Interculturality in language education in the Japanese context

Abstract

ABSTRACT The discussion of interculturality in the Japanese context is often associated with Nihonjinron (the theory of Japanese people), which is constructed around the ideological standpoint that Japanese identity is racially and linguistically homogeneous. This study aims to explore foreign language teachers’ perceptions and practices and reflections on interculturality in language education in the Japanese context. Data were collected from 67 foreign language teachers in Japan through a web-based survey and interviews. The results of the survey indicated the general tendency not to practice an intercultural approach, despite teachers' willingness to integrate cultures, as demonstrated by previous studies conducted in various parts of the world. However, during the interviews, teachers started to realise that they were integrating culture into their teaching more than they had thought. Thus, the necessity of integrating interviews into the studies on teachers’ perceptions and practices was revealed. Secondly, language teachers’ reflections on their intercultural experiences, in the classroom and beyond were explored relying on the notion of critical reflexive interculturality (Dervin, F., and Jacobsson, A., 2021. Teacher Education for Critical and Reflexive Interculturality. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan). Implications of the study on language education, teacher education, and curriculum development will be discussed.