Yuko Goto Butler (University of Pennsylvania, USA) Chinfen Chen

1. Assessments used in teaching English as a foreign language at elementary schools in Asia: Cases from Korea, Taiwan, and Japan Yuko Goto Butler (University of Pennsylvania, USA) Chinfen Chen (National Taipei University of Education, Taiwan) Won-Key Lee (Seoul National University of Education, South Korea)

2. Questions (1) What are the political, social and educational contexts into which English FLES (Foreign Language at Elementary Schools) is being introduced in each of these countries? (2) What types of assessments have been administered thus far? (3) What challenges do policymakers face in evaluating the effectiveness of English FLES? (4) What results have been obtained so far in terms of students’ English learning?

3. English at Elementary Schools in Korea, Taiwan, Japan

4. Japan: English assessments and diversity Yuko Goto Butler University of Pennsylvania

5. Current policy contexts in Japan • In 2002, MEXT allowed local governments and individual schools to conduct “foreign language activities” (which are overwhelmingly English activities) based on their own choice • Introduced as a means of fostering international understanding • In 2006, a sub-panel on foreign language education for MEXT’s Central Council for Education proposed that English should be compulsory for the 5th and 6th grade levels • MEXT has not yet made English compulsory at elementary schools • Tremendous diversity in practice across schools and local governments

6. Assessments for “English Activities” • Assessments are not required by government policies • One can see the effects of English activities based on children’s self-assessments and teacher observations in select school reports. • The results of such effects vary from school to school. • Strong need for systematic assessment

7. Butler & Takeuchi (2006) • Background • Substantial variability in practice • Heated discussions regarding whether or not the central government’s policy is necessary • Aims • To examine communicative skills in English by grade levels among students in select schools • To examine the relationship between policy-related factors and students’ communicative skills in English

8. Major policy related issues • At which grade level should English be introduced? • How many hours of instruction should children receive? • What goals should be set for English at the elementary school level? • Should foreign teachers teach English? • To what extent do the English lessons that students receive outside of their schools influence their performance?

9. Participants • 6,541 elementary school students in Japan • 697 3rd grade students • 1,666 4th grade students • 2,337 5th grade students • 1,814 6th grade students • Enrolled in 28 schools (24 public and 4 private) • School sizes: ranging from schools with less than 50 students to schools with more than 800 students • Various types of schools, including pilot schools • Instruction ranges from twice per week to once per month

10. Measurements • The Junior STEP Silver Test • Developed by STEP (originally established as part of the MOE’s English language education policy) • Designed to measure basic oral communicative abilities among young learners of EFL • The Junior STEP Tests have three levels: Bronze, Silver, and Gold • The Silver Test was chosen based on a pilot study conducted in 2005 among 5,087 students • The Silver Test measures basic listening skills and word recognition skills among young learners who have undergone oral-based instruction at school for at least 2 years • Examining students’ self-assessments and their attitudes towards English activities based on a survey

11. Result 1 • How do students’ communicative skills in English differ by grade level?

12. Performance by Grade Level

13. Result 2 • What are the relationships between policy-related factors and students’ communicative skills in English? • Grade level • Goals of English activities set by schools • Total hours of English instruction at school • Frequencies of instruction by foreign teachers at school • Extra lessons that students receive outside of their schools

14. Multiple regression analysis of variables for predicting Silver Test scores * p < .01

15. Correlations between Silver Test scores and instructional hours

16. Conclusions • The older the students, the higher their Silver Test scores became • The biggest performance gap across grade level was found in the subsection on Word Recognition • In addition to grade level, the number of extra English lessons that students received outside of their school was an important predictor • Total English instructional hours at school and frequencies of instruction by foreign teachers at school was not very influential variables.