysed English textbooks used at primary and secondary schools in Finland in search of possible reasons for the success of her English language education at school. Four distinctive features have been extracted through the analysis of English textbooks, being endorsed by the author's own observations of English lessons at primary and secondary schools in Finland. Referring to these distinctive features of textbooks, implications for English language education in Japan are presented as a way of conclusion.