The educated citizen: Cultural and gender capital in the schooling of Latin American children in Japan

Abstract

An ethnographic study on a Japanese language tutoring programme for foreign children was conducted from 2003 to 2006. The investigation attempted to shed light on issues of language acquisition among Latin American children who attended three public primary schools in Japan. This article combines extensive participant observation and in-depth group/individual semi-structured interviews with nine education personnel, three Latin American families living in Japan and 30 Japanese mothers. The participants provided their insights on language acquisition and schooling of foreign children at Japanese public schools. The analysis of interviews and observations suggested that ‘the educated citizen’ was a construct that could help explain issues concerning the education of foreign children in Japan. In addition, the educated citizen seemed to have two basic components – cultural and gender capital – entwined in the children’s academic achievement.