Articles Yakudoku EFL Instruction in Two Japanese High School Classrooms: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

Despite so much being made of oral English instruction, some researchers suggest that English language instruction in japanese high schools is still dominated by yakudoku, a non-oral approach to foreign language instruction. Little detailed, descriptive research on yakudoku instruction in classrooms is to be found, and the beliefs of teachers who use yakudoku seem not to be researched at all. This exploratory study seeks to remedy this. Two high school EFL classes were observed, and the teachers interviewed. Specific classroom behaviors of the teachers were analyzed and coded, and teachers' beliefs, as revealed through interviews, matched with their behaviors. It was found that in focusing on linguistic forms, teachers demanded conformity in students' work. It was also found that the students focused the bulk of their attention on the japanese translations of the English text, rather than the English text itself. The study, while exploratory in nature, and thus flawed, creates a basis for further research into this linle studied aspect of EFL instruction in japanese high schools