<研究ノート>外国語教育をめぐる異文化理解に関する一考察 --学習指導要領改訂を背景に据えて--

Abstract

After the revision of the Course of Study in 2017, foreign language education (FLE) was officially positioned as a subject in upper classes and a curricular area in middle classes in elementary school. While its aims in the Course of Study include intercultural understanding, as of now little research has been carried out on the topic. This study aims to explore potential means to develop intercultural understanding in FLE, focusing on the use of picture books. First, the study identified the position of intercultural understanding within FLE in Japan. Next, it portrayed FLE in Asian countries as future partners to see how they implement intercultural understanding. Finally, it referred to practices using picture books to present an implication for potential use in Japanese FLE. It found that intercultural understanding is not given due importance within FLE. Moreover, FLE in Asian countries tends to mean English education without awareness of intercultural understanding, which may contribute to educational inequality. The practices with picture books show that children fill in what is not clear in picture books, based on their knowledge and experience. The study concludes that a key to developing intercultural understanding through FLE is to consider how the environments surrounding children and their own experiences are connected to the elements of picture books, and how this draws their interest to learn. Therefore, it is necessary for each teacher to devise their own way to make use of picture books, bearing in mind that they are familiar to the local context.