Making Tacit Knowledge Visible in Japanese School Printouts

Barriers to Understanding for Foreign Guardians

Abstract

This study aims to clarify the factors that hinder foreign guardians’ understanding of school printouts distributed in Japanese elementary schools. A total of 810 printouts were analyzed in terms of request expressions, vocabulary categories, and co-occurrence networks. The results revealed, first, that request expressions such as “kudasai (please)” and “onegaishimasu (we ask for your cooperation)” appeared frequently, indicating that repeated cooperation requests are made to guardians. Second, vocabulary categories such as “daily routines,” “events,” “money,” and “school supplies” reflected implicit norms related to punctuality, event participation, financial obligations, and preparation of belongings. Furthermore, the co-occurrence analysis suggested that vocabulary groups centered on words such as “school” and “time” form the basic structural foundation of school culture. These findings indicate that the “invisible rules” embedded in school printouts can become barriers to educational inclusion and highlight the potential effectiveness of AI support systems that supplement such cultural background.