Abstract
Since 2007, Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT) has conducted the National Assessment of Academic Ability, evaluating sixth-grade elementary and third-year junior high school students nationwide. This large-scale assessment provides critical data on the English ability and learning conditions of junior high school students', providing information for the improvement of educational policy and curriculum development. Although originally designed for junior high schools, the survey’s scope and objectives suggest its potential relevance to high school education. This study investigates the feasibility of applying this survey at the high school level. First-year students at a prefectural high school took the same test administered to third-year junior high school students, along with questionnaire surveys assessing both students’ learning experiences and teachers’ instructional approaches. The results offer comparative insights into the English abilities of high school freshmen in relation to national junior high school benchmarks while also identifying key pedagogical and learning trends. Grounded in objective, large-scale data, these findings provide a foundation for refining English instruction and promoting systematic curriculum development at the high school level.
https://ror.org/03zyp6p76 
