Send message to Author

Paper short abstract:

This presentation considers how the PPLI, a national development project for foreign languages in Ireland, has deeply influenced the motivation of children of Japanese Heritage speakers. This is an example of a country's language policy strongly effecting a group outside the intended target.

Paper long abstract:

　本発表はアイルランドで日本語を学ぶ日本につながる子ども達の日本語学習の動機づけに、現地の言語教育政策が非常に深く影響を及ぼしている事例として、アイルランド中等教育課程における日本語の導入と現地の継承日本語教育の交差する地点を呈示する。

アイルランド共和国（以下、アイルランド）では2001年より中等教育課程において、欧州の言語教育政策の流れを受けた外国語教育推進のプロジェクト、PPLIの一環として日本語が導入された。以来中等教育課程における日本語の履修者は増え続け、2017年現在、中等教育修了試験（Leaving Certificate Examination，リービングサート）の外国語の試験科目として日本語は定着している。一方、アイルランドでは片親を日本人とする子ども達が増加している。日本人の親達は、日本に帰国予定のない子ども達に「なぜ日本語を学ばせるのか」自問しつつ日々子どもの補習校通学をサポートしている。それらの保護者にとっては、子どもの日本語の習熟レベルの目標をどのように設定するかが個々の課題となっている。

　発表者は2012年３月より計６回アイルランドの在留邦人の親子を対象に日本語学習に関する聞き取り調査を実施してきた。日本人の親達からは、子どもを補習校に通学させて日本語を学ばせる理由として「リービングサートの日本語で高得点をとること」が、頻繁に挙げられる。インタビューデータからは現地の言語教育の文脈の中で、アイルランドの青少年を対象に外国語としての日本語科目として始まった日本語教育の導入が、期せずして、いわゆる「継承日本語」話者である日本につながる子ども達やその保護者の日本語学習の動機付けとして大きな影響を与えている様子がうかがわれる。

　ある国の言語教育政策が、直接の「対象者」以外に波及的な効果を及ぼす一例として、アイルランドの事例を示すことが本発表の目的である。

Send message to Authors

Paper short abstract:

Japanese textbooks which presenters are developing give examples to show that it is important not to teach just "essential" and traditional cultures, but also diversities of culture and society in the filed of Japanese language education as a heritage language.

Paper long abstract:

The main purpose and goal of this presentation is to understand the meaning of teaching a Japanese culture as a heritage language, while observing this matter with the Japanese teaching materials that the presenters have developed over the past years.

Kubota (2014)  has stated as follows: "It is necessary to reconsider the meanings of cultural study. It is stated in the situation of diversity and fluidity which were brought by regularly changed society. It is also necessary to overcome the stable end essential cultural view".

Referring to the classroom of Japanese as a heritage language, Shiobara (2014) discussed the situation of a classroom in Australia.

According to him, the founders of the school usually define the essential "Japanese Culture". They try to draw upon their own memories and try to teach  that to their children.

However, Shiobara (2014) analyzes that in this way, these people are implanting "Japaneseness" in their "hybrid children" living in that country.

It is common to try teaching Japanese culture through annual events, such as Tanabata and rice-cake making, or Japanese games (e.g., karuta, fukuwarai, etc…) However, are they all Japanese culture which people should teach in the settings of Japanese language education as a heritage language?

Presenters are developing Japanese language textbooks especially for children living outside Japan. In addition to traditional events, haiku and words playing, textbooks also contain for example information about Japanese dialects.

It is because, as Kubota (2012) said, it is important to teach diversities in the culture. Moreover, put various pictures such as female doctors and football players, male nurses, various family styles and children with different skin and hair colors. These pictures aim for plurilingual and pluricultural children to cherish and understand diversities of themselves and their society.

    It is necessary to continue to think critically what exactly is a Japanese culture and what kind of culture people need to teach in the field of Japanese language education as a heritage language.

Send message to Author

Paper short abstract:

The most popular place to learn heritage language outside the home is a small heritage language education class established by parents. In this presentaｔion, I will take up a small heritage japanese language learning group in Budapest. And I will report the action and the result of this group.

Paper long abstract:

In many countries, the most popular place to learn heritage language outside the home is a small heritage language education class established by parents and volunteers.

The tiny heritage language class adjusts to a specific needs of the children who participate, and can support children on a case-by-case basis.

But since the small heritage class often does not last long, it is not so easy to verify the outcome of the education in such a class.

So, in this presentation, I will take up a small heritage japanese language learning group in Budapest. And from two points, I will report the action and the result of this group through 4 year investigation.

At first I clarify how parents and a teacher tried to help children to establish collaboration and cooperation in a class.

The Children were different in the age and the home environment and the Japanese ability.

Therefore at first parents wrote down about their wish for their child, and from this, a teacher and children set a target. The teacher encourages the children to think and act so that every classmate can achieve their target. Then the teacher provided the opportunity that children can help each other as much as possible.

Second, I concentrate on one student who has very little chance to use (speak) japanese language outside the heritage language learning group. I use the communication between the children in the class as data. And I clarify her communication strategy with her classmate, and from the aspect of vocabulary and the sentence pattern, I clarify the progress of her Japanese language.