Jun 21, 2017 (Japan Times) - Around half of junior high school students have called the English skills they acquired in elementary schools "useless," according to recent findings by education services provider Benesse Holdings Inc.
Researchers with the firm's think tank arm analyzed the grammar-oriented programs in junior high schools and said the programs were likely discouraging students. The researchers called for a number of reforms to keep young people motivated once they reach higher levels of English-learning.
Earlier in June, Benesse released results of a survey conducted by the think tank, the Benesse Educational Research and Development Institute, aimed at evaluating English education in elementary schools and gauging children's views of English and foreign cultures.
In March and April 2016, Benesse surveyed 1,170 first-year junior high students, including 583 students who also responded to the think tank's 2015 survey on English education in elementary schools during their sixth and final year.
The research showed that while 82.6 percent of the students surveyed as sixth-graders were convinced of the benefits of English education, that figure plunged to just 53.9 percent after they entered junior high.
In particular, 50.8 percent of sixth-graders strongly agreed that English skills acquired in elementary school would be useful in junior high. However, after entering junior high, a mere 19.6 percent respondents expressed such a belief.
