“Native” Japanese Speaker Teachers in Japanese Language Education at Primary and Secondary Schools in Australia

Abstract

AbstractIn teaching Japanese to non-native Japanese speakers in Japan, most of the teachers are native Japanese speakers while outside Japan approximately 70% of Japanese language teachers are non-native Japanese speaker teachers (“NNJSTs”). Particularly at the secondary level where the number of learners is the highest amongst all levels, those teaching Japanese are mainly NNJSTs certified with the local teaching license. In Thailand and the Republic of Korea, native Japanese speakers started to teach Japanese as teachers or language assistants with a growing demand for Japanese language teachers, and cases of emerging native-speakerism have been reported. In Australia that boasts a relatively large number of Japanese language learners at the secondary level, and offers Japanese even at primary schools, native Japanese speaker teachers (“NJSTs”) have been teaching Japanese language in both primary and secondary schools. A few Australian primary and secondary schools offer bilingual/immersion programs, in which some school subjects are taught in Japanese. What roles are NJSTs playing in Japanese language teaching in primary and secondary education in this country? This study conducted an interview survey on the teachers’ roles required of NNJSTs and NJSTs in primary and secondary education in Australia. In this survey, it was found that NNJSTs and NJSTs are contributing to Japanese language education on an equal basis. Australia demonstrates one of the “undoing of native-speakerism” cases in Japanese language education primarily at secondary schools outside Japan.