[Feature: Thinking About English Education] Akiko Chiba: The Path from Learner to Educator—In Search of Ideal University English Education

2025/05/08

Universities are the final stage of educational institutions that develop human resources to support the society of the future, and their role is extremely important. Therefore, university education must constantly identify student needs and continue to reform in conjunction with changes in society. In recent years, educational theories and teaching methods have changed rapidly in the field of English education, which is my specialty. For example, until about 10 years ago, education that emphasized the acquisition of "accurate English" based on native speakers was mainstream, but now the focus has shifted to evaluating English proficiency as an international lingua franca. This change responds to the needs of modern society, where English has become an indispensable linguistic tool in intercultural communication settings such as business, politics, academia, and tourism. Against this background, the English proficiency required by university students is no longer just language ability. The needs of today's students are for advanced and practical communication skills in English that can be used effectively on the international stage, such as for discussions, negotiations, and the creation of papers and reports.

Currently, while teaching English subjects at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, I am searching every day for what and how to teach to effectively develop students who can be active in a global society. During this search, I often recall my own foreign language learning experiences. Due to my father's work at a trading company, I grew up moving back and forth between overseas and Japan from an early age, immersing myself in different linguistic environments. I was born in the United States, spent my early teens in Argentina, and then moved to Hong Kong as a high school student. After returning to Japan and entering university, I had to relearn Japanese, and as a working adult, I lived in the United States and Hong Kong. In other words, I have constantly continued to learn different languages as my living environment changed. Now that I have become a researcher in English education, I truly feel that my relationship with foreign languages is a lifelong theme for me. In this article, I would like to reflect on the future of English education at Japanese universities as an educator while touching upon my own experiences as a learner.

In advertisements for foreign language materials, you sometimes see slogans like "You will naturally acquire it just by being showered in the foreign language," but this is not accurate. This is because there are many factors that influence language acquisition, and acquisition is achieved by combining various approaches in a planned and intentional manner. The first foreign language I learned was Spanish, which I acquired at a local school in Argentina (though it is rusty now), and I began studying English in earnest from my first year of high school. In both cases, I was "showered" in Spanish and English by immersing myself in the communities of the target languages, but I believe the factor that led to acquisition was the accumulation of numerous conscious efforts.

For example, whether in classes at the local school or in interactions with friends, I would read the context based on someone's remarks, understand the other person's intention according to the situation, or use diagrams for content I didn't understand. Also, when I was a high school freshman starting to learn English, the language in which I could best express my thoughts was Spanish. Since I didn't have an English-Spanish dictionary at hand, I worked on school assignments while comparing languages using two dictionaries: Spanish-Japanese and Japanese-English. In those days, when convenient tools like we have now did not exist, I repeated this kind of self-styled trial and error out of necessity. Later, when I studied English pedagogy in graduate school, I learned that these were language acquisition methods recommended as being theoretically significant in education.

At the Japanese university I attended after returning home, I struggled with classes and assignments in Japanese, but fortunately, I had the option to write my graduation thesis in English. I felt like a fish in water, becoming absorbed in reading literature and writing my thesis. After graduation, I wanted a job where I could use my English, so I joined a foreign financial institution. Later, I experienced living in New York in the late 1990s and Hong Kong in the 2010s. In Japan, being "fluent in English and a graduate of Keio University" put me in a position where I could choose my employer, but in those two highly competitive cities, "achievements" that proved my ability were required more than language skills or educational background. Since then, I began to consciously ask myself, "What can I do with English?"

I will omit the details of how I became interested in English education due to space constraints, but I entered graduate school in my mid-30s to deepen my knowledge of English pedagogy. After obtaining my master's degree, I moved back to Hong Kong. I thought I would find a job immediately, but I soon learned the harsh reality of Hong Kong. In the fiercely competitive society of Hong Kong—a former British colony overflowing with native English-speaking teachers—why should they hire a Japanese English teacher? I received no replies from the places I applied to, but I understood their reasoning perfectly. After persevering with applications for about a year, a vacancy opened up at a vocational school run by the University of Hong Kong, and I was able to teach there. Later, after working at the Open University of Hong Kong (now Hong Kong Metropolitan University), I went on to teach at the University of Hong Kong.

At the University of Hong Kong, while working as a faculty member, I was enrolled in the university's Doctoral Programs and continued to learn in both the educational field and academia. Many of my colleagues at the University of Hong Kong, which ranks high in world university rankings, were attending Doctoral Programs at night school while teaching during the day. Having realized the problems in the educational field during my master's program, I felt I couldn't stop there, so I enrolled in a doctoral program, teaching at the university during the day and taking doctoral classes on the same campus about twice a week at night.

What was most wonderful about the University of Hong Kong, where I taught as a teacher and learned as a student, was the lesson content based on research results. The gap between research results and classroom content is a serious problem constantly raised in academic papers, and in many cases, teachers do not have the time to bridge this gap due to class preparation and student evaluations. However, because the classes at the University of Hong Kong used a curriculum jointly created by faculty members who were active researchers, the in-class tasks, teaching methods, and evaluation methods were all based on consistent educational theory. The teachers stood at the podium with conviction, and the students improved visibly. I was amazed at how perfect education could be when there is no gap between research results and classroom content.

While staying in Hong Kong, I always kept an eye on English education in Japan. Gradually, I began to think that there might be students in Japan who want to receive high-standard English education like that in Hong Kong, and I started considering returning home. I also noticed various other challenges in Japanese university English education. A key feature of university education is the presentation of critical thinking skills, but in Japanese English education, there is a lot of education that stops at memorization and understanding, and English education that requires critical thinking skills is notably lacking. Furthermore, I was very surprised to find that at some universities, external certification exams are linked to university English subjects, such as adding or subtracting points from grades based on scores from English proficiency tests. Certification exams are merely indicators developed by for-profit companies and exist in a completely different realm from university English education. Many people seem to misunderstand that excellent English proficiency means a high score on an English certification exam, but this is a mistake. If certification exams like TOEIC or TOEFL are set as the goals for university English, it creates a ceiling for educational content. English education at universities should provide learning that is far more advanced and deeper than certification exams. If the class content is advanced, English certification exam scores will naturally rise. So, what should be the goal of university English education?

I believe what is needed in Japanese English education is education that places critical thinking at its core and develops advanced English skills that can be used in the real world. From the learner's perspective, I think education that responds to diverse needs is required, such as for students aiming for academic English for graduate school or students who want to utilize English in business after employment. However, whether it is a paper or a presentation, the common skill that all university students should acquire is critical thinking. While educational programs tailored to respective goals are effective, in any case, certification exams must not be the ultimate goal.

There are other issues that should be discussed urgently. One of them is the disparity in English education. While the demand for English is higher than ever and English has become a key to employment and promotion, people with fewer opportunities to be exposed to English are being left behind. It is difficult to learn English in an environment considered advantageous for improvement—such as the frequency and duration of exposure to English and the number of times one can take certification exams—without financial leeway. In other words, the disparity in English education stemming from the economic disparity of parents can lead to a disparity in the individual's employment opportunities and, consequently, a future income gap. At present, government subsidies are limited and do not provide a long-term solution; this cycle must be resolutely broken.

Another concern is the introduction of AI. At the 2024 English education conferences, there were an overwhelming number of research presentations on AI, and discussions were held everywhere on how to incorporate AI to enhance learning effects. However, it is easy to imagine that if learners rely too much on AI tools, it will not lead to learning, and even before that, AI is not always correct. To introduce AI into the world of education, not just for English, it is necessary to verify learning outcomes and then carefully judge effective introduction methods.

University education must continue to evolve along with changes in society. I believe that its positioning as a place to develop future human resources indicates an obligation to pay close attention to needs in a changing society and always provide the optimal education for learners. In today's society, what is required is not just language ability, but English proficiency that allows one to move society while cooperating with people from other countries—that is, advanced English communication skills accompanied by critical thinking. Therefore, in Japanese university English education, it is essential to organize English education curricula that fit the purpose and to realize advanced and practical English education based on research. Educational reform is a long-term battle before results appear, but I want to continue providing the maximum education according to the future needs of students and contribute to reform while pursuing ideals. My search continues.