Teaching and Learning English in English in Japanese Senior High Schools : Teachers’ & Students’ Perceptions

In March 2009, the MEXT announced the new Course of Study for Senior High Schools,which will be implemented in 2013. Since this announcement,eated debates have cropped up on conducting English classes in English. This paper aims to clarify where the problems,if any, lie by looking into senior high school teachers‟ (both JTEs and ALTs) and students‟perceptions of English classes that are, “in principle, conducted in English.” A survey was carried out to research the following questions: How do students and teachers perceive the MEXT‟s idea? If they are resistant to it, what are their reasons? What are the practical problems? Among the things found in this survey is that some JTEs are feeling a lack of support, such as the support of role models, in changing the approach to language teaching; that students who are not used to such an approach worry about their comprehension in such classes; and that both the JTEs and the students prefer the use of the Japanese language to make the class content understandable