Problems with Audio Recordings for Elementary School English Textbooks in Japan

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  • 日本の小学校英語教科書付属の音声教材に関する諸問題

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Abstract

This study discusses issues with audio recordings attached to English textbooks for Japanese elementary school students. Out of seven sets of textbooks, approved by the MEXT (the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology), the one published by the Tokyo Shoseki Publishing Company, New Horizon Elementary English Course 5 and 6, was selected because these textbooks are the most extensively used in Japan and their impact on English teaching in Japan is considered high. Four CDs accompany the textbook for 5th graders, and three accompany the textbook for 6th graders. In the study, an L1 English speaker identified unnatural-sounding utterances, which were then acoustically analysed to understand why they sound unnatural. Three problems with the recordings were found. Firstly, the speech rate is excessively slow, leading to unnatural pauses. Secondly, errors in tonicity are identified. Thirdly, the reading style is overly animated and dramatised, which is inappropriate for 5th and 6th graders. The present study emphasises the critical role of audio materials for English learners, especially beginners. Recommendations include careful preparation by textbook writers and narrators, attentive monitoring during recording, and increased involvement of MEXT textbook inspectors to ensure recording quality. In conclusion, the authors suggest that the process of materials production and review be tightened and that comparative analyses with other countries be taken to improve the appropriateness of model recordings.

Journal

  • 広島外国語教育研究

    広島外国語教育研究 27 77-100, 2024-03-01

    Institute for Foreign Language Research and Education, Hiroshima University

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