English-Only Policy for All? Case of a University English Class in Japan

This study investigated the socio-political issues related to language education, with regards to the language of instruction and the role of the non-native English speaker teacher (NNEST) in an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context.This is a preliminary investigation into the legitimacy of an English only policy in the dual-lingual educational system in a Japanese university.The university's English program has a policy both for instructors and students to use "English at all times."Having taught very low to intermediate level students over several years, the researcher doubted the efficacy and affective implications of using only English to communicate with students.To find out learners' beliefs, course evaluation data from the past three years were first analyzed to explore the students' opinions with regard to the instructor's language use.Second, the researcher conducted pre-semester, mid-semester and end-of-semester questionnaires regarding the learners' perceptions toward the instructor's language use and whether the learners preferred the use of English only or the occasional use of the mother tongue, and on which occasions it was deemed appropriate.The results showed students' preferences toward an English-only policy.Implications for the future of university English education lie in the way institutions utilize the multiple languages available.