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English language education in Japan has traditionally focused on inner circle English, particularly American or British English. Considering that a majority of English interactions now occur between fellow non-native speakers of the language, many teachers and researchers have argued that a World Englishes approach is more appropriate, especially for English language teaching in EFL contexts. Much of the existing literature on the teaching context of Japan, however, centers on administrative preferences for native English. There is still limited research reporting on learner perspectives or preferences. This paper summarizes the results of a pilot survey designed to gauge Japanese students’ reactions to a World Englishes approach in a university speaking and listening course. At the completion of a courseincluding listening exercises with English speakers from 11 different countries, 62 participants completed the survey. Results suggest that Japanese students had a positive reaction to a World Englishes approach. In particular, participants qualitatively and quantitatively responded that exposure to varieties of English was valuable and that they view English as a tool for global communication and not only with native English speakers. |
