2020 Volume 34 Pages 73-85
MEXT’s ongoing educational reform of foreign language education places a greater emphasis on the English language, with the focus being on improving English skills over different domains and fostering a positive attitude towards communicating in English autonomously. However, understanding the factors surrounding language choice in a given context has rarely been a topic of focus in English classrooms. Hypothesizing that the lack of awareness about language use and users in intra-national communication leads to students having an overly simplistic view of English as an international language, we explored how Japanese high school students make decisions about language choice when interacting with non-East-Asian-looking people in Japan. Focusing on language use and users in Japan, the lesson unit observed students’ perceptional change regarding their choice of language through discussions. The unit challenged students’ uncritical way of viewing English as an international language, nurturing a nuanced understanding of English’s role as an international language so that students would be able to better choose which language they should use according to their situation, allowing them to become more understanding and respectful of the people they interact with in their future intra-national communication.
