2017 Volume 84 Issue 2 Pages 215-227
The purpose of this paper can be summarized in two points. First, this paper attempts to point out the present conditions and problems of previous research on the effects of English education in elementary schools. Second, it analyzes the effects of English education in elementary schools on junior high school students’ English academic achievement, friendly feelings toward foreign countries and consciousness of global human resources, based on large-volume survey data.
From 2002 on, governmental policy changes in Japan enabled elementary schools to conduct English education to enhance pupils’ understanding of foreign countries and their cultures. In 2011, English education in elementary schools became compulsory in the fifth and sixth grade curricula. Also, the starting grade is to be scheduled earlier according to the Ministry of Education, making English education compulsory from the third grade. However, many educational researchers have been criticizing Japanese educational policy because there is no evidence on whether early English education is beneficial or not.
Reviewing previous research, we found three main problems therein. First, they did not use large samples for data analysis or control for confounding factors, the most important part of causal inference. Second, they tended to analyze the effect on skills such as listening, speaking, reading, or writing, so the effects on friendly feelings toward foreign countries or consciousness of global human resources were not fully considered. Third, they overlooked the effect of the starting grades In this context, educational research on English education does not present persuasive evidence for current educational policy.
In this paper, we attempt to analyze research data with large samples, controlling for confounding factors. The data used in this paper were collected from 33 junior high schools (2967 students) in 2009, based on random sampling methods.
The results of this paper clarify three points: 1) English education in elementary schools affected junior high school students’ English academic achievement only when it was taught from the first or second grades; 2) when controlling for confounding factors, the starting grade has no significant effect on friendly feelings toward foreign countries; 3) it likewise makes no difference in consciousness of global human resources. Therefore, the effects of English education in elementary schools, as shown in previous research, are biased with confounding factors such as cram schools or social status. We concluded that English education researchers must analyze the effect of English education in elementary schools carefully in order to present persuasive evidence for Japanese educational policy.
