Paper short abstract:

As a theoretical study of Japanese language policy for a coexisting society, this presentation collates Japanese policy documents with Council of Europe documents and supplements the "Principles of Dialogue". This reinforces the theoretical foundation of Japanese language education for coexistence.

Paper long abstract:

In response to the increase in the number of foreign residents in Japan, the Japanese government compiled the "Comprehensive Measures for Acceptance and Coexistence of Foreign Nationals" in 2018 and the "Roadmap for the Realization of a Society of Harmonious Coexistence with Foreign Nationals" in 2021, outlining mid- to long-term measures through FY2026. The roadmap outlines three visions of a symbiotic society: "Safe and Comfortable Society," "Diverse and Vibrant Society," and " Society that Respects Individual Dignity and Human Rights," as well as four priority issues, with Japanese language education explicitly identified as " Initiatives such as Japanese language education for smooth communication and participation in society".

In the above trend, "Reference Framework for Japanese Language Education" (2021) referring to CEFR was compiled in Japan, and the "Reference Framework for Japanese Language Education, Companion Volume" referring to CEFR-CV (2020) is now under discussion. The "mediation" and "plurilingual and pluricultural competence" added and reinforced in the CEFR-CV indicate language activities and competencies essential for achieving visions of a coexisting society, and we believe that they will function effectively in realizing these visions. For example, " mediating concepts" describes linguistic activities for collaborative work and collaborative meaning construction, and in "mediating communication," one can find linguistic activities for mediating and managing the discord and conflict that are likely to arise in a multilingual and multicultural environment. These language activities go beyond language education that merely increases "what one can do," and provide guidelines for language education that contributes to the realization of a symbiotic society.

On the other hand, the Council of Europe's tool, which is based on the principles of democracy, human rights, etc., presumes these core values and does not indicate how to agree with those who do not share these values. To provide a more solid foundation for a convivial society, we believe it is necessary to complement the "principle of dialogue" , which allows those with different values to achieve a common ground for a common goal.

Paper short abstract:

The purpose of this presentation is to present the philosophy and practice of 'Eidetic seeing' as a practical example of 'Japanese language education for an inclusive society' to Japanese language teachers living in Europe, together with easy-to-understand concrete examples.

Paper long abstract:

The purpose of this presentation is to examine the question "What is the goal of Japanese language education in an inclusive society?" from a practical perspective in the field of Japanese language education. The presenter, together with two researchers in the fields of philosophy of education and philosophy of education, is currently working on a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (KAKENHI) research project on what can Japanese language education do to form the citizenship in an inclusive society, through practical activities of phenomenological dialogue. What kind of Japanese language education practices are necessary to realise an 'inclusive society' in which people with different linguistic and cultural backgrounds and different values can live together? The presenter posits the principles of phenomenology as the foundational principles of an inclusive society, and explores this from both theoretical and practical perspectives. As part of this research, the presenter is organising a workshop on the phenomenological method of philosophical dialogue 'Eidetic Seeing' (a method of gaining insight into the central meaning of concepts and things) for learners from different cultural backgrounds and teachers involved in the practice of Japanese language/linguistic education, in Japan and abroad. In the workshop, a single vocabulary word, a concept of common interest to the participants (e.g. freedom, justice, etc.), is chosen as the topic of dialogue, the question "What is '00'?" is asked, and the participants mobilise all their experience and knowledge to come up with a definition of the word that is acceptable to everyone. In the process, they realise the differences in their values and try to build consensus towards a common understanding. Through such participatory dialogue workshops, the project presents not only abstract theory building, but also concrete and practical ways of dialogue.

In this presentation, the dialogue practice of 'eidetic seeing' in the field of Japanese language education and inherited language education, which was practised in a certain European country as part of this Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research project, will be presented as a case study.

Paper short abstract:

The "methodological turn" has gained significant attention in recent years. As a result, in this presentation, I will give a theoretical discussion of paradigms in methodology through a literature review.

Paper long abstract:

The world of the 21st century is undergoing rapid transformation, and people are becoming increasingly mobile. It is vital to question the ideas of language teaching and learning, culture, and coexistence and perceive a complex world from a new perspective. Hence, the "methodological turn" has gained significant attention in recent years due to the study methodology (Phakiti et al. 2018). The methodology is not the only approach but also includes the philosophical worldview of the study, namely paradigm. According to Guba (1990), a paradigm is " a basic set of beliefs that guides action", and we think that by reflecting on paradigms, researchers might explore novel ways to understand this complicated world.

In the field of Japanese language education, there are some discussions of methods, but they are not active discussions of methodologies. Hence, through a survey of the literature, I will provide a theoretical explanation of paradigms in technique in this session. I performed a survey of 532 articles published in major academic journals associated with Japanese language education regarding research methods. One of the questions about was the paradigm of research methods. As a consequence, paradigm descriptions were found in 24 out of a total of 532 articles (or around 4.5%). The terms were divided into "positivism" and "social constructionism. Based on the survey results, theoretical arguments will be made in this presentation about (1) the role of paradigms in research and (2) the connection between paradigms and language education research.

Guba. E. (1990). The Paradigm dialog: Newbury Park, Calif. Sage Publications.

Phakiti, A., DeCosta, P., Plonsky, L., & Starfield, S.（Eds.）（2018）. The Palgrave handbook of applied linguistics research methodology. London: Palgrave Macmillan.