An Analysis of Students’ Experiences under the “Communicative Course of Study Guidelines” in Japan

This paper explores the responses of 77 Japanese EFL students in regard to their learning under the “Communicative Course of Study Guidelines” that were fully implemented by April 2016 in high schools throughout Japan. It will look at the types of tasks students were presented with in the classroom, how much opportunity was provided to communicate in English during classroom time, and whether they feel the goals of the guidelines were met on a personal level. Asking students about their learning journey and preferences in relation to studying in the Japanese EFL high school classroom will be valuable in informing teachers about their students preferences, and will allow University level educators to better understand the high school classroom environments that their students are coming into University from. Results showed that students are not being provided with communicative opportunities in their high school English classes as the guidelines recommend and that their desires to speak can be hindered based on cultural constraints found within Educational environs.