2021 Fiscal Year Research-status Report
Japanese Language Education and Multiculturalism in the Context of Postcolonial Theory: Innovative Applications in the Classroom
| Project/Area Number |
21K02294
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| Research Institution | Utsunomiya University |
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Principal Investigator |
戚 傑 宇都宮大学, 国際学部, 教授 (50359585)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2021-04-01 – 2024-03-31
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| Keywords | Multiculturalism / Multicultural education / Postcolonial studies / Pedagogy / JSL / Immigration |
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
The objective of this research project is to investigate the way in which postcolonial theory enables us to problematize Japanese language education for immigrant children in Japanese schools as well as the Japanese conception of multiculturalism. This study examines images and histories of schooling, assimilation, and "otherness" in Japan. This study also illuminates several approaches to rethinking education in Japan with a goal of assisting educational researchers in pursuing avenues not previously explored. The following general questions have served to guide this study: a) How have Japanese government discourses on multiculturalism changed since the 1980s and how do these documents construct the notion of "successful" Japanized foreigners in Japan? b) What are the most useful pedagogies for teaching immigrant children? In particular, the research activities conducted in the first year include: a) tracing and exanimating the path of past notions of multiculturalism as embodied in Japanese political, social, and cultural conditions; b) collecting a large number of texts which describe multiculturalism and Japanese language education for foreigners.
Partial and in progress research outcomes have been published and presented at conferences.
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| Current Status of Research Progress |
Current Status of Research Progress
3: Progress in research has been slightly delayed.
Reason
Although a large number of texts which describe multiculturalism and Japanese language education for foreigners have been collected and critical textual analyses have been carried out, field research, e.g., school visiting, class observations, and interviews were strictly restrained due to the ongoing covid-19 pandemic and travel restrictions.
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| Strategy for Future Research Activity |
Japanese pedagogical analysis will be conducted. Pedagogy is broadly defined as the method and practice of teaching, and refers to theories of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by the social, political, and psychological development of learners. It encompasses teaching styles, teaching theory, feedback and assessment. When people talk about the pedagogy of teaching, they are referring to the way teachers deliver the content of the curriculum to a class. A historical review of the development and changes of Japanese language education for foreigners will be also made. Furthermore, Japanese language class observations and surveys about the evaluation of Japanese government policies toward immigrants will be conducted.
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| Causes of Carryover |
Field research, e.g., school visiting, class observations, and interviews were strictly restrained due to the ongoing covid-19 pandemic and travel restrictions.
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