Description

The national certification system for "Registered Japanese Language Teachers," launched in 2024, has prompted a critical re-examination of quality assurance in Japanese language education. However, prioritizing institutional compliance risks reproducing a standardized, monolithic teacher profile. This presentation reports on the development of a unique teacher training program within a liberal arts faculty in Japan, exploring how to cultivate "citizenship" amidst the wave of national credentialing.

Since 2025, I have served as the coordinator of the Japanese language education program and the teacher training course at my university. To align with the faculty’s mission of "fostering global citizens," I have introduced Husserlian phenomenology—specifically "eidetic seeing"—as a core pedagogical practice. This approach prioritizes a reflexive attitude, where teachers do not merely transmit knowledge but co-construct the "meaning" of language through dialogue based on their own experiences. My goal is to guide students beyond the acquisition of technical skills toward fundamental questions of "living together with others."

I will visualize the development of our curriculum, which is set to launch in autumn 2026. I will share the tensions and creative strategies involved in integrating a philosophy-based "language education for coexistence" into the mandatory 50-item curriculum required for national certification.

Furthermore, I will discuss the significance of this case study within the context of the Association of Japanese Language Teachers in Europe (AJE). I will examine how the "Framework of Reference for Japanese Language Education" which can be viewed as Japan’s domestic reception of the European CEFR, is being contextualized into national institutional structures. Specifically, I will address the discrepancies between the CEFR's focus on plurilingualism and pluriculturalism and the current implementation of the " Framework of Reference for Japanese Language Education"." Through this presentation, I invite participants to discuss the possibilities for teacher training programs that foster educators who do not merely teach "the right answers" but engage with social questions alongside their learners.

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References

岩内章太郎・三輪聖・稲垣みどり（2025）「複言語・複文化主義の成立とその受容をめぐる証言的不正義―「日本語教育の参照枠」の問題点と可能性」『言語文化教育研究』23号

Description

The sentence-final particle kana is inherently an expression of self-questioning. However, according to a corpus-based study by Liu (2025), its use in natural conversation is predominantly for "avoiding assertion" rather than "expressing a question," accounting for over 70% of all instances and establishing itself as the central usage. Despite this shift in actual language use, significant challenges remain in the presentation of pedagogical grammar within Japanese language education. This presentation investigates and analyzes how kana is introduced in three major Japanese textbook series (14 volumes in total) widely used in China as a case study.

The results reveal several issues in the textbook presentations. Specifically, the instruction lacks systematicity, often explicitly explaining only one usage. Furthermore, "expressing a question" accounts for half of the examples provided, which does not reflect the actual usage patterns of native speakers. Notably, there is almost no mention of the interpersonal functions of the particle, such as the social consideration or friction avoidance seen in forms like "~kana to omou." This gap can be a challenge in developing learners' sociolinguistic competence—the ability to select appropriate expressions according to the context. These issues are not limited to textbooks in China but can be seen as a challenge facing modern Japanese language education as a whole.

Based on these findings, this presentation proposes two strategies for improvement. First, a systematic introduction of various usages should be implemented according to the learner's level, ranging from the original self-questioning to expressions of disagreement (e.g., "so kana") and opinions (e.g., "~kana to omou"). Second, to encourage acquisition as a communication strategy, role-play activities should be introduced to help learners understand the speaker's intent to avoid friction with others, thereby providing instruction that contributes to effective interpersonal relationship building.

(Word count for the Body part: 289 words)

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References

劉悦（2025）「終助詞『かな』の使用に見られる配慮ー自然会話コーパスのデータを通してー」『ことば』46, pp.91-108.

Description

This study aims to qualitatively examine the formation and transformation of beliefs about kanji instruction among 20 Japanese language teachers who teach kanji to children in overseas heritage language education. Using questionnaire and interview data, it explores

not only how instructional beliefs develop and change, but also the underlying processes of teachers’ professional growth.

The analytical framework is grounded in teacher cognition research (Borg, 2003), which focuses on the relationship between teachers’ beliefs and practices, and captures how instructional beliefs dynamically evolve within specific experiences and contexts. Analysis of open-ended responses and interview data revealed that teachers faced difficulties arising from learning environments, such as students’ inability to retain kanji, as well as dilemmas between norms and practice, including how strictly to enforce stroke order and character form. These challenges can be understood as processes of cognitive dissonance (Festinger, 1957), in which teachers reconcile discrepancies between pre-existing beliefs and practical constraints. As a result, many teachers reconstructed their instructional beliefs to emphasize meaning, contextual understanding, and learner enjoyment.

The novelty of this study lies in two key contributions. First, it conceptualizes changes in instructional beliefs not merely as the accumulation of knowledge, but as dynamic shifts in decision-making mediated by emotions. Teachers adjusted their instructional decisions through emotional experiences such as frustration and a sense of achievement, while drawing on empathetic understanding of learners and emotional support—sometimes influenced by their own experiences of raising children in cross-cultural contexts. This aligns with the view that emotions play a central role in decision-making (Damasio, 1994).

Second, the study positions ICT, including AI and digital teaching materials, not simply as tools but as environmental factors that mediate changes in teachers’ beliefs. While ICT enables visualization, repetition, and individualized learning, its use reflects teachers’ pedagogical beliefs and practical judgments.

Overall, the findings suggest that the formation and transformation of beliefs about kanji instruction in overseas heritage language education should be understood as a dynamic process of teacher growth shaped by the interaction of teacher cognition, emotional experiences, and environmental factors such as ICT.

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References

Borg, S. (2003). Teacher cognition in language teaching: A review of research on what language teachers think, know, believe, and do. Language Teaching, 36(2), 81–109.

Festinger, L. (1957). A theory of cognitive dissonance. Stanford University Press.

Damasio, A. R. (1994). Descartes’ Error: Emotion, Reason, and the Human Brain. New York: Putnam.

Description

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Japanese government imposed sanctions on Russia in coordination with Western countries. These political developments have significantly altered Japan–Russia relations and, as a consequence, have influenced various aspects of Japanese language education in Russia. Russian learners of Japanese have been affected in multiple ways. For instance, the withdrawal of Japanese companies has reduced job opportunities for interpreters, the dispatch of Japanese language teachers by public institutions has shifted to online instruction, and university exchange programs have been temporarily suspended. Such circumstances are considered potential factors contributing to a decline in learners’ motivation to study Japanese.

This study aims to examine how the deterioration of Japan–Russia relations resulting from the Russia–Ukraine war has affected Japanese language learning in Russia. The research focuses on Moscow, which appears to have experienced greater impacts, such as the withdrawal of Japanese companies, the closure of Japan Center, and the shift to online instruction in Japanese teacher dispatch programs organized by public institutions.

The survey targeted 13 students studying Japanese at a university in Moscow and three faculty members teaching Japanese at different universities. It was conducted from September 10 to 13, 2025. The student survey was administered in paper format. In response to the question of whether changes in Japan–Russia relations had influenced their Japanese learning, six students answered “yes” and seven answered “no.” Among those who answered “yes,” five mentioned that they had lost opportunities to visit Japan or participate in internships. Those who answered “no” stated that Japanese language and culture remain important to them regardless of political circumstances.

Interviews with instructors revealed that a course could not be offered due to university decisions, although enrollment numbers remained stable. The instructors noted that in-person classes with teachers dispatched from Japan are ideal. Opinions were divided: some observed consistently high motivation among students, while others reported that news such as the closure of Japan Centers had lowered it. The faculty member also indicated that organizing events introducing Japanese culture could help sustain or raise students’ motivation.

※This work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number 25K04227.

Description

This presentation reports on a "family-partnering" support initiative at a private online heritage Japanese program for families living outside of Japan. In contexts where the local language is dominant, maintaining Japanese requires building a sustainable system within the home. However, many parents feel isolated and anxious, unsure of what to do or how far to go. While many practice reports focus on direct instruction for children, cases that present ongoing support, including home language practices and psychological support for parents, as an operational model remain limited.

This initiative involves 56 families with preschool children living outside of Japan (44 in Europe and 12 in North America). The analysis draws on data only from families who provided written consent. It combines small-group online lessons with activity suggestions, homework, ongoing instructor support, and a parent community, designed as a "home–lesson–community" cyclical model. To address parental isolation, multiple points of contact are provided, such as comment exchanges related to homework, and consultation and practice-sharing within the community. For example, end-of-month reflections are shared across the whole group and the instructor returns feedback, allowing parents to see the concerns and approaches of other families and creating a space where they can feel "I am not alone."

Data sources include parents' reflections, homework comments, instructor feedback, and community exchanges. Data are anonymized and used only when written consent has been obtained via a form after the purpose was explained. These materials are analyzed following the procedures of thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006), showing how parents’ practice-sharing and consultations with one another, together with instructor feedback, relate to parents’ attitudes and changes in their engagement, supporting continuation. The presentation also reports, with anonymized excerpts, the process through which parents shift from "carrying the burden alone" to "learning together with their child."

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References

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101.

Description

The distinctive feature of this practice lies in the use of two different types of learner output as post-reading activities in a Japanese reading course at a Japanese university: written book reviews and concept maps.　A concept map is a hierarchical network structure that visually organizes concepts and ideas and represents the relationships among them. By creating concept maps, it becomes possible to capture aspects of learners’ comprehension and the structure of their thinking that are difficult to grasp solely through written expression, which is often strongly influenced by learners’ Japanese language proficiency. While book reviews present the results of learners’ comprehension and evaluation in verbalized form, concept maps visualize how learners organize content and understand relationships among concepts.

This study examines a classroom practice conducted in a Japanese language course for first-year undergraduate students. In the course, students read three books in each of the spring and autumn semesters. For each book, students answered comprehension questions, discussed memorable points in peer groups, and then created both a written book review and a concept map, followed by further discussion of the book. The data analyzed consist of submissions from 30 students who produced both a book review and a concept map on The Core of Japanese Culture in 2024 and 2025.

For the analysis, book reviews and concept maps created by the same learners were compared, with a focus on differences in how reading comprehension was expressed. The results show that the content presented in the book reviews did not necessarily coincide with that represented in the concept maps. The concept maps revealed learners’ central concepts, perceived relationships among concepts, and individual points of focus, thereby offering a perspective for evaluating reading comprehension in forms other than written language.

These findings suggest that combining verbal output with visualized output is effective for capturing Japanese language learners’ reading comprehension in a more multifaceted manner, and that this approach provides pedagogical and evaluative implications for reading instruction in undergraduate Japanese language education.

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References

松下佳代・田口真奈・大山牧子（2013）「深い学習の評価ツールとしてのコンセプトマップの有効性―哲学系入門科目でのアクションリサーチを通じて―」『大学教育学会誌』35-2, pp.121-130．