English education at schools of pharmacy in Japan: meeting curricular needs through authentic ESP materials
English education at schools of pharmacy in Japan: meeting curricular needs through authentic ESP materials
Keywords: ESP, CLIL, curriculum, materials development
Madoka Kawano
Hoshi University
Eric M. Skier
Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences
Fumiko Takeuchi
Meiji Pharmaceutical University
Masako Horiuchi
Showa Pharmaceutical University
Toshio Kaneko
Nihon University
Bio
Madoka Kawano is a professor at Hoshi University, Tokyo. Her research interests include ESP curriculum development, bilingualism, and bilingual education.
Eric M. Skier is an associate professor of English at Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, School of Pharmacy. His research interests include materials production, learner autonomy, and ESP.
Fumiko Takeuchi is a professor at Meiji Pharmaceutical University, Tokyo. Her research interests include English education for college students in Japan and Shakespeare studies.
Masako Horiuchi is an associate professor at Showa Pharmaceutical University, Tokyo. Her research interests include ESP, social pharmacy, and Oscar Wilde studies.
Toshio Kaneko is a professor of English at the School of Pharmacy, Nihon University. His research interests include ESP, linguistics, and language education.
Pharmacy education in Japan underwent a sea of change in 2006 with the introduction of the current six-year curriculum, also known as the Model Core Curriculum for Pharmaceutical Education (MCC). Until then, the study to become a licensed pharmacist had been four years. Among the changes from the previous curriculum was a shift toward one consisting of general instructional objectives (GIOs) and specific behavioral objectives (SBOs). The new curriculum also, with the four language skills in mind, highlighted the need for English to be taught in an ESP approach, to prepare students for future careers, such as caregivers and decision-makers who can counsel patients in English, be leaders and managers in international corporate environments, and researchers.
Category: Curriculum Contexts, Volume 15 Issue 4
