Development of guidelines for integrating English language education and intercultural education in Japan

Speaking a second language is an invaluable skill but it involves more than just learning linguistic skills. This is because language and culture are inextricably linked and it is therefore important to understand the cultural context of a language's origins. What is more, an understanding of the culture can help a language learner to pick up on the nuances and more quickly learn a foreign language. Professor Fumiko Kurihara and Professor Natsue Nakayama are proponents of the importance of cultural learning when learning a language. They are the members of the JACET SIG on English Language Education and are working to increase cultural competences among students learning a foreign language. Having spent time abroad in England as a college student, Kurihara became aware of cultural differences that highlighted the inextricable links between culture and language and the need to explore how cultures shape how we communicate with one another. Kurihara and Nakayama are interviewing teachers and observing lessons in Japan and Europe in order to develop guidelines for language teachers to incorporate and assess lessons in intercultural competence. Next, the researchers will analyse English textbooks at primary schools using cultural descriptors with a view to assisting teachers with revising their syllabuses and incorporating more intercultural learning.