Teaching with silence : Foreign teacher transformation in Japan

Haga, Satchie and Lee, Kyungmee (2024) Teaching with silence : Foreign teacher transformation in Japan. PhD thesis, Lancaster University.

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Abstract

A gap in the literature on culturally responsive teaching (CRT) is at the heart of this study. A growing body of scholarship demonstrates the benefits of CRT. However, it overlooks the transformative learning needed to change previously held worldviews and enact new culturally responsive behaviours. Mezirow’s transformative learning theory is utilised to contribute a perspective that is lacking in CRT scholarship. Drawing on Bourdieu’s concept of habitus, I position classroom behaviour as cultural habitus, and transformative learning theory as a tool to consider habitus shifts. The focal cultural construct examined is foreign teachers’ responses and learning experiences towards Japanese student silent behaviour. Japanese student silence is widely recognized as a source of cultural dissonance in Japan and overseas. This study examines silence from foreign teachers’ perspective and utilises transformative learning theory to develop a theoretical understanding of the developmental processes behind the beliefs and behaviour shifts of 13 foreign teachers toward silence in the Japanese higher education context. Data were collected from classroom observations, course materials, and in- depth interviews. The study contributes to CRT scholarship by demonstrating the long-term development behind perspective and behaviour shifts. Also, drawing on the findings, a contextualized model for reflective discourse is suggested, situating it in individual, social, and material contexts. Theoretical implications for transformative learning theory draws attention towards the need for a more nuanced and contextualized understanding of reflective discourse. The findings also contribute to the scholarship examining silence in education by providing practical suggestions on how to implement silence-inclusive pedagogy. Finally, the findings related to critical reflection, emotion, empathy, facework strategies, and materials in combination extend practical implications beyond English Language teaching, and CRT to expand the possibilities of making classrooms more inclusive and democratic.