The influence of socio-cultural constructs on educational praxis in Japan

The influence of socio-cultural constructs on educational praxis in Japan

As can be overheard in many offices populated by both Japanese and foreign EFL professionals throughout Japan 'difficulties can arise in the language classroom'(Taguchi & Naganuma, 2006). Part of the reason for this is that education environments and student behaviour are heavily influenced by the socio-cultural constructs of the country in which they are being taught (Pray & Marx, 2010), which is sometimes overlooked or overgeneralised in EFL courses. This paper will provide an overview of the social and cultural constructs that are prevalent in Japanese society based on a contemporary literature analysis; and will explore in what ways these constructs may influence educational praxis, classroom dynamics and teacher/student relations in Japanese educational institutions. Using Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological systems theory as a guiding tool, this paper will provide an overview of the typical Japanese learner, and outline some of the common problems faced by educators at the classroom level in an attempt to provide professional development and reflection opportunities for educators in Japanese high school and University EFL environs.

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