Beyond EFL : Globalizing Education in Japan

Current approaches to education are not providing students in Japan with the skills necessary to become global human resources. How can skills such as effective communication, problem solving, cultural awareness, and leadership, all necessary in a rapidly globalizing world, be developed and nurtured in Japan’s schools？ National public education must begin to play a more prominent role in the development of these important global skills. This paper will describe first year university students’ experiences with, and impressions of, the foreign language education they have received and ask whether or not this can be considered a globalizing education