Title

Awareness of Racial and Ethnic Diversity in Japanese Junior High Schools' English Language Textbooks

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

Fall 9-2011

Publication Source

Critical Inquiry in Language Studies: The Official Journal of the International Society for Language Studies

Volume

8

Issue

3

Inclusive pages

289-312

Publisher

Routledge: Taylor & Francis

Place of Publication

Philadelphia, PA

ISBN/ISSN

15427587

Peer Reviewed

yes

Abstract

This article explores how cultural attitudes about race and ethnicity are taught in the English language textbooks as a part of Japan's school curriculum. A content analysis of Japanese junior high school textbooks on English as a foreign language published from 1987 to 2002 was conducted. Four hypotheses investigated relating to 1) the diversity of countries, 2) the inclusion of Asia, 3) the diversity of individuals, and 4) the portrayal of the United States and Japan. The results suggest that while Japan's English language textbooks did represent diverse coutnries, they did not represent the diversity of racial adn ethnic groups. Moreover, although ambiguity about race and ethnicity did exist, there also appeared to be attempts to respond to the changing realities impacted by globalizaiton.

Keywords

textbook, Japan, Englsh as a foreign language (EFL), diversity, international education

Disciplines

Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education | Communication | Curriculum and Instruction | East Asian Languages and Societies | Educational Sociology | Linguistics | Race and Ethnicity | Social and Behavioral Sciences | Sociology



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