MEGUMI UEMI (TOYO UNIVERSITY)

JAPANESE EFL STUDENTS' CRITICAL THOUGHT CHALLENGES: ENHANCING LANGUAGE EDUCATION THROUGH L1-L2 COLLABORATION : CREATIVITY AND CRITICAL LITERACIES

Since 2017, the Japanese Ministry of Education (MEXT) has implemented the new Course of Study, emphasizing collaborative efforts between Kokugo (Japanese language arts) and English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classes to enhance students’ critical thinking (CT) abilities through comprehensive language education (MEXT, 2017; MEXT, 2018). This study explores the intricate challenges faced by Japanese students in developing both cognitive and linguistic skills for effective communication. Drawing on Cummins’ (1980) theories of bilingualism and Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy (Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001), particularly focusing on its language-related aspects of lower-order thinking skills (LOTS), the study examines these challenges from sociocultural and educational perspectives. Cross-cultural studies investigate how differences between Eastern and Western sociocultural norms affect students’ expression of critical thoughts through language, referencing concepts such as Hall’s (1976) “low vs. high context cultures” and Markus and Kitayama’s (1991) “culture and the self.” Additionally, the study scrutinizes the linguistic and cognitive obstacles encountered by Japanese students within an educational context, highlighting prevalent writing practices in Japanese primary and secondary schools: kansoubun (personal, reflective writing) and ikenbun (opinion writing). Furthermore, findings from a survey of 68 Japanese university students reveal limited opportunities and practices for developing CT skills during pre-college education. The conclusion emphasizes the need for enhanced collaboration and dialogue between researchers and practitioners in both Kokugo and EFL fields to implement more effective strategies for comprehensive language education, targeting the enhancement of CT skills and linguistic proficiency in both L1 and L2 contexts.

Megumi Uemi earned an MA in Second and Foreign Language Education in the U.S. and taught English at a public high school in Bangkok. Currently, she serves as a full-time lecturer at Toyo University in Tokyo and is pursuing a PhD degree in English Education at the University of Tsukuba.