An example of action research toward Sartre’s existentialism

Teacher autonomy and Japanese language education by Ryuta Ushikubo

Abstract

This paper is a review of Ryuta Ushikubo’s book, New Trends in Japanese Language Education Studies 29: Teacher autonomy and Japanese language education (2021, Coco Publishing Co., Ltd.). However, this paper is neither an introduction nor a commentary on its contents. By comparing Ushikubo’s argument and the flow of his argument with Sartre’s discussion of existentialism, and by showing their similarities and differences, this paper aims to discuss Ushikubo’s discussion of teacher autonomy in Japanese language education within a larger framework, a better way of life and a better way of society, or “ontology as human existence” and “field ontology.” And by doing so, this paper tries to place Ushikubo’s discussion into more philosophical and social discussions. As Ushikubo states, language is what makes people and society. If so, language education should be the education of making people and society. This paper rethinks Ushikubo’s work from this perspective.