Paper short abstract:

This qualitative study explores how Japanese language teachers acquire the attributes and abilities for their own CDC. Based on the findings from a life course interview with in-service teachers, the study will posit key features of effective professional learning in light of the CDC development.

Paper long abstract:

The primary interest of this study lies in the professional learning and development of the language teacher as practitioner-researcher. Against a background in which the cultivation of Competences for Democratic Culture (CDC) is increasingly debated as a key principle in the context of language education throughout Europe, this study explores how language teachers acquire the attributes and abilities for their own CDC, as well as skills for teaching CDC, through their educational practice, which may be said to constitute the front line of intercultural contact.

In order to obtain descriptive knowledge on the above-mentioned question, the authors carried out qualitative research into the life course of Japanese language teachers. A small number of experienced teachers with various teaching contexts, including primary education for heritage-learners, higher education, and adult-education, were recruited as participants. These teachers were based in western European countries, such as France, Germany, and Italy, and had actively engaged in presenting their knowledge and practice to their peers. The main data used for analysis are the participants' comments elicited through a semi-structured interview with them. A pre-interview questionnaire for the participants' background information, as well as their teaching diary and written accounts of their teaching practice, were also used as supporting data. Through repeated reading and coding, the authors attempted to reveal critical incidents and opportunities that the participants perceived to have effectively contributed to their professional learning development.

The results indicate the following factors might contribute to teachers' professional learning and development: teachers' geographical relocation and their day-to-day experiences as members of linguistic and cultural minority communities; chance meetings that challenge their views on education; the emergence of 'teacher learning communities', triggered by their participation in continuous professional development programmes, during which teachers engage in deeper dialogic learning and reflection. In the presentation, the authors will discuss these findings in the light of teachers' development of their own CDC, and consider approaches to the design of continuous professional development programmes that support their sustainable learning as educators.