Discriminatory attitudes toward intercultural communication in domestic and overseas contexts

Drawing from social identity theory and its categorization process, the present study crossexamines Japanese students’ contrastively different attitudes toward Asians and European (-looking) people in two different contexts: (1) Japanese students in the overseas English language school context who perceive a sense of solidarity with other Asian, particularly Korean, students in the presence of European students and (2) Japanese students’ yearning for ‘white English’ speakers in Japan and their disregard for Asian and African-looking students on campus. Based on primary data and literature knowledge base, the present study argues that Japanese students’ inclination to make friends with other Asian friends in English speaking countries is context-bound and once they return to their less multicultural home country, their intact yearning for the Imagined West is rekindled. Further discussions are provided for those involved in international education and foreign language education as well as English-as-a-world-language education in postsecondary education.     

Parental Expectations and Children's Academic Performance in Sociocultural Context

In this paper, we review research on parental expectations and their effects on student achievement within and across diverse racial and ethnic groups. Our review suggests that the level of parental expectations varies by racial/ethnic group, and that students' previous academic performance is a less influential determinant of parental expectations among racial/ethnic minority parents than among European American parents. To explain this pattern, we identify three processes associated with race/ethnicity that moderate the relation between students' previous performance and parental expectations. Our review also indicates that the relation of parental expectations to concurrent or future student achievement outcomes is weaker for racial/ethnic minority families than for European American families. We describe four mediating processes by which high parental expectations may influence children's academic trajectories and show how these processes are associated with racial/ethnic status. The article concludes with a discussion of educational implications as well as suggestions for future research.     

Scaffolding strategies for wiki‐based collaboration: Action research in a multicultural Japanese language program

Wikis can be used to encourage and support collaborative constructivist learning. However, their effectiveness depends upon the use of scaffolding strategies to guide the students in their use. This action research investigated three scaffolding strategies for wiki‐based multicultural Japanese language learning: worked examples, grouping and peer assessment. It was found that the use of a template explaining the learning objectives and expected learning process was more effective than detailed worked examples. It was also found that heterogeneous grouping and internal and external peer review were important factors and that wiki‐based collaborative learning can be culture laden and in conflict with traditional teaching and learning.     

Modified Hepburn Romanization System in Japanese Language Cataloging: Where to Look,What to Follow

The ALA-LC Romanization Table for Japanese instructs catalogers to consult multiple editions of Kenkyusha's New Japanese-English Dictionary and the American National Standard system concerning the Modified Hepburn romanization system. These resources and editions, however, not only vary in scope, but also present some conflicting policies, which may be hindering the operation of romanization. This study addresses the issues of Japanese romanization guidelines by clarifying what the Modified Hepburn system is, and analyzing the discrepancies among the guidelines. Selected romanization data in OCLC WorldCat records are also examined to see how this problem has affected the current practices.     

The impact of Western progressive educational ideas in Japan: 1868–1940

Little is known about the impact of Western educational ideals in Japan during the Meiji (1868–1912), Taisho (1912–1926) and Showa (post‐1926) eras, although, in reality, there was considerable interest among Japanese educators in Western thought and practice and there were numerous attempts to disseminate these ideas widely. This article highlights some of the more significant of these developments and attempts to assess their impact and their interpretation in a Japanese context. Translations of foreign philosophical and educational works on the one hand and the publication of teachers' magazines on the other were the two viaducts for what became little short of a Japanese educational movement that was one of the stepping stones to the modernisation of Japan and which has resonated down to the present. In this article this process is described through its chronological phases, during the period which saw Japan's transition from an intellectually isolated, inward‐looking society into one which developed as a democracy and saw the coming of industrialisation before moving into a period of Fascist supernationalism.     

Forthcoming events

The proximal-to-distal segmental sequence has been identified in many sports activities, including baseball pitching and ball kicking. However, proximal-to-distal sequential muscle activity has not been identified. The aims of this study were to establish whether sequential muscle activity does occur and, if it does, to determine its functional role. We recorded surface electromyograms (EMGs) for 17 muscles from the upper extremity and abdomen during overarm throwing and detected the onset and peak times as indices of muscle activity. The following electromyographic properties were commonly identified in the participants. First, sequential muscle activity was observed from the scapular protractors to the shoulder horizontal flexors and from the shoulder horizontal flexors to the elbow extensor, but not from the elbow extensor to the wrist flexor or forearm pronator. Secondly, the external oblique contralateral to the throwing arm became activated before the ipsilateral external oblique. This sequence is considered to be very effective for the generation of high force and energy in the trunk. Thirdly, the ipsilateral external oblique began its activity almost at foot strike. Finally, the main activity of the rectus abdominis appeared just before the point of release.     

The Role of Gender in Foreign Language Learning Attitudes: Japanese female students' attitudes towards English learning

Originating from a large-scale questionnaire-based study on Japanese high school students' attitudes towards current and long-term English learning, this study attempts to account for one of the findings, female students' superiority in attitudes to English learning over male students. This study problematises the common practice found in questionnaire-based research ending with the statistical identification of gender differences in attitudes without exploring factors influencing those differences. By utilising multidisciplinary extant data and research findings, this study argues that Japanese social elements, such as the status of English as feminised academic and professional choices and women's marginalised status in Japanese mainstream society, underlie many women's positive attitudes towards English learning. This study provides pedagogical implications for those in charge of English-related programmes either in Japan or in English-speaking countries who deal with a significant number of young Japanese female students in the programmes.     

The Usefulness of Saturated Salt Solution Embalming Method for Oral Surgical Skills Training: A New Cadaveric Training Model for Bone Harvesting

The purpose of this study was to assess the usefulness of saturated salt solution-embalmed cadavers for oral surgical skills training related to bone graft harvesting. Two half-day surgical skills training workshops were held at the Tokyo Medical University utilizing eight cadavers embalmed with the saturated salt solution. A total of 22 participants including oral surgeons, residents, and dentists attended the workshop. Surgical training consisted of six procedures related to intraoral and extraoral bone harvesting. The participants were surveyed to assess self-confidence levels for each surgical procedure before and after completion of each workshop. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare the differences between each median score before and after the workshop. There were statistically significant increases in the self-assessed confidence scores in bone harvesting procedures for the zygomatic bone (P = 0.003), maxillary tuberosity (P = 0.002), and other sites (P < 0.001). The anatomical features of saturated salt solution-embalmed cadavers were also examined. The textures of the oral mucosa and skin were similar to those of living individuals. The structure of bone tissues was well-preserved and the hardness was realistic. Consequently, all procedures were performed with sufficient realism. The saturated salt solution method has a relatively low cost of preparation and storage, and almost no odor. The authors suggest that saturated salt solution-embalmed cadavers could provide a new model for oral surgical skills training in bone harvesting.