Tojisha-Kenkyu by and for Pre-service English Teachers: Reexamination on Communication

Abstract

With increasing work-related communicative demands for school teachers, it is imperative that universities provide prospective teachers with learning opportunities to successfully communicate in challenging situations. This paper reports a case study of introducing Tojisha Kenkyu, or a communal exploration by and for persons in challenging situations, to university students before their graduation with the English teacher’s license. Through the four sessions coupled with reflection on an electronic bulletin board, students (re)learned the importance of equality between speakers, self-exposure of negative points, a context with shared metacommunicative values, and reciprocity of communication.