Education First English Proficiency Index (EF EPI), Education First Standardized English Test (EFSET), TOEFL iBT Test and Score Data Summary, internet-Based Test (iBT), Mean total scores
This paper aims to counter the media’s claim that Japanese are poor at English by re-examining the total mean test scores of Japanese English learners on Education First’s Standard English Test (EFSET) and the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) internet-Based Test (iBT). The authors consider what these scores actually show in order to rebut the media’s claim and to give a fairer, more realistic view of Japanese learners’ English proficiency when compared with those of other countries, particularly those in Asia. These two tests were chosen because they are sometimes cited in the media and because both break down their worldwide results into European, Asian, (Latin) American and the Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) regions. After outlining the EFSET and TOEFL iBT and setting out why the media’s comparative use of their scores is invalid, we explain the method of analysis and present and discuss the results to show that the media’s view of Japanese poor English ability is overstated. In the discussion, the concepts of linguistic distance and English as an official language are also taken into consideration.
雑誌名
CHUGOKUGAKUEN Journal
巻
17
ページ
35 - 39
発行年
2018
出版者（英）
Chugokugakuen University / Chugoku Junior College
ISSN
1348-1452
書誌レコードID
AA11806612
権利
中国学園大学/中国短期大学
情報源
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Re-examining the English Proficiency Level of Japanese EFL Learners
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