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This presentation aims to examine the historical development and current situation of Japanese language education in Poland, drawing on interviews with people, fifteen years of leadership in the Polish Association of Japanese Language Teachers, and the lessons learned through my own management of a language school. It seeks to identify key factors behind this development and to outline future challenges and prospects.

Japanese studies remain highly popular in Poland, with the University of Warsaw reporting an applicant-to-place ratio exceeding 30:1, the highest nationwide in 2006 and consistently maintained in recent years. Polish recipients of the Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship also rank among the highest from non-kanji regions, reaching a global peak in 2014 alongside China.

The presentation consists of three parts. First, it traces the historical formation of Japanese language education, from its beginnings at the Oriental Institute to the establishment and expansion of Japanese studies programs across major universities, while considering the influence of historical events on Polish interest in Japan. Second, it analyzes the current situation, including institutions, learner numbers, JLPT administration, and professional activities. Third, it proposes future directions, emphasizing the role of the Polish Association of Japanese Language Teachers and strategies for sustainable development.

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This presentation examines the educational significance of classroom practices that engage with historical memory through film materials in a co-learning setting at a German university, where local learners of Japanese and exchange students from Japan study together. As different cultural backgrounds and understandings of history intersect, differences in how the same events are perceived become visible, giving rise to dialogue in which learners explain their perspectives to one another.

The course used three documentary films—Nuclear Nation, The Ants, and Minamata: The Victims and Their World—to explore different forms of memory: victimhood, perpetration, and the difficulty of understanding. In particular, in the Minamata class, students watched the film without subtitles. While some commented that “I could not really understand what the speaker was saying,” others noted that “even without understanding the words, the pain and suffering were conveyed.” Furthermore, a native Japanese-speaking student remarked that they were “able to learn on an equal footing,” suggesting that sharing “not understanding” transformed relationships among learners.

Through such dialogue, learners did not arrive at a single fixed interpretation but instead reconsidered their understanding by engaging with others’ perspectives. Across the three practices, three common features were observed: (a) an attempt to approach voices that are difficult to articulate, (b) an attitude of remaining with what cannot be fully understood, and (c) dialogue in which learners from different positions negotiate meaning. This process can be understood in relation to the concept of mediation in the CEFR and is closely connected to the domains of cognition and culture in CLIL. Moreover, film enables past events to emerge as present concerns. This presentation thus highlights the theoretical significance of such practices and argues for the potential of Japanese language education in which teachers mediate between different voices by incorporating diverse “media of memory.”

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This study employed an ethnographic approach to explore how competence emerges in Japanese workplaces where foreigners are employed. It examined how the participants made use of various resources available in the workplace to co-construct interaction and build new relationships. Focusing on the everyday practice of “taking photos together,” this presentation highlights how such a seemingly simple act reveals the dynamics of collaboration and inclusion.

As its theoretical framework, the study draws on metrolingualism (Pennycook A, ＆ Otsuji E, 2015). Traditional perspectives have tended to regard “language” and “linguistic competence” as possessions of individuals—abilities inherently owned by and internal to the person (Hall 1995). In contrast, metrolingualism conceptualizes language and competence not as given entities, but as phenomena that emerge through participants’ interactional engagement with linguistic, material, and relational resources configured within a particular setting. Following this perspective, the present study focuses on how “language” and “competence” arise in interaction and provides a detailed description of workplace exchanges. This reconceptualization challenges individualistic models of competence dominant in applied linguistics.

To further analyse the use of digital devices in photo-taking practices, this study incorporates the concept of miniaturized mobilities (Elliott A, ＆Urry J, 2010) .

Based on analyses of field notes, video-recorded data, and interview data, the findings reveal that workplace members collaboratively mobilize the functions of digital devices such as smartphones, along with other spatial and social resources, to construct relationships. Moreover, the act of taking photos and the social norms surrounding it serve as additional resources for negotiating identity and belonging, particularly for foreign employees.

This study contributes to the rethinking of competence, not as an individual attribute but as an emergent, interactional, and socially situated practice. It further deepens the understanding of competence within the framework of multilingualism and multiculturalism.

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References

Elliott, A., & Urry, J. (2010). Mobile Lives. Routledge

Hall, J. K. (1995). (Re)creating Our Worlds with Words: A Sociohistorical Perspective of Face-to-Face Interaction. Applied Linguistics, 16, 206-232

Pennycook, A. & Otsuji, E. (2015). Metrolingualism: Language in the city. Routledge

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This presentation examines the potential of learning beyond linguistic boundaries by focusing on “collaborative extensive reading” (kyōshū tadoku), in which Japanese students and learners of Japanese (international students) participate together. Building on practices of extensive reading and Book Talk implemented at a Japanese university, the study explores their implications for Japanese language education. While extensive reading and Book Talk have also been increasingly practiced in Japanese language education, the perspective of collaborative learning, in which learners with different linguistic backgrounds learn together, has not been sufficiently examined.

In this study, students engaged in extensive reading using easy texts, followed by small-group Book Talk sessions in which they shared their reading experiences. Questionnaire data and open-ended responses from these classroom practices were analyzed. The results indicate that (1) the combination of easy books and dialogic interaction reduces learners’ psychological burden associated with speaking, and (2) using reading experiences as a basis for discussion provides opportunities for initiating communication and enhances learners’ Willingness to Communicate (WTC). Based on these findings, the study implemented collaborative extensive reading as the central practice.

In the collaborative extensive reading classes, learners of Japanese joined English classes for Japanese students, and they engaged together in extensive reading and dialogic activities. This arrangement created a situation in which both groups participated as second language users, thereby mitigating the asymmetry between native and non-native speakers and fostering a more equal environment for interaction. In Book Talk sessions, Japanese students were encouraged to use English, while learners of Japanese were encouraged to use Japanese, with flexible language switching allowed as needed. As a result, flexible communication prioritizing mutual understanding was observed.

These findings suggest that collaborative extensive reading can reconstruct relationships among learners through shared reading experiences and promote dialogic learning. This presentation argues that collaborative learning based on extensive reading and Book Talk can function across linguistic boundaries and offers practical implications for Japanese language education in European contexts, where Japanese exchange students can be incorporated into classroom practices.

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References

八島智子（2019）『外国語学習とコミュニケーションの心理』関西大学出版部．

Day, R. R., & Bamford, J. (1998). Extensive Reading in the Second Language Classroom. Cambridge University Press.

Mikhail Bakhtin (1981). The Dialogic Imagination: Four Essays. University of Texas Press.

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This paper argues for pedagogical integration between Concept-based Language Instruction (C-BLI) and the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages – Companion Volume (CEFR-CV) through classroom-based practice focusing on Japanese motion verbs. Both share a learner-centred view of language development, conceptualizing learners as social agents who expand their linguistic repertoires through meaningful use. C-BLI (Gal’perin, 1992), grounded in Sociocultural Theory and Cognitive Linguistics, emphasizes the internalization of conceptual meanings underlying language use (Poehner & Lantolf, 2024; Masuda et al., 2025; Masuda (ed.), forthcoming). Learning is supported through mediational tools—SCOBAs (Schematic Cognitive Orienting Bases for Action) and languaging—which enable learners to visualize, verbalize, and reconstruct conceptual linguistic knowledge. This approach aligns with CEFR-CV’s emphasis on mediation as a key communicative activity involving the co-construction and transformation of meaning in multilingual contexts (Sakurai & Okumura, 2024; Piccardo et al., 2019). The pedagogical practice focuses on Japanese motion verbs iku ‘go’ and kuru ‘come’, which pose challenges for L2 learners due to reliance on L1 influence, which prefers objective construal, rather than subjective construal (Yamamoto 2009). Implemented in an intensive online summer course at a U.S. university with intermediate learners from diverse linguistic backgrounds, the instruction employed SCOBAs, including animated visualizations of directionality and speaker-cantered perspective. Activities extended from basic motion verbs to auxiliary constructions (–te iku / –te kuru) and conventional expressions, integrating grammatical concepts with discourse and sociocultural practices. Through written languaging, learners demonstrated their understanding, supporting self-regulation and meaningful self-correction. Findings indicate that learners developed awareness of speaker perspective and the temporal meanings of auxiliary constructions (–te iku / –te kuru), deepening conceptual understanding through reflection. Instruction was adaptively sequenced from comprehension to production, and learners’ emerging self-regulation points to the potential development of mediation abilities within CEFR-CV’s social agent framework.

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References

Gal’perin, Piotr. I (1992). Stage-by-stage formation as a method of psychological investigation. Journal of Russian and East

European Psychology 30(4): 60-80.

Piccardo, Enrica, Brian North, and Tom Goodier. (2019). Broadening the scope of language education: Mediation, Plurilingualism,

and collaborative learning: The CEFR companion volume. Journal of e-learning and Knowledge Society 15(1): 17–36.

増田恭子（編）（印刷中）「コンセプトベースの言語教育―日本語教育への応用と可能性―」ひつじ書房

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This study builds on a previously developed escape-room–style learning environment in the 3D virtual world Second Life designed to teach Japanese transitive–intransitive verb alternations, and extends it by introducing voice-based interaction with an AI agent. From a concept-based instruction perspective, the study examines the cognitive and interactional effects of replacing one human interlocutor with an AI agent. Following Yamada’s argument that transitive verb selection depends not on the agent’s intention but on learners’ awareness of agent involvement, the virtual environment visually foregrounds the relationship among agent, object, and resulting state.

Previously, learners engaged in collaborative dialogue with one another to confirm states and issue operational instructions; however, the requirement of simultaneous participation limited opportunities for practice. To address this constraint, the present study replaces one interlocutor with an AI agent and constructs an environment in which learners perform instructions and confirmations through voice input. In this design, when an object is clicked, its state is automatically presented using an intransitive verb, whereas transitive verb use is realized only through agent-initiated request expressions. This mechanism serves to highlight the functional distinction between transitive and intransitive verbs in a systematic way. As a result, the introduction of voice input reduces breakdowns in interaction caused by typographical errors during text entry and allows for more continuous dialogue. At the same time, learners are observed engaging in a process of meaning-making in which they interpret their own utterances by cross-referencing them with situational information in the virtual environment. On the other hand, several challenges emerge, including how to handle non-prototypical yet semantically appropriate expressions and how to design forms of interactional negotiation in dialogue with an AI agent. This presentation analyzes think-aloud protocols to examine how AI-mediated interaction influences learners’ conceptualization of transitive–intransitive distinctions and the quality of their interactional practices.

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References

山田隼人（2020）

「日本語教育における他動詞の捉え方の問題と教育上の提言」

『 高等教育推進センター紀要』第5号，pp. 21-34.

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This presentation reports on the development of teaching materials and an evaluation of their effectiveness, with the aim of supporting the stable continuation of optional Japanese courses outside the core curriculum in secondary education in Spain.

Previous research on Japanese language education at the secondary level in Europe includes examples of material development; however, studies focusing on optional courses outside the core curriculum—characterised by limited instructional time and no direct links to examinations or qualifications—remain scarce. Few studies have examined such courses from the perspective of sustainability.

Japanese language education at the secondary level in Spain is still at an early stage and is mainly offered as an optional subject. While this allows flexible implementation, the lack of a unified curriculum, shared materials, and clear teacher requirements, together with limited teaching practice, places a considerable burden on teachers and makes stable course operation difficult.

In response, the presenters developed teaching materials adapted to the local context, focusing on factors affecting course continuity. A questionnaire survey was conducted with teachers who used the materials, examining workload, ease of using the first language, and students’ willingness to continue learning.

The results indicate that the materials reduce teachers’ workload and that visual and audio elements, together with every day-related topic, help stimulate students’ interest. At the same time, variation was observed in evaluations of students’ sense of achievement, and challenges were identified, including the amount of content per unit and the need for more writing activities. The findings also highlight the importance of practical teacher support, such as guidance on lesson procedures and model course designs. Future revisions should incorporate student feedback and further examination of learning outcomes.

This study positions teaching materials not only as tools for supporting teachers but also as a key factor in sustaining optional Japanese courses, offering insights for their introduction and continuation.

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References

大舩ちさと・平川俊助・関根千紘(2025). 「海外の中等教育段階における日本語教育支援策の策定手法に関する一考察―スペインと英国の事例を基に―」『2025年度日本語教育学会春季大会予稿集』, pp.140-145. 日本語教育学会.

国際交流基金(2023). 「スペイン（2023年度）」『日本語教育国・地域別情報』, https://www.jpf.go.jp/j/project/japanese/survey/area/country/2023/spain.pdf（2026年12月1日）

平川俊助・関根千紘（2026）「スペイン中等教育を対象とする日本語教材の開発」『スペイン日本語教師会ジャーナル』2, pp.133-144.

Gobierno de España. (2022). Real Decreto 217/2022, de 29 de marzo, por el que se establece la ordenación y las enseñanzas mínimas de la Educación Secundaria Obligatoria. Boletín Oficial del Estado, 76, 41004–41178. https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-2022-4975（2025年6月15日）

Sangthongsuk, P., Miura, T., Takei, Y., & Takatsuka, N. (2013). Koharu to issho ni nihongo waai 1. TPA Press.

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I believe that the role of a Japanese language teacher – regardless of whether they are a native or non-native speaker – is to continue learning while teaching and to encourage learner autonomy. To fulfil this role, I have been implementing kanji-related projects since 2020, one of which is the 2024 3D Kanji Project, with promising results.

The 3D Kanji Project (hereafter 3DKP) began in February 2024 as an attempt to help first-year students from non-kanji-using backgrounds enjoyably memorize kanji, an area they often find particularly challenging. Specifically, to make kanji easier to remember, we used materials such as knitting, paper, wood, silicone and metal to create three-dimensional representations of the characters. This approach makes them more visually memorable.

The objectives of this project are to maintain or increase learner motivation, improve Japanese language proficiency and increase participation in and pass rates for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT). In addition, the project aims to contribute to society. In this presentation, I will introduce the goals, participants, format, content, characteristics and meeting frequency of the 3DKP in more detail.

Furthermore, I will analyse the results of a survey conducted among students regarding this project. I will examine how the project was effectively implemented by non-native Japanese speakers, how it can be approached both inside and outside the classroom, which aspects need improvement, and how those improvements can be made.

We held exhibitions based on the 3DKP, entitled “Let’s Have Fun Learning Kanji!”, at our university hall – the first on October 31, 2024, and the second on November 11, 2025. Through these exhibitions, we shared the beauty of the Japanese language and kanji not only with Japanese Studies students but also with students from other majors.

Finally, I will outline several benefits of involving students in project-based learning and emphasize the importance of “growing together with learners”. This perspective is based on the idea that teachers should also be hands-on, and that “making things and developing people” (monozukuri and hitozukuri) begins with small steps.

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Paper long abstract

Data-Driven Learning (DDL) is an approach in which learners inductively discover linguistic features by examining corpus data (Johns, 1991). While DDL has been shown to promote discovery learning and learner autonomy, previous studies have also pointed out several obstacles to its implementation, including the need for training and teacher support, the difficulty of understanding corpus examples, and the considerable time required for analysis (Lusta, Demirel, & Mohammadzadeh, 2023). As a result, DDL has not yet been widely adopted.

One way to address the difficulty of corpus examples is to use learner corpora. The research group has developed Hagoromo, a database of example sentences for function words designed to support grammar instruction. By incorporating both correct and incorrect examples extracted from learner corpora, the group has explored ways to extend this resource for use in DDL. Sentences produced by learners tend to be easier for other learners to understand and often share common points of misuse. Previous research has reported that learners refer to peer-produced examples more than native-speaker examples when creating their own sentences (Hori, 2019).

Until now, the extraction of examples from learner corpora has been carried out manually, and identifying grammatical correctness, causes of errors, and alternative expressions has required substantial effort. To improve efficiency, generative AI was used to judge correctness and identify causes of misuse, followed by human verification. This approach significantly reduced the workload involved in example extraction.

The AI-based judgments were found to be accurate in over 83% of cases. However, some inaccurate judgments were observed, such as failures to identify errors related to differences in perspective caused by transitive and intransitive verb constructions, as in the following example using sura:

Te o kizutsukete, kaku koto sura dekinai. (“I injured my hand and cannot even write.”)

In future work, careful human review will be combined with AI assistance to further expand learner-corpus-based examples.

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References

堀恵子(2019)「機能語ウェブツールを使った自律的文法学習の効果」『ヨーロッパ日本語教育』24, 568-579. https://eaje.eu/pdfdownload/pdfdownload.php?index=586-597&filename=koto-hori.pdf&p=belgrade

Johns, T. (1991). Should You Be Persuaded: Two Examples of Data-Driven Learning Materials. English Language Research Journal, 4, 1-16.

Lusta, A., Demirel, Ö., & Mohammadzadeh, B. (2023)Language corpus and data-driven learning (DDL) in language classrooms: A systematic review. Heliyon 9(2):e22731 DOI:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e22731

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Paper long abstract

This presentation examines the educational significance of a reading project in which Japanese language learners and native speakers read literary texts together, with the aim of deepening their literary understanding. Having both groups engage with the same text makes it possible to illuminate how interpretations vary depending on cultural background and personal experience, thereby broadening perspectives. This presentation focuses on students residing in Japan and reports the results of an analysis of their submitted work, including reflective essays.

Participants included Japanese language learners at a German university, Japan-based exchange students, and native Japanese students. They read Hiromi Kawakami’s “Yashi no Mi “as a common text. In preliminary class-based discussions, memorable scenes were largely shared across groups, but participants also recognized variation in how family relationships were interpreted. Building on this, an online joint session—conducted with a learner-centred approach in which the teachers refrained from leading the discussion—was held to enable students to compare their interpretations with those of peers from different backgrounds.

The data indicated that both learners and native speakers frequently became aware of perspectives and interpretations different from their initial ones through hearing others’ views. Statements such as “I initially interpreted his behaviours as rebellion but now recognize finncial motives” illustrate processes of meaning reconstruction through dialogue. Participants also expressed surprise at the number of shared interpretations, suggesting that whether participants had siblings and how they related to their families played a greater role than cultural background.

At the same time, the pressure to speak Japanese on the spot was burdensome for some participants, occasionally prompting native Japanese participants to take mediating roles. These observations highlight the need for preparatory scaffolding and topic selection tailored to varying proficiency levels. A related practice involving native speakers and learners reading together is reported by Inoue and Den (2025), and the present project can be viewed as one case study tested within a different instructional design.

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References

井上博文・傳玉香（2025）「対面授業による海外大学日本語学科学生と日本人学生との協働的読解活動ー日本国国語教科書教材『おにたのぼうし』を読むー」『グローバルセンター年報』29,16-25.大阪教育大学グローバルセンター．

川上弘美（2006）『椰子の実』新潮文庫（『ざらざら』所収）

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Paper long abstract

This presentation explores how literature can help develop creativity in productive activities in Japanese language learning. It reports the results of a classroom-based study and compares the data obtained.

The study focuses on CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning), an approach based on the CEFR. CLIL encourages productive activities that promote creativity (Watanabe, 2012). In earlier research, I developed CLIL-style Japanese teaching materials using literature and conducted a practical study (Yamade, 2022), limiting the materials to excerpts from novels and short stories.

In this study, those materials were revised by replacing the excerpts from novels with those from manga. A similar classroom study was then carried out, and the results were compared with the previous findings. While earlier studies have noted the research on using novels in Japanese language education (Ikeda, 2004; Yamade, 2022) is quite limited, research on manga has increased in recent years (Kurosaki, 2008; Ikeda, 2026, etc.). I believe that this makes a comparison between research using the two different literary genres especially meaningful.

The results show that the type of literary material used in CLIL-based productive activities—novels or manga—leads learners to different insights and supports their learning in different ways. At the same time, both types of literature were found to help foster creativity.

These findings suggest that using literature in Japanese language education, whether novels or manga, can play an important role in promoting creativity and supporting intercultural understanding in today’s multicultural society.

References

池田拓郎他（2026）「漫画を活かした小中学生向け日本語学習教材の開発—子どもがワクワクする学習をつくることを目指して―」

　　　　『子どもの日本語教育研究会第11回大会予稿集』

黒崎亜美（2004）「上級におけるマンガを用いた産出能力を伸ばす授業の試み」『平成20年度日本語学校教育研究大会予稿集』

　　　　pp.73-76.

山出裕子（2022）「文学を用いた日本語教育の実践研究とその分析―コミュニケーション重視の言語教育における文学の役割―」

　　　　『日本大学大学院総合社会情報研究科紀要』23-1, pp.73-82.

Paper long abstract

Recently, the number of institutions offering Japanese language programs in Poland has increased. The University of Gdańsk, where I work, is one such institution; in 2019 it established Eastern Studies, where students study Russian and Japanese concurrently, followed by Japanese Studies in 2023. Although the number of Japanese class hours is limited, students in Eastern Studies show just as much enthusiasm for learning Japanese as those in Japanese Studies. At the same time, it cannot be denied that this limited class time poses a challenge.

I’d like to report on activities we are undertaking to efficiently improve Japanese language proficiency and acquire more practical communication skills within the limited time available.

The focus is on activities designed to develop the “ability to convey one’s opinions to others,” which is crucial for practical language learning. I’ll introduce practical examples divided into three categories: the ability to convey through a. writing, b. speaking, and c. presentations in front of a large audience. For example, in category a, students write articles about their home country that they wish to share with Japanese people, and by publishing these as a Japanese-language newspaper online, they develop the ability to clearly convey the appeal of their country. In category b, we utilize an online system to collaborate with a partner university and organize exchange meetings between students. By talking about daily life and hobbies with Japanese students of the same age with whom they rarely interact otherwise, students learn to maintain dialogue and engage in natural conversation. Regarding c, students present their graduation theses in classes during the third year. By speaking about the theses they wrote at the culmination of their three years at university using presentation materials, they realize they have become capable of conveying specialized topics. At the same time, through peer evaluation, they help compensate for each other’s shortcomings.

Through these activities, students have gained confidence in expressing their opinions and emotions in Japanese. Meanwhile, for teachers, listening to students’ voices serves as an opportunity to reexamine their own knowledge of Japan and absorb new information.

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References

飯野令子・スプリスガルト友美（2025）「グダニスク大学の日本語教育における常磐大学交換留学生プログラムの役割―両大学の連携の視点から―」『常磐大学人間科学部紀要』第43巻第1号, pp.21-34.

坂口昌子・村山弘太朗（2018）「日本語コミュニケーション力を高める授業実践－日本人高校生と外国人日本語学習者の協働学習から－」『京都外国語大学研究論叢』90, pp.153-164.

許 明子・金 東奎・姚 艷玲（2014）「中級レベルの日本語学習者のコミュニケーション能力の現状とニーズ : 日本・中国・韓国の学習者を対象とした調査と実践を通して」『筑波大学留学生センター日本語教育論集』29, pp.1-17.

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Recent work on identity in Japanese language education has increasingly emphasized learner agency. In the context of children with diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds in Japan, this shift has encouraged educators to move beyond viewing learners as passive recipients of support and instead recognize them as active participants who make choices and take action. However, this emphasis on agency may overlook how learners are positioned within social relationships and how their participation is enabled or constrained; that is, the dimension of subjectivity.

This presentation explores the possibilities and limitations of identity-oriented research by analyzing reflections from teachers and support staff who participated in an online professional development program focused on identity. The findings suggest that narratives shared by a guest speaker with lived experience prompted participants to reconsider the concept of identity in relation to concrete classroom realities. In particular, children’s silence or avoidance of speaking came to be understood not as a matter of personality or motivation, but as shaped by evaluation practices and norms that presuppose Japanese language use. Participants also reflected critically on their own positions, indicating shifts in how they understood learner subjectivity.

At the same time, these shifts in understanding did not readily translate into changes in practice. Participants’ insights tended to remain at the level of attitudes, such as “being supportive” or “affirming learners,” while lesson design and assessment practices were perceived as difficult to change.

These findings suggest that professional development combining personal narratives with dialogic engagement can foster new ways of understanding learner identity in relation to social contexts. However, they also highlight the need to examine how such conceptual shifts can be enacted in practice, and what kinds of professional learning environments are required to support this process.

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References

Norton, B. (2013). Identity and Language Learning: Extending the Conversation (2nd ed.). Multilingual Matters.

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This paper reports on a pedagogical practice at a weekend heritage Japanese language school in France, shifting from teacher-led to learner-centered kanji learning for secondary students. To enhance retention through active learning, a process was designed to foster autonomous expression by integrating three elements: “Personalization” (Kawaguchi), “Dialogic Activity” (Hosokawa), and “Educational Translanguaging” (TL) (Cummins).

While research exists on heritage schools in Australia and learners with kanji backgrounds, few studies explore integrating TL into personalized writing instruction for kanji learning in non-kanji-background European contexts. Therein lies the significance of this practice.

The theme “Freedom” was introduced to foster democratic citizenship. Students extracted vocabulary based on their experiences, with conceptualization in French permitted for abstract terms difficult to express in Japanese. Subsequently, bilingual dialogic activities (TL) were conducted to deepen thinking and promote diverse perspectives. This critical awareness was visualized through “Kanji Vocabulary Maps” to organize logical structures before the writing task, enabling students to connect deep thinking in their dominant language (French) with target Japanese vocabulary.

The analysis examines how abstract concepts formed in French through TL were relexicalized into Japanese kanji. Based on personalized essays, a descriptive analysis investigates the correspondence between French concepts used during dialogic activities on civic inquiries and the kanji vocabulary that materialized in final texts. The study aims to capture vocabulary selection driven by intrinsic motivation and the process through which learners articulate abstract concepts by drawing on their own interests and experiences.

References　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 　川口義一（2016）『もう教科書は怖くない！日本語教師のための初級文法・文型完全「文脈化」・「個人化」アイディアブック第1巻』

細川英雄（2021）『自分の＜ことば＞をつくる』

ジム・カミンズ（2025）『バイリンガル・マルチリンガルの子どもと教育の未来』

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Recently, serious conflicts have erupted in various regions, including Ukraine and the Middle East, creating a global climate in which new confrontations may happen at any moment. After European integration, the CEFR was developed as a reference framework for language education that would enable citizens to live together. However, Europe faced a series of crises, including the large-scale arrival of refugees and migrants from outside Europe and a succession of terrorist attacks. These challenges prompted the development of the CEFR-CV, which strengthens descriptors related to mediation and interaction competences, and the RFCDC, which places emphasis on democratic citizenship. For language educators to contribute today's world, it is essential to engage in language education for peace. Yet the CEFR is limited in its treatment of citizenship education, and the RFCDC is not explicit about the linguistic competences required. To bridge this gap, it is necessary to identify the linguistic competences essential to democratic culture within the RFCDC and to develop them into a reference framework for peace-oriented language education.

Yamamoto (2021) analysed all descriptors of the RFCDC to identify the (pluri)lingual competences required of citizens who sustain a "democratic culture." He extracted 116 descriptors, including 98 relating to skills, 13 to knowledge and critical understanding, 3 to attitudes, and 2 to values, revealing the predominance of skills. However, her categorisation relied on subjective interpretation, leaving the analysis insufficiently objective.

The present study first extracted keywords considered relevant to linguistic competence and identified descriptors containing them. Each descriptor was then examined to determine whether linguistic competence was actually required. The results show that descriptors requiring a high degree of linguistic competence follow a pattern similar to Yamamoto's findings—14 skills, 8 knowledge areas, 6 values, and no attitudes—but when descriptors requiring less linguistic competence were included, the distribution changed considerably: 37 knowledge areas, 34 skills, 14 values and 4 attitudes. Building upon these findings, future research will incorporated analysis from the CEFR to deepen the discussion and contribute to the crafting of a reference framework for peace-oriented language education.

(Word count for the Body part: 338 words)

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References

Yamamoto, S. (2021)「「民主的な文化」を担う市民の言語能力とは―RFCDCに描かれたもの」The 24th AJE Symposium

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In recent years, with the increase in immigration, the concept of multicultural coexistence has come under scrutiny in various countries. Europe is certainly no exception, and neither is Japan. Multicultural coexistence means that people of different nationalities and ethnicities recognize each other's cultural differences, build equal relationships, and foster a successful society. Yamanishi (2013) argues that the approach to Japanese language education must be reconsidered in the light of the needs of learners and Japanese language support providers, the social circumstances surrounding them, and the principles and challenges of multicultural coexistence. This paper examines how multicultural coexistence can be achieved through cross-cultural understanding.

Since 2017, the author has been involved in research on Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL). Through this work, the author has witnessed the importance of facilitation (Tsujii & Nakanishi, 2021), the shift from teacher-centered to learner-centered meetings, and the emergence of interest in social issues among both learners and Japanese collaborators. This experience has reinforced the author's conviction that intercultural understanding is crucial in language education. Drawing upon research from 2017 to the present, this paper aims to describe how learners and teachers have benefited from their mutual interaction.

The research subjects comprised approximately 10 Portuguese learners of Japanese at beginner to intermediate levels. Over several years, with the cooperation of Japanese participants, they conducted regular COIL meetings and language exchanges. While Zoom was used for the meetings, Padlet (an online bulletin board) was also employed to enable learners and Japanese participants to freely exchange opinions. Analysis was subsequently conducted based on questionnaires and interviews. The research was conducted over four phases and progression through each phase enabled learners to develop collaborative learning skills, cultivate a sense of responsibility, develop leadership qualities, and ultimately foster an attitude of engaging with social issues and contributing to society. Furthermore, I intend to demonstrate how teachers themselves have learned through interactions with learners and Japanese collaborators. Ultimately, I will examine how the mutual development of both learners and teachers can contribute to multicultural coexistence.　

(Word count for the Body part: 334 words)

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References

山西優二（2013）「エンパワーメントの視点から見た日本語教育―多文化共生に向けて―」『日本語教育』155号p.5-19.

辻井さとみ・中西久実子（2021）「COILにおける複合的ファシリテーションの有効性―複言語能力・複文化能力を培うCOIL―」『第24回ヨーロッパ日本語教育シンポジウム』25, pp.398-409，ヨーロッパ日本語教師会.

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This presentation examines the interactive process between teachers and learners within a Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) project involving advanced Japanese language learners at a private university in the United States and English language learners in Japan. Working in mixed teams, the students utilized both English and Japanese to plan and manage the event aimed at contributing to the Japanese-speaking community. Through these collaborative activities, learners engaged in repeated dialogue, deepening mutual understanding and forming a community that fostered agency and citizenship.

This study adopts the Community of Inquiry (CoI) model (Garrison, Anderson, & Archer, 2000) as a conceptual framework to analyze the collaborative process and the role of the instructors. The CoI model posits that deep learning emerges through the interaction of three elements: teaching presence, social presence, and cognitive presence. Social presence, which involves building relationships among learners, is inextricably linked to cognitive presence, the deepening of understanding and inquiry. Teaching presence encompasses the instructor’s roles in instructional design, facilitating discourse, and direct instruction.

In this project, the instructors respected the learners' autonomy by delegating the management of activities while simultaneously maintaining motivation and adjusting the project's direction. This required instructors to constantly navigate the balance between "delegating" and "supporting." It was necessary to design an environment where learners felt safe to trust one another, engage in meaningful exchange, and deepen their inquiry into the tasks. These dynamics were analyzed qualitatively using learner interactions, reports, and shared documents between the U.S. and Japanese instructors.

By clarifying the process of community formation among students across national and regional boundaries, this study highlights the importance of instructors evolving from "teachers" into "partners" who learn alongside students and facilitate their growth. Ultimately, this research provides a perspective for reimagining the future of international exchange practices.

(Word count for the Body part: 294 words)

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References

Garrison, D. R., Anderson, T., & Archer, W. (2000). Critical inquiry in a text-based environment. The Internet and Higher Education, 2(2–3), 87–105.

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Paper long abstract

This study focuses on plurilingual and pluricultural competence as presented in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), published in 2001 by the Council of Europe. According to the CEFR, this competence enhances learners’ awareness of language and communication and promotes the development of metacognitive strategies, thereby enabling learners to regulate their own abilities more consciously. Furthermore, instruction that supports the development of this competence is considered to contribute to the formation of learners’ linguistic and cultural identities as well as to the development of their learning abilities (p.134). Against this background, this study addresses the following two questions: how learners actually utilize plurilingual and pluricultural competence, and how such utilization influences the formation of their identities.

In this study, unstructured interviews were conducted with advanced learners of Japanese who have experience studying in Japan, and the transcribed data were used for analysis. The analysis employs Ueno-shiki Shitsuteki Bunseki-hō (Ueno, 2018), a qualitative analysis method developed as an extension of the KJ method. This method aims to reveal latent structures within the data by first decontextualizing and then recontextualizing them.

This presentation reports the results of a case analysis focusing on one interview participant. The analysis identified structures related to the use of plurilingual and pluricultural competence and the formation of identity. These structures illustrate how the participant perceives each language and utilizes them in daily life and learning, as well as the participant’s beliefs about identity and their active engagement with their own identity. Based on these findings, the presentation further discusses the relationship between plurilingual and pluricultural competence and identity formation .Future research will analyze the remaining interview data using the same method and deepen the discussion.

(Word count for the Body part: 281 words)

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References

上野千鶴子（2018）『情報生産者になる』ちくま書房．

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Paper long abstract

This study demonstrates that "disaster-related condolences"—frequently employed expressions—occur within the context of "reru-honorifics," which are regarded as a form of light honorifics.

Regarding "reru-honorifics," Sugo (2024) analyzed examples from the Balanced Corpus of Contemporary Written Japanese (BCCWJ), reporting their frequent use in relative clauses modifying people and when referring to disasters or accidents. Therefore, this study aims to explore trends and shifts in usage within actual contexts and to gain pedagogical insights into teaching "reru-honorifics" by extracting examples such as "those affected by the disaster," "those involved in an accident," and "those who suffered damage" from the Asahi Shimbun Cross Search database.

More than one thousand examples were collected, spanning from the 1985 (when searchable records began) to December 2025. The results indicate that following the 1995 Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, and subsequent disasters, expressions of sympathy such as "We extend our heartfelt condolences to those affected," utilizing "reru-honorifics," have increasingly appeared in official statements and reader submissions. Furthermore, it became clear that the phrase "We sincerely apologize to those who have been harmed" has become frequently used in press conferences addressing scandals. Notably, the predominant use of "reru-honorifics" highlights their characteristic function as a lighter form of honorific speech.

Despite their prevalence, few teaching materials explicitly distinguish between "reru-honorifics" and "naru-honorifics" (Sugo 2021). This study not only identifies the characteristic usage of "reru-honorifics" but also provides empirical evidence for Kikuchi's (1997:44) observation that honorifics and formal expressions are frequently employed when discussing themes of death or misfortune.

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References

Kikuchi, Y. (1997). Keigo [Honorifics]. Kodansha Gakujutsu Bunko, Kodansha.

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This study aims to clarify patterns of use and functional characteristics of metalinguistic expressions in graduate-level seminars. Seminars constitute a core academic setting in which research activities are supported through interaction such as presentations, question-and-answer sessions, and discussions. Metalinguistic expressions—for example, phrases equivalent to “what we mean by a slum is…,” “from the perspective of economic base theory,” or “this is just my personal interpretation”—play a crucial role in adjusting mutual understanding, managing the flow of discussion, and constructing interpersonal relationships among participants.

The data analyzed in this study consist of 22 hours of seminars in the field of Urban Planning, drawn from “The Scientific and Engineering Spoken Japanese Corpus ”(Sugaya et al., 2013). A total of 701 instances of metalinguistic expressions occurring mainly in question-and-answer interactions were extracted. Based on the classification framework proposed by Li (2020), these expressions were functionally categorized into ten types: expression search (162 instances), focusing on one’s own or others’ utterances (110), previewing speech acts (78), explanation of terms (76), prompting others to speak (65), evaluating one’s own or others’ utterances (57), topic introduction (50), confirmation of one’s own or others’ utterances (49), discourse marking (38), and mitigating one’s utterance (16).

The analysis reveals that seminars are characterized by frequent use of expression search, reflecting the process of verbalizing ideas while thinking. In addition, evaluations of one’s own or others’ utterances function to refine presenters’ research, while explanations of terms serve to specify usage and semantic scope, thereby facilitating the sharing of knowledge among participants and promoting collaborative research development.

This study is original in that it systematically organizes metalinguistic expressions based on seminar discourse data, and its findings provide concrete pedagogical implications for Academic Japanese education incorporating metalinguistic expressions, supporting both Japanese language learners.

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References

菅谷有子ほか（2013）「｢理工学系話し言葉コーパス」の構築とその応用―理工学系７分野の語彙の実態調査―｣ CAJLE 2013 Proceedings pp.259-268.

李婷（2020）『日本語教育におけるメタ言語表現の研究』ひつじ書房.

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A life story study on Japanese language learning in Russia (Matsuo, 2025) observed that changes in the learning environment between Russian and Japanese universities transformed learners’ perspectives on learning. However, how these changes in learning perspective influenced subsequent Japanese language learning remains unclear. Targeting individuals who have studied in Japan multiple times, this study clarifies, through life story interviews, how the learning perspectives formed during their first study abroad in Japan influenced their subsequent Japanese language learning and choices of learning environments.

The research collaborator is a woman in her forties whose native language is Russian. She began studying Japanese at university, studied in Japan on three occasions, and is currently engaged in Japanese studies after returning to Russia.

The interviews were conducted using a semi-structured method, and the learning process in each learning environment was examined based on the transcribed data.

Through her first study abroad experience, she shifted her focus from reading and writing to conversation and chose to study abroad again to maintain her conversational skills. Her account clearly indicated that while her learning style is primarily conversation-based, she is also paying attention to what kind of Japanese is necessary in her new learning environment. She participated in seminar classes at her second study abroad destination, graduate school, where she heard academic Japanese and described it as “the next level of difficulty.” For her, the Japanese she learned in university was easy but encountering a new side of the Japanese language in graduate school made her realize that “there must be an end to the difficulty somewhere.” She believes that finding that end is what makes learning Japanese interesting, and she continues her studies. From the above, through new learning environments, she realized what Japanese language skills she lacked, and while strengthening those skills, she is venturing into new learning environments to learn more challenging Japanese.

In today’s world, where the purposes of learning Japanese are diversifying, the findings of this study, that learners find the Japanese they need within their own learning environment, will be useful in considering learning methods tailored to learners’ goals and circumstances.

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References

松尾恵理沙（2025）「第二外国語としての日本語学習の継続と学習環境の関係ーロシア語を母語とする日本語学習者の語りからー」『2025 度日本語教育学会秋季大会予稿集』pp. 263-268.

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This presentation examines the significance and outcomes of the "Departmental Improvement Project," a 15-year initiative in which teachers and learners transcend traditional power dynamics to address shared institutional challenges. While teacher learning from students is often regarded as incidental, this project is distinctive in intentionally fostering the teacher's growth into an "Adaptive Expert" who actively internalizes student perspectives to enhance professional knowledge.

　The project is embedded in an academic writing course where students investigate departmental issues and compile proposal reports. Rather than treating learners as passive recipients, the teacher repositions them as "colleagues" in organizational improvement. Since 2010, 180 proposals have driven concrete reforms in curriculum and other areas. This practice goes beyond merely collecting student voices; it constitutes civic action through which learners, as social agents, transform their immediate environment.

　Drawing on an action research framework, this study pursues three aims: (1) identifying specific strategies the teacher employed to generate productive dialogue; (2) analyzing organizational responses to student proposals; and (3) illustrating the process of behavioral transformation through "Elastic Practice"—the flexible selection and fine-tuning of approaches in response to institutional resistance rooted in colleague skepticism and entrenched conventions.

　Unlike short-term initiatives, this 15-year longitudinal practice demonstrates how teachers navigate complex departmental contexts by blending theoretical and practical resources. The presentation foregrounds the construction of "Intentional Collegiality," a professionally structured relationship that sustains mutual growth between teachers and learners. It offers a concrete perspective on how teachers can continue to transform themselves by embracing learners as authentic partners in institutional and social reform.

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References

Carew, A. L., Lefoe, G., Bell, M., & Armour, L. (2008). Elastic practice in academic developers. International Journal for Academic Development, 13(1), 51-66.

Council of Europe. (2020). Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, teaching, assessment – Companion volume. Council of Europe Publishing.

Darling-Hammond, L., & Bransford, J. (Eds.). (2005). Preparing Teachers for a Changing World: What Teachers Should Learn and Be Able to Do. Jossey-Bass.

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This study aims to propose an analytical framework for understanding the diversity of Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) practices through a comparative examination of multiple cases involving Japanese universities and their international partners. Focusing on educational purpose as the central analytical lens, the study explores how course design, learner reflection support, and faculty collaboration are structured and interrelated across different COIL implementations.

Fernández-Cézar et al. (2024) conducted a systematic review of COIL studies published since 2000 in languages such as Spanish and English, showing that existing research has largely concentrated on higher education institutions in Europe and North America. In contrast, comparative studies examining COIL practices in Asia, as well as those connecting Asia and Europe, remain limited. To address this gap, the present study focuses on COIL practices involving Japanese universities and undertakes a comparative analysis centered on educational purpose.

The analysis examines seven practice-based studies in which a Japanese university was involved: two cases between Japan and Taiwan, two between Japan and Korea, one multi-institutional case involving Japan, Taiwan, and Thailand, one case between Japan and Ireland, and one case between Japan and the United Kingdom. Descriptions related to educational purpose, course design, learner reflection support, and faculty collaboration were extracted through coding and analyzed using qualitative content analysis based on meaning units.

The findings indicate that educational purposes can be categorized into four types: language proficiency–centered, intercultural understanding–centered, collaboration skills–centered, and self-construction–centered. Differences in educational purpose were associated with variations in task design, group organization, the structuring of reflection activities, and forms of faculty collaboration. For instance, language-centered practices emphasize structured language tasks, whereas self-construction–centered practices incorporate systematically designed reflection activities. Faculty collaboration ranges from task-based role division to close coordination aimed at facilitating learners’ interaction.

This study proposes an analytical framework that captures the diversity of COIL practices from the perspective of educational purpose and provides a theoretical basis for explicitly positioning educational purpose in the design and evaluation of future COIL practices and research.

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References

古賀万紀子（2026）「キャリア日本語教育としてのCOIL（オンライン国際協働学習）の意義―「三つの対話」の交錯による自己構成の観点から―」『日本語教育』193,(印刷中).

Fernández-Cézar, R., Prada-Núñez, R., & Solano-Pinto, N. (2024). Collaborative Online International Learning: Experiences in Higher Education. Educational Process: International Journal, 13(4), 7-24.

Rubin, J., & Guth, S. (Eds.). (2022). The guide to COIL virtual exchange: Implementing, growing, and sustaining collaborative online international learning. Stylus Publishing.

Paper long abstract

This presentation examines learners’ expectations of Japanese instructors in online classes and their needs for online interaction with Japanese speakers, based on a questionnaire survey conducted with university students in Russia who take online Japanese courses. Particular attention is given to how the presence or absence of opportunities to use Japanese outside the classroom influences learners’ perceptions and expectations.

Since the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis in 2022, travel to Russia has remained difficult, and the official advisory against travel continues (MOFA 2025). As of April 2026, the Japan–Russia Youth Exchange Center provides online Japanese language classes taught by Japanese instructors at 11 universities across Russia. This study focuses on one of these institutions, University A in Yekaterinburg, offering an important case for understanding the current state of Japanese language education in Russia under these circumstances.

Previous studies have mainly examined the learning environment and classroom activities in Japanese language education in Russia, but few have addressed course design that considers learners’ needs for interaction outside class. To fill this gap, a multiple choice questionnaire was administered in 2023–2024 to third year (n = 9) and fourth year students (n = 9) enrolled in online classes at University A. The survey explored three areas: (1) opportunities for Japanese use outside the classroom, (2) expectations toward Japanese instructors, and (3) needs for online exchange activities.

The results revealed that learners who used Japanese outside class actively created opportunities through the internet and mobile applications. Expectations toward Japanese instructors differed depending on out of class usage: learners with such opportunities tended to value cultural introduction, whereas those without them prioritized the improvement of conversational skills. Interest in interacting with Japanese university students was high across groups.

These findings suggest that lessons incorporating cultural content and structuring conversation activities to lead to authentic communication are effective in meeting learners’ needs. Furthermore, such course design indicates that online classes can function not only as a means of improving language proficiency but also as a rich space for intercultural understanding and dialogue.

(Word count for the Body part: 331 words)

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References

外務省（2025）「ロシア 危険・スポット・広域情報」『海外安全ホームページ』(2026年4月17日)

https://www.anzen.mofa.go.jp/info/pcinfectionspothazardinfo_178.html#ad-image-0

「日露青年交流センター」日本語教師紹介 2025年度 第27回日本語教師派遣事業（2026年4月17日）

https://tinyurl.com/4me3kf3r

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Paper long abstract

Even when describing the same situation, how people understand and express it can differ depending on their native language. This study examines how English-speaking learners of Japanese (ENS) interpret situations, focusing on: a. their proficiency in Japanese, b. differences between spoken and written language, and c. comparisons with native Japanese speakers (JNS). For this research, materials from the "I-JAS Cross-linguistic Japanese Learner Corpus," including both story-telling (ST1) and story-writing (SW1) tasks by ENS and JNS participants, were used. In ST1, participants were given the title "Picnic" and the opening sentence "In the morning, Ken and Mari made sandwiches," and asked to continue the story. The subjects included 100 overseas ENS learners (11 beginners, 31 lower-intermediate, 33 intermediate, 21 upper-intermediate, and 4 advanced) and 50 JNS. The analysis found that at the beginner level, both in speaking and writing, learners often switched perspectives among characters ("shifting perspective"), likely because they made the main character of each comic frame the subject. At the lower-intermediate level, spoken stories showed an even split between "shifting perspective" and "fixed perspective" (focusing on a specific character), while written stories mostly showed "shifting perspective." This may be because, in writing, learners shift their perspective to characters important for the story's development. At the intermediate level, spoken stories mainly used a "fixed perspective," but in writing, learners often used the explanatory ending "~n desu," indicating the narrator’s viewpoint. At the upper-intermediate and advanced levels, both spoken and written stories consistently used a "fixed perspective," similar to the tendencies of JNS. Although previous research (DANG THAI, 2020) pointed out that intermediate American learners of Japanese tend to use a "fixed perspective," this study found that learners’ approach to situations varied by proficiency level, with differences even among those at the intermediate stage.

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References

池上嘉彦（2006）『英語の感覚・日本語の感覚 : 「ことばの意味」のしくみ』NHKブックス

ダンタイ クインチー（2020）「中級日本語学習者の視点は母語によって異なるかーI-JAS のストーリーテリングのデータの分析からー」『国立国語研究所論集』18, pp.93-119.

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In the Japanese language education for children of Japanese descent living overseas, educational settings that use kokugo textbooks from Japan account for a large proportion (Japan Foundation Japanese-Language Institute, 2024). However, children attending local schools abroad receive far less Japanese language input than children raised in Japan, making it difficult for them to study kokugo textbooks in accordance with the Course of Study.

Extensive reading is known as one form of incidental learning in which unfamiliar words encountered repeatedly during reading become known to the learner through contextual inference (Nation 1990). For incidental vocabulary acquisition to occur, learners need comprehensible input. However, when engaging in extensive reading in a second language, learners rarely achieve the high level of lexical coverage that first-language learners naturally possess. To maintain the level of known-word coverage required for reading comprehension, graded readers (GRs) have been developed, ranging from the beginner level up to a level just below that of native-speakers, with texts primarily levelled by vocabulary difficulty. GRs, which are finely levelled for second-language learners, may also serve as effective materials for supplementing Japanese language input for young children living overseas.

At present, the development of teaching materials for heritage Japanese education is largely based on kokugo textbooks. It remains unclear how the grade-level vocabulary allocations in kokugo textbooks differ from those in Japanese-language GR wordlists and in the vocabulary lists of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test designed for second-language learners. This study investigates the distribution of vocabulary in Japanese-language GRs and in elementary school kokugo textbooks (Yamamoto et al. 2024). By analysing vocabulary items that appear in both lists, those that appear only in one, and those that differ in level assignment between the two, the study aims to identify vocabulary characteristics of each list and to clarify which words learners in each context should acquire at an early stage. Based on these findings, the study discusses implications for the development of Japanese-language GRs that take into account the needs of heritage language education.

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References

Nation, I.S.P. (1990). Teaching and Learning Vocabulary, MA: Heinle & Heinle

国際交流基金日本語国際センター（2024）「令和5年度（2023年度）日本につながる子どもの日本語教育関係者ミーティング報告書」https://www.jpf.go.jp/j/project/japanese/kodomo/report/2023/dl/2023_mtg_report.pdf（2026年4月1日）

山本裕子・鷲見幸美・川村よし子（2024）「WEB版小学校教科書語彙リスト」　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　https://nihongo-de.com/shogakugoi/（2026年4月1日）

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Paper long abstract

With the largest number of Japanese language learners per capita in the European Union, Ireland has a strong tradition of teaching Japanese. In 1986, Dublin City University started teaching the language at higher education, shortly followed by the University of Limerick in 1990. At present, five out of seven universities offer Japanese either as a core or extracurricular subject. At post-primary level, Japanese was introduced as a curricular subject in 2000 and is expected to undergo reform in 2029. At primary level, alongside other modern foreign languages, Japanese started to be taught as a sampler module in some schools in 2021 as part of the programme “Say Yes to Languages”. In the wider context, the teaching and learning of modern foreign languages, including Japanese, has been a key priority for the Irish Government since 2017, when Languages Connect, Ireland’s Strategy for Foreign Languages in Education, was implemented. As this strategy ends in 2026, and with some areas yet to be sufficiently addressed (e.g. a shortage of qualified teachers and a lack of language diversification in schools), a new strategy is under development.

This project combines archival research and semi-structured interviews (n=40) with primary and post-primary teachers, lecturers and other key stakeholders such as diplomats involved in Ireland-Japan relations to plot the trajectory of Japanese Language Education in Ireland, from its introduction to the present day. Its other goal is to ascertain the current strengths and challenges and to develop tangible solutions to enhance the provision of Japanese language education in Ireland. The results serve to inform the new foreign language policy, with a focus on Japanese language education in Ireland, for which we provide some recommendations, including better support systems for teachers, initiatives for teacher development and increased opportunities for exchange.

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References

国際交流基金（2026）『海外の日本語教育の調査―２０２４年度　が海外日本語教育機関調査より』国際交流基金．

Department of Education and Youth (2017) Languages Connect: Ireland’s strategy for foreign languages in education 2017-2026. Retrieved on April 15, 2026, from https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-education/publications/languages-connect-irelands-strategy-for-foreign-languages-in-education-2017-2026/