Interrogating the presence and importance of the Nihonjinron discourse in Japanese Junior High School EFL classrooms

Bouchard, Jeremie (2016). Interrogating the presence and importance of the Nihonjinron discourse in Japanese Junior High School EFL classrooms. University of Birmingham. Ph.D.

Preview

Bouchard16PhD.pdf
PDF - Accepted Version
Download (3MB)

Abstract

This Modular PhD research project investigates the relationship between \(nihonjinron\) and EFL classroom practices in Japanese junior high schools. Its overarching concerns are Can traces of \(nihonjinron\) be found in the body of data gathered for this module? and How important are these traces to observed EFL practices? By adopting a social realist approach to critical social research, attention is brought to agentive processes – as revealed through ethnographic means of inquiry – in the study of ideological discourse. In the process, the gaps and contradictions between what people say and what they do emerge as important research concerns, and as points of interest in the analysis of the complex links between structural and agentive processes shaping Japanese EFL education in secondary schools. Analysis of the data collected for this module reveals that the presence of \(nihonjinron\) in, and its importance to, observed EFL practices is marginal.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Doctorates > Ph.D.)

Award Type:

Doctorates > Ph.D.

Supervisor(s):