Cross-National Research of Role of School Teachers and Teaching in Multicultural Society

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K13086
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 09020:Sociology of education-related
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: Takahashi Fumiko 東京大学, 教養学部, 特任講師 (80751544)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 多文化社会 / 移民 / 文化的に適切な指導 / 教員養成 / 多文化教育

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The number of foreign students increases and schools become more multiracial and multicultural. The purpose of this study is to examine how school teachers recognize cultural diversity of the students and how it promotes/inhibits the academic assurance and recognition of culture, and to develop culturally relevant teaching. The results of a survey of public school teachers in Japan revealed that their experiences in teaching foreign-nationality students functioned to promote positive views of their students' cultural diversity, while encouraging them to treat them "the same way" as their Japanese counterparts. In addition, by interviewing teachers, it was possible to depict the ways in which they struggle with their views of cultural diversity, given the lack of resources to deal with multilingual and multicultural students. Based on the results of the study, workshops with teachers will be held in order to discuss how to respond to students' cultural diversity in teaching.

Free Research Field

教育社会学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

外国籍生徒数が増えるなか、文化的に同質な集団を前提とした教育が、外国籍生徒の低学力問題や不適応・排除を生むことが指摘されてきた。こうした問題の背景として、学校制度や文化、家庭の資源などに迫る研究は蓄積されてきたが、一方で教員の役割と指導法にあまり着目してこなかった。本研究の成果は、こうした先行研究の空白を埋めるという点で学術的な意義がある。また、生徒の文化的多様性に応える指導法を確立するために必要な観点や条件を提示できたという点で実践的に意義があり、今後発展・継続させていくことが重要である。