This study aimed to enhance Japanese language education to address the pressing issue of an aging population and the need for Highly Skilled Foreign Human Resources. It focused on learners in Singapore who had chosen Japanese as an elective subject at a university and subsequently worked in Japan. Using the narrative approach and Trajectory Equifinality Approach (TEA), interview data were analyzed, and visualized through an interactive TEM/TLMG diagram. This showcased the Japanese learning process (Objective 1), revealing factors facilitating or hindering it (Objective 2), along with actions, emotions, and symbols tied to underlying values and beliefs (Objective 3). The findings through the combination of the Cognitive Theory of Second Language Acquisition and Social Constructivist perspectives illustrate how language acquisition unfolds in a social context. ”Noticing” during language use served as a “promoter sign” for “acts,” leading to hypotheses tested through “intake” and eventual “integration.” Three primary influences on language acquisition emerged: “Social Direction and Social Guidance,” “Noticing Strategies,” and “Beliefs and Values.” The study also demonstrated TEA’s effectiveness as a methodology for language acquisition research.

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The “Research Report on the Effective Implementation of Day Care Visiting Support in Nursery Schools and Other Facilities” published by CDS Japan in 2017 identified the spread of visiting support in nursery schools and other facilities as a challenge. Daycare visiting support in nursery schools is a crucial national policy for promoting inclusion; however, the challenges publicly presented are mostly related to the way in which the institution should be operated, and the insights obtained from parents who wish to receive support are limited to awareness surveys. Therefore, this study conducted interviews with four parents whose children were receiving daycare visiting support in nursery schools and used Trajectory Equifinality Modeling (TEM) to clarify the process by which parents requested such support. This allowed for an examination of when and what kind of assistance is effective for consultants assisting parents who wish for intervention for their children. The results showed four stages in the process until parents request visiting support: “Stage of convincing oneself that their child needs support,” “Stage of realizing the kind of support their child needs,” “Stage of considering professional guidance for life training.” The results revealed that counseling providers should provide support that meets the parents’ needs at each stage and situation. Moreover, to provide parents with opportunities to make choices based on judgments from multiple perspectives, collaboration among professionals from different fields such as daycare teachers, counselors, support workers, and healthcare workers is essential.

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