From the 2006 NHK School Broadcast Utilization Survey
August 2007
This article reports the results of the “2006 NHK School Broadcast Utilization Survey” and the “Survey on Fifth-Grade Classroom Teachers” conducted by the NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute to discuss the present situation of English teaching in elementary schools.
In 2006, the Central Education Council filed a recommendation to make English a mandatory subject in higher-grades of elementary schools. The percentage of elementary schools nationwide that have English classes or activities reached 90%. The 2006 survey focused on the present situation of fifth-graders, a target of mandatory English class.
The author examines the potential of broadcasting as a teaching material of elementary school English by analyzing the reality of English classes and teachers at elementary school and of the utilization of the media to seek for what is expected in broadcasting.
1. Overview of English and English classes in elementary schools
Majority of English classes are taught by assistant language teachers (ALTs). Some classes are conducted only by ALTs. When classroom teachers teach English, they are often accompanied by ALTs.
Average class hours were 15.7 unit per year (1 unit equals to 45 minutes) but there are differences depending on teachers. In general, classroom teachers have longer class hours than ALTs do.
76.9 percent of the surveyed teachers use teaching materials with different media including printed materials, TV programs and videos, computers and the Internet, and audio materials.
2. Elementary school English and utilization of school broadcast
NHK airs a school broadcast program Eigorian as a teaching material of elementary school English. Eigorian was best known among school broadcast programs aired in 2006 by fifth-grade classroom teachers. Furthermore, about one third of classroom teachers who teach English have utilized Eigorian in a form of TV broadcasts, videos or DVD. Eigorian is valued for the fact that children can be exposed to native speakers’ real English as it is actually used and that they can enjoy visual communication using gestures and facial expressions.
3. Expectations for TV programs for English learners
The best-cited expectation for programs for English learners was “a program that makes viewers familiar with English expressions through auditory methods such as songs, plays on words and games. There were various other expectations, with 90% of the teachers hopeing for TV programs. The expectations are higher in schools where classroom teachers teach English than in schools where only ALTs teach English.
It is likely that teachers are hopeful about TV programs for English learners with native speakers because only a limited number of schools have ALTs who can visit them to suit the convenience of the school schedule or as often as the school wants.