Constructing, Reconstructing and Reclaiming Learner Identities , livre ebook

Constructing, Reconstructing and Reclaiming Learner Identities
NEW PERSPECTIVES ON LANGUAGE AND EDUCATION
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NEW PERSPECTIVES ON LANGUAGE AND EDUCATION: 130
Constructing, Reconstructing and Reclaiming Learner Identities
Academically Successful 1.5 Generation Filipino Students in Japan
Ellen Preston Motohashi
MULTILINGUAL MATTERS
Bristol • Jackson
DOI https://doi.org/10.21832/MOTOHA5430
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2025011839
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ISBN-13: 978-1-80041-543-0 (hbk)
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Contents Acknowledgments Prologue Part 1 1 Introduction 1.1 Living in the In-Between: Transnational Lives of Overseas Filipino Workers 1.2 Scholarship on ‘Newcomer’ Immigrant Children in Japan 1.3 Guiding Theoretical Frameworks 1.3.1 Ogbu’s positive dual frame of reference theory: Reconceptualized 1.3.2 Academic resiliency and learner agency: The fight to not just survive but to thrive 1.3.3 Funds of identity: Carrying the past into the future 1.4 Methodological Considerations 1.5 Organization of the Book 2 Japan’s Diverse Populations: Ethnic Minorities, Immigrants and a Rapidly Changing Social Landscape 2.1 Domestic Ethnic Minorities in Japan 2.2 Immigrants in Japan: Long-existing or Oldcomer Immigration (1905–1970) 2.3 Shifting Demographics and the Rising Need for Foreign Labor: The ‘Newcomer’ Immigration Stream (1990–) 2.4 The Technical Intern Training Program 2.5 The Specified Skilled Workers Visa Program 2.6 Internationalizing Higher Education 2.7 The Long Road Ahead 3 Japanese in the Philippines, Filipinos in Japan and Schooling in the Philippines 3.1 Japanese Migration to the Philippines: Farmers, Construction Workers, Karayukisan and Wives 3.2 Filipino Migration in Japan: From Musicians and Boxers to ‘Entertainers’ 3.3 Geopolitical Policies and Economic Drivers of Filipino Immigration to Japan 3.4 More Than Just ‘Entertainers’: Filipino/a Migration to Japan 1980s– 3.5 Long-term Settlement and Intermarriage of Filipinos in Japan 3.6 Education in the Philippines: An Overview 4 Ethnically, Racially and Linguistically Diverse Students in Japanese Schools: An Overview 4.1 The Structure of Japanese Schooling 4.2 The Stigmatization of Difference 4.3 A Rapidly Diversifying Student Population 4.4 Education for Ethnic, Racial and Linguistically Diverse Students: A History of Assimilation and Advocacy 4.5 Local and Community Support for Ethnic, Racial and Linguistic Minority Students 4.6 Educational Access Alone is Not Enough 4.7 Japanese as a Second Language Support: Advancements and Ongoing Challenges 4.7.1 The international classroom: Individualized pull-out learning support 4.7.2 The Dialogic Language Assessment: A better measure of Japanese language proficiency 4.8 Secondary Education: A Privilege of the Majority Part 2 Preface 1 Introduction to Part 2 2 English Department Courses, Local Volunteer Work, English for Empowerment Program and Contextual Background for Meeting the Participants 3 Meeting the Participants and Lasting Impressions  A.T.: The Strong One (2013)  R.K. and J.K: The Responsible Ones (2014)  H.M.: The Humble One (2014)  K.A.: The (Not Too) Insecure One (2017)  K.R.: The Positive One (2017)  The (Not Too) Serious One: J.I.O. (2018)  Y.N.: The Fighter (2018)  M.A.: The (Not So) Shy One (2018)  K.S.: The ‘Savage’ One (2018)  C.A.D.: The Feisty One (2018) 5 Participant Narrative Portraits: Life and Schooling in the Philippines and Beyond 5.1 A.T.: The Strong One Family separation and reunification Schooling in the Philippines 5.2 The Responsible Ones: The Sibling Duo – R.K. and J.K. Family separation and reunification Schooling in the Philippines Schooling in the Philippines: R.K. Schooling in the Philippines: J.K. 5.3 H.M.: The Humble One Family separation and reunification Schooling in the Philippines 5.4 K.A.: The (Not Too) Insecure One Family separation and reunification Schooling in the Philippines 5.5 K.R.: The Positive One Family separation and reunification Schooling in the Philippines 5.6 J.I.O.: The (Not Too) Serious One Family separation and reunification Schooling in the Philippines 5.7 Y.N.: The Fighter Family separation and reunification Schooling in the Philippines 5.8 M.A.: The (Not So) Shy One Family separation and reunification Schooling in the Philippines 5.9 K.S.: The ‘Savage’ One Family separation and reunification Schooling in the Philippines 5.10 C.A.D.: The Feisty One Family separation and reunification Schooling in the Philippines 6 Experiences of School and Learning in Japan: The Good, the Bad and the In-between 6.1 The Hidden Curriculum of Japanese Schools: ‘Japaneseness’ and Meritocracy 6.2 Narratives of Striving to Learn, Situating Oneself within the Milieu of School and Standing on One’s Own 6.3 Doing School Well to Relearning How to Do School 6.4 From Being on Top to Being at the Bottom 6.5 Equality is Not Equal 6.6 Standing Out (the Good and the Bad) 6.6.1 Standing out (the good) 6.6.2 Standing out (the bad) 6.7 Language Learning Trumps Academic Learning 6.7.1 The international classroom and NGO afterschool support systems 6.7.1 Free day and night school 6.8 It Only Takes One (but More is Better): Individual Teacher and Peer Support 6.9 Empowering Oneself Through English 7 Coming Full Circle University Life: Back on Top and Bringing Things to a Close 7.1 Entering University: Reclaiming One’s Learner Self 7.2 Regaining a Sense of Belonging and Community at School 7.2.1 Closeness to language and freedom of use 7.3 Drawing on One’s Resources: Self-efficacy, English and Agentic Action 7.4 Everyone Needs a Helping Hand 7.5 Recommendations to Enhance Academic Success Through Engaged, Responsive and Inclusive Learning 7.6 Final Thoughts Epilogue: The Where I Am from Poems References Index
Acknowledgments
The personal and educational life journeys of 11 transnational 1.5 generation Filipinos, my students, that have been entrusted to me are contextualized and recounted in this book. One by one as they entered my classes their enthusiasm for learning and responsive engagement with their peers sparked my interest in learning more about their educational backgrounds, which laid the foundation for this work. The book would not have been realized without their agreement and enthusiasm to share their lives with me and trust that I would represent them as honestly as they did when sharing their stories with me. I am deeply grateful for their patience as I seemed to endlessly repeat the same mantra to them semester after semester, ‘I am setting things in motion to start the research project. I just need to finish this semester’ or any other responsibility that distracted me from beginning the project, which came to dominate my life over the past four years. I thank them for their faith in me and for believing that I do stick to my word. The impetus for developing the book into two parts came because I wanted them to understand how their stories are carried along in the current of history, and that they are part of a new era and image of Filipinos in Japan. So, to A.T., R.K., J.K., H.M., K.A., J.I.O., K.R., Y.N., M.A., K.S. and C.