English Language policy changes in China, Japan, and Korea and the effect on students studying in the United States.

Abstract

The growing need for proficient English speakers in China, Japan and Korea has spurred a shift in English language policy from the traditional model focusing on reading and writing to a model emphasizing communicative language teaching (CLT) (Hu & Lei, 2014; Hu & McKay, 2012). However, despite policy changes, CLT methods are not regularly used in the classroom because of constraints such as the university entrance exam system. Therefore, students remain unprepared for the English method instruction (EMI) demands at university. As such, the purpose of this study is to explore student perspectives regarding their experiences attending high school in their home countries and then EMI programs at U.S. universities. The following is a mixed-method study that focuses on students who attended high school in China, Japan or Korea and are currently studying at a U.S. university. This study further focuses on the perspectives of these students with regard to whether they believe they were prepared for the English demands of their current university. Data was obtained through an online 33-item survey from fourteen university students as well as from semi-structured interviews from six of those participants. Results are mixed, because although the interviews revealed unanimously that the participants did not feel prepared for university in the U.S., the survey revealed no conclusive evidence as the participants felt neutral about the majority of the items regardless of country of origin. Implications for addressing the English language needs of current Chinese, Japanese and Korean university students and future research are also discussed.