Challenges and responses to classroom management in regional Japanese language education

A case study of international association A

Abstract

Due to the increasing number of people from diverse ethnicities in Japan, it is expected that regional Japanese language education, which is closely related to people’s lives, will become increasingly important. Therefore, in the future, multi-layered cooperation between the country (macro), administration (meso), and individuals (micro) will be more desirable. This paper focuses on the meso position that connects macro and micro, and aims to clarify the challenges faced by an international exchange association in operating a Japanese language classroom, as well as to examine the important elements for solving these challenges. The results of the analysis of these elements using SCAT suggest that (1) the ability to “clarify” problems, (2) “flexibility” for solving and improving them, (3) “human environmental adjustment” such as building relationships inside and outside the classroom, and (4) “structural environmental adjustment” such as regularly reviewing classroom activities are important for solving these challenges. It is hoped that this paper will raise awareness of multi-layered cooperation for the formation of a multicultural society in the future, and will be a useful hint for the administration (meso) that operates regional Japanese language classrooms.