Has Socioeconomic Development Reduced the English Divide? A Statistical Analysis of Access to English Skills in Japan

Autor/in	Terasawa, Takunori
Titel	Has Socioeconomic Development Reduced the English Divide? A Statistical Analysis of Access to English Skills in Japan
Quelle	In: Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 38 (2017) 8, S.671-685 (15 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0143-4632
DOI	10.1080/01434632.2016.1221412
Schlagwörter	Foreign Countries; Statistical Analysis; English (Second Language); Language Skills; Access to Education; Language Planning; Social Stratification; Socioeconomic Status; Community Surveys; Predictor Variables; Urbanization; Generational Differences; Cultural Capital; Public Policy; Regression (Statistics); Structural Equation Models; Japan + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Ausland; Statistische Analyse; English as second language; English; Second Language; Englisch als Zweitsprache; Language skill; Sprachkompetenz; Education; Access; Bildung; Zugang; Bildungszugang; Sprachwechsel; Soziale Zusammensetzung; Socio-economic status; Sozioökonomischer Status; Prädiktor; Urbanisation; Urbanisierung; Öffentliche Ordnung; Regression; Regressionsanalyse
Abstract	As English skills are being increasingly perceived as valuable human capital, an awareness of inequitable access to the acquisition of this "profitable" language has developed. Although this allegedly unequal access, which can be referred to as the "English divide", is a matter of concern to applied linguists, little research has been conducted on the historical transformation (or maintenance) of the English divide within a specific society. Therefore, this paper examines a historical change in the English divide in Japan as a highly industrialised country through statistical analysis of a large, population-based sample. Results revealed that, with Japan attaining various socioeconomic developments such as reduced income gaps and improvements in educational conditions, some forms of the English divide originating from material gaps have gradually decreased. In contrast, other forms of the English divide that are led by cultural disparities have not decreased at all. Based on these findings, I discuss the inevitable difficulties of tackling the English divide and suggest some possible solutions for creating substantive, rather than formal, equality in English language education. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01