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Investigating multiethnic students' learning of their heritage languages at Japanese universities

Research Project

Project/Area Number 19K00797
Research Category

Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)

Allocation TypeMulti-year Fund
Section一般
Review Section Basic Section 02100:Foreign language education-related
Research InstitutionKanda University of International Studies

Principal Investigator

Park Siwon  神田外語大学, グローバル・リベラルアーツ学部, 教授 (00458639)

Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) 杉田 めぐみ  神田外語大学, 外国語学部, 准教授 (70366938)
Project Period (FY) 2019-04-01 – 2024-03-31
Project Status Completed (Fiscal Year 2023)
Budget Amount *help
¥3,380,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥780,000)
Fiscal Year 2021: ¥1,040,000 (Direct Cost: ¥800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥240,000)
Fiscal Year 2020: ¥1,170,000 (Direct Cost: ¥900,000、Indirect Cost: ¥270,000)
Fiscal Year 2019: ¥1,170,000 (Direct Cost: ¥900,000、Indirect Cost: ¥270,000)
Keywordsheritage language / identity / diversity / inclusivity / multiethnic / interviews / positioning / plurilingual competency / second generation / qualitative inquiry / higher education / Vietnamese / Thai / Indonesian / multiethnic learners / HL learners / heritage learners / heritage education / multiethnic students
Outline of Research at the Start

To understand the landscapes where heritage language students of Vietnamese, Indonesian, and Thai are situated, this project will look into their demographics at Japanese universities, their sociolinguistic profiles, and the changes and development of their attitudes, motivation, and identities.

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Our research on Heritage Language (HL) learners has revealed significant trends in language use post-graduation, where English predominates in professional environments. This shift not only influences career trajectories but also impacts the identity formation of HL speakers, highlighting the socio-cultural complexities they navigate. Furthermore, our findings underscore the role of living arrangements in HL proficiency, with separation from parents often leading to reduced HL practice.
Moreover, our research identifies deliberate language choices among HL speakers, such as favoring Japanese over heritage languages to facilitate integration into a broader community. Insights from a symposium on heritage language education further emphasize the challenges faced by ethnic minorities in preserving their linguistic and cultural identities. This highlights the critical need for societal support to sustain linguistic diversity among HL learners.

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

Our research on HL learners reveals how post-graduation settings affect their careers and identities. It reveals the intricate relationship between language learning and social integration and informs the importance of supporting HL learners to preserve linguistic diversity and foster inclusivity.

Report

(6 results)
  • 2023 Annual Research Report   Final Research Report ( PDF )
  • 2022 Research-status Report
  • 2021 Research-status Report
  • 2020 Research-status Report
  • 2019 Research-status Report
  • Research Products

    (8 results)

All 2023 2022 2021 2020

All Journal Article (4 results) (of which Open Access: 3 results) Presentation (4 results) (of which Int'l Joint Research: 2 results)

  • [Journal Article] Exploring Language Use and Identity of Heritage Language Speakers: A Case Study of Second-Generation Adolescent Immigrants in Japan2022

    • Author(s)
      Megumi Sugita
    • Journal Title

      言語教育研究

      Volume: 33 Pages: 1-17

    • Related Report
      2022 Research-status Report
  • [Journal Article] Critical Pedagogy for Minority Education: Implications for Heritage Language Education in Japan2022

    • Author(s)
      Sugita Megumi & Park Siwon
    • Journal Title

      The Journal of Kanda University of International Studies

      Volume: 34 Pages: 133-150

    • Related Report
      2021 Research-status Report
    • Open Access
  • [Journal Article] Negotiating Multiple Identities in Heritage Language Learning: Learners of Vietnamese in Higher Education in Japan2020

    • Author(s)
      Megumi Sugita
    • Journal Title

      Studies in Linguistics and Language Teaching

      Volume: 31 Pages: 35-55

    • Related Report
      2020 Research-status Report
    • Open Access
  • [Journal Article] Situating Heritage Language Learners in Japan: Social Identification and Academic Learning2020

    • Author(s)
      Sugita Megumi and Siwon Park
    • Journal Title

      The Journal of Kanda University of International Studies

      Volume: 32 Pages: 1-17

    • NAID

      120006821000

    • Related Report
      2019 Research-status Report
    • Open Access
  • [Presentation] 複言語・複文化主義にもとづく CLILアプローチー学習者をエンパワーする英語授業を目指して―2023

    • Author(s)
      杉田めぐみ
    • Organizer
      横浜国立大学英語教育学会第3回研究会
    • Related Report
      2022 Research-status Report
  • [Presentation] 「継承語」話者の複言語能力とアイデンティティー在日ベトナム系移民2世の言語意識ー2022

    • Author(s)
      杉田めぐみ
    • Organizer
      母語・継承語・バイリンガル教育(MHB)学会2022年度研究大会
    • Related Report
      2022 Research-status Report
  • [Presentation] L2 and L3 Learning and Use by Heritage Language Learners: An Investigation of Multilingual University Students' Identity2021

    • Author(s)
      Sugita Megumi & Park Siwon
    • Organizer
      Multilingual Learning: Policies and Practices (MLPP)
    • Related Report
      2021 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] Identity and Heritage Language Learning: Learners of Vietnamese in Higher Education in Japan2020

    • Author(s)
      Siwon Park and Megumi Sugita
    • Organizer
      The International Conference of Language, Identity & Education in Multilingual Contexts
    • Related Report
      2019 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research

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Published: 2019-04-18   Modified: 2025-01-30  

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