This chapter explores diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) research as it applies to education in Japan with the goal of raising awareness of opportunities for expanding education paradigms to better recognize the diverse needs of Japanese students. Starting from the grassroots perspective of tertiary English language education, this exploration is supported by a small pilot survey study that was given to students at two Japanese universities in the 2021 school year. The survey investigates students' learning styles and preferences with regard to their experiences in English verbal communication courses. The primary takeaway from these limited data remains widely unrecognized in the context of Japan's one-size-fits-all education system. While students' learning habits and expectations are internalized at an early age and rarely challenged, when given the opportunity to express themselves, the majority of students display a desire for collaborative and supportive learning environments which caters toward them as individuals.
TopIntroduction
In recent years, in line with trends across the OECD, higher educational institutions are “develop[ing] policies, practices and programs that advance diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) missions” (Suarez, Anderson & Young, 2018, p. 65). This trend has politically been driven by, for example, national legal and constitutional norms (Tamtic & Guenter, 2019, p. 43). Focus has been placed on creating school settings which make all the students feel important and valued regardless of their gender, ethnicity, race, disability, economic backgrounds, political beliefs or religions. In terms of language teaching environments, various attempts have been made for the implementation of DEI. For example, textbooks and other language learning materials are increasingly making efforts to be representative of both the intercultural and intracultural diversity of the societies in which the target languages are spoken (Menegatti & Rubini, 2017).
While these categories of difference are the most emblematic of the DEI mission, especially within the public conscience, there are additional considerations which may apply to all people universally. In other words, even among very homogeneous groups, important differences remain and may need to be considered to ensure fairness. In the context of education, UNESCO promotes “systems that remove the barriers limiting the participation and achievement of all learners that respect diverse needs, abilities and characteristics.” (UNESCO, 2015, cited in Tamtic & Guenter, 2019, p. 43). This broader understanding of DEI may be especially important for encouraging awareness of differences within these groups and laying the groundwork for increased sensitivity beyond them. Japan, more than just a group, is a rare example of an entire nation that is especially homogeneous, with 97.8% of the population understood to be ethnically Japanese in 2020 (Immigration Services Agency of Japan, 2020). Unsurprisingly, Japanese remain far behind in their awareness or concern for DEI (Liu, 2018), and sociologists contend that inequities with respect to “region, gender, employment status, (regular/non-regular workers), generation, physical and mental disabilities” remain widely apparent (Suzuki, 2019, p. 4). Therefore, when issues of difference are considered through the lens UNESCO describes above, there exist many avenues for inquiry.
With respect to the education sector, Japan has just started to make institutional investigations into the individualized needs of students (MEXT, 2020). Additionally, the number of non-Japanese students in universities in Japan has increased dramatically in recent years, from 4.8% to 7.5% of the total enrolled tertiary population from 2011 to 2019 (Statista, 2019; JASSO, 2019). However, this ratio is still low compared with many other western countries (Saito, 2011). As a result of this continued lack of diversity, together with Japan’s long tradition of enlightenment-style education, educational systems and curricula continue to emphasize equality over equity (Matsuoka, 2017; Rohlen & Le Tendre, 1996, p. 298). In fact, the concept of equity is generally absent from the cultural lexicon as an idea distinct from equality or fairness in general (Okamoto & Masuda, 2001, p. 19). This is reflective of a number of foundational issues which are likely to be holding Japanese education back from becoming as diverse or inclusive as its OECD counterparts.
The following sections in this chapter first provide an overview of the social and cultural context in Japan, which presents an ongoing barrier to the advancement of DEI not only in educational settings, but across the nation as a whole. Addressed next are questions about how the existing educational standards and teaching methods in particular may be affecting students’ attitudes toward and capacities for success in language learning. Finally, a pilot survey study of students from real Japanese university classrooms is presented to provide illustration of the challenges, and to help identify opportunities for improvement and wider research.