Investigation into the Development and Constraints of Mother Tongue Education for Foreigners in Japan

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21K20174
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: 0108:Sociology and related fields
• Research Institution: University of Tsukuba
• Principal Investigator: Sasaki Yuka 筑波大学, 人文社会系, 研究員 (60907799)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-08-30 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 母語教育 / 移民の子ども / 家族間コミュニケーション / 日本

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study analyzes the development and issues of mother tongue education in Japan through the historical background, ethnic education and reception given to foreigners here. A field survey and questionnaire were conducted to understand the actual situation of original language problems and the needs of immigrant families for mother tongue retention and learning.
The survey results showed that there were differences in attitudes toward the native language, depending on the country of origin. It was also found that many parents expected their children to maintain their mother tongue if their parents' Japanese language skills were insufficient, regardless of their country of origin, or length of stay in Japan. However, since their native language education is limited in Japan, it can be said that in many foreign families, the use of the original language remains within the family and no specific mother tongue education is provided.

Free Research Field

移民研究

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

外国人の子どもに対する母語の役割については、言語教育学やバイリンガル教育学の視点から、母語能力の保持が第二言語習得やアイデンティティの確立に良い効果をもたらすことが指摘されてきた。しかしながら、移民家庭の多様な移住背景を考慮したニーズが十分に把握されてきたとは言いがたい。この点で、本研究では社会科学的な観点から実態調査に基づき、移民の出身国・移住目的・滞日状況・親の日本語能力等と、子どもの母語教育に対する意識との関係性を考察した。また、アンケート調査からは、親子が優勢とする言語が異なる場合、とりわけ進路等を含めた学校関連の話題における親子間コミュニケーションの課題が明らかとなった。