English Ability and Language Attitudes in Japan and Jordan : A Comparative Study of Contextual Variables

People who are familiar with both Japan and Jordan often comment on the differences in English speaking ability and language attitudes in the two countries. It is generally felt that Jordanian Arabs have a much higher degree of fluency in spoken English than Japanese whereas Japanese sometimes seem to do better in written tests which stress grammatical accuracy. This study attempts to examine the sociolinguistic environment of each country in order to isolate those contextual factors which are responsible for these perceived differences in English speaking ability. The analysis is carried out using Stern's1983 model of contextual factors in language teaching, which divides the environmental context into 6 separate dimensions: education, linguistics, society/culture, geography, history/ politics, and economics/technology. In the conclusion, it is suggested that some features of Jordan's English language situation may be relevant in considering how to improve the effectiveness of English language education in Japan.