In this presentation, we present findings from case studies of two overseas Japanese schools, one in Belgium and one in New Zealand. These schools provide educational equivalents to that of mainstream Japanese schools based on... [ view full abstract ]
In this presentation, we present findings from case studies of two overseas Japanese schools, one in Belgium and one in New Zealand. These schools provide educational equivalents to that of mainstream Japanese schools based on the assumption that the majority of their students are children of Japanese expatriates who will eventually return to Japan.
By drawing on the concept of language policing (Blommaert, 2010), we critically examined the underlying language ideologies and educational policies manifested in both schools with a focus on their policy towards multilingualism. The research employed a combination of classroom observations, anonymous questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and documentary analysis.
The findings suggest that although both schools promote bi/multilingualism including learning the local language(s), the implicit norm at these schools is ‘parallel monolingualisms’ (Heller, 2006). Both schools have language education policies which strictly separate languages, such as only allowing Japanese language in Japanese language class. However, both teachers and students’ parents recognize that language interactions among students are multilingual and dynamic. Yet, because these schools are at least partially funded by the government of Japan, they are required to follow the monolingual language education guidelines set by Japan. Constrained by such guidelines, the schools cannot fully utilize their multilingual resources in order to learn and teach.
By setting this research in overseas Japanese schools which are experiencing unprecedented multiplicity and fluidity of people and languages, we argue that the government of Japan should endorse Japanese overseas schools to flexibly use languages in response to the local school context. It is hoped that the research findings will add different dimensions to the discussions of language teaching and learning policy in overseas Japanese schools.
References
Blommaert, J. (2010). The Sociolinguistics of Globalization. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Heller, M. (2006). Linguistic Minorities and Modernity: A Sociolinguistic Ethnography. (2nd ed.) . London: Continuum.
