Language-in-Education Policies in Japan versus Transnational Workers' Voices: Two Faces of Neoliberal Communication Competence

Autor/inn/en	Kubota, Ryuko; Takeda, Yuya
Titel	Language-in-Education Policies in Japan versus Transnational Workers' Voices: Two Faces of Neoliberal Communication Competence
Quelle	In: TESOL Quarterly: A Journal for Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages and of Standard English as a Second Dialect, 55 (2021) 2, S.458-485 (28 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0039-8322
DOI	10.1002/tesq.613
Schlagwörter	Neoliberalism; Communicative Competence (Languages); Second Language Learning; Second Language Instruction; English (Second Language); Knowledge Economy; Teaching Methods; Corporations; Employees; Government Publications; Global Approach; Coping; Employee Attitudes; Political Attitudes; Discourse Analysis; Overseas Employment; Intercultural Communication; Work Environment; Educational Policy; Educational Objectives; Foreign Countries; Language of Instruction; Language Usage; Japan + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Neo-liberalism; Neoliberalismus; Communicative competence; Languages; Kommunikative Kompetenz; Sprache; Zweitsprachenerwerb; Fremdsprachenunterricht; English as second language; English; Second Language; Englisch als Zweitsprache; Knowledge society; Economy; Wissensgesellschaft; Wirtschaft; Teaching method; Lehrmethode; Unterrichtsmethode; Unternehmen; Employee; Arbeitnehmer; Beschäftigter; Globales Denken; Bewältigung; Arbeitnehmerinteresse; Political attitude; Politische Einstellung; Diskursanalyse; Auslandstätigkeit; Interkulturelle Kommunikation; Arbeitsmilieu; Politics of education; Bildungspolitik; Educational objective; Bildungsziel; Erziehungsziel; Ausland; Teaching language; Unterrichtssprache; Sprachgebrauch
Abstract	Foreign language education primarily aims to cultivate learners' competence to communicate in an additional language. However, the meaning of communication competence is not entirely transparent, especially given the current neoliberal valorization of communication in the knowledge economy. The meaning of communication can be scrutinized in two contradictory trends observed in language education: the exclusive focus on teaching English as a global language, signifying a homogenizing trend, and increased scholarly attention to the heterogeneity of linguistic forms and practices. This article examines how communication competence is differentially understood by policymakers and corporate workers in Japan. The authors examine a government report that evaluated the attainment of educational goals for coping with globalization and contrasting it with interview data drawn from another study on the communicative experiences of Japanese transnational workers in Asia. Political discourse analysis and content analysis reveal the paradoxical nature of what can be called neoliberal communication competence, which on the one hand conflates global communication with use of the four measurable skills in English to transmit information and, on the other hand, challenges linguistic norms, foregrounding plurilingualism and co-constructed interactional competence. Transformation of policies and pedagogies can be pursued by appropriating neoliberal communication competence for achieving broader educational goals. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01