Ensuring pedagogical consistency between primary- and secondary-level foreign language education through portfolios in Japan

This study examines the potential value of the two portfolios developed by English Language Education SIG of JACET for the methodological consistency in primary- and secondary-level foreign language education in Japan. J-POSTL for secondary EFL teachers was released in 2014 as the adaptation of EPOSTL (Newby et al., 2007) which builds on the rationale of the CEFR. It has been used in the pre-service programs of about 30 universities and in-service training provided by several education boards in Japan. Nearly 90% of its users have found it helpful and effective in enhancing their didactic competences. While there is an overwhelming shortage of qualified EFL teachers, compulsory English instruction at primary schools across Japan was implemented in April 2020. Then, in March 2021, our research team completed compiling J-POSTL Elementary, a list of descriptors as core competences primary school teachers should strive to attain. We found that about 80% of the descriptors listed in the original J-POSTL can be transferred to J-POSTL Elementary, although some descriptors which identify the specific skills required for primary-school teachers have emerged as more significant competences. The main value-added of these two portfolios is that they are aligned with the theoretical foundations underpinning the pedagogical practices described in the new Course of Study (COS), the Japanese national curriculum implemented in 2020. The new COS, like J-POSTL documents, is partly based on the rationale and principles of the CEFR. In this presentation we will first describe the five stages of developing J-POSTL Elementary, then suggest the commonalities and characteristics of competences of primary and secondary EFL teachers, and finally argue that the portfolios can serve as effective tools to maintain consistency in teaching theory and practice from primary to secondary-school EFL education in Japan.