Exploration of Soka Education Principles on Global Citizenship: a Qualitative Study of U.S
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The University of San Francisco USF Scholarship: a digital repository @ Gleeson Library | Geschke Center Doctoral Dissertations Theses, Dissertations, Capstones and Projects 2016 Exploration of Soka Education Principles on Global Citizenship: a Qualitative Study of U.S. K-3 Soka Educators Mahi Takazawa University of San Francisco, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.usfca.edu/diss Part of the Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education Commons Recommended Citation Takazawa, Mahi, "Exploration of Soka Education Principles on Global Citizenship: a Qualitative Study of U.S. K-3 Soka Educators" (2016). Doctoral Dissertations. 324. https://repository.usfca.edu/diss/324 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses, Dissertations, Capstones and Projects at USF Scholarship: a digital repository @ Gleeson Library | Geschke Center. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of USF Scholarship: a digital repository @ Gleeson Library | Geschke Center. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The University of San Francisco EXPLORATION OF SOKA EDUCATION PRINCIPLES ON GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP: A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF U.S. K-3 SOKA EDUCATORS A Dissertation Presented to The Faculty of the School of Education Department of Leadership Studies Organization and Leadership Program In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Education by Mahi Takazawa San Francisco May 24, 2016 THE UNIVERSITY OF SAN FRANCISCO Dissertation Abstract Exploration of Soka Education Principles on Global Citizenship: A Qualitative Study of U.S. K-3 Soka Educators The globalized world continues to be wracked by environmental, economic, sociopolitical, and spiritual crises (Earth Council, 2002; Laszlo, 2009). Education for global citizenship holds the key to resolving these problems (Andrzejewski & Alessio, 1999; Ikeda, 2005). Unfortunately, U.S. K-12 education for global citizenship is predominantly driven by hegemonic neoliberal interests with the sole aim of producing human capital for global economic competition instead of developing socially responsible global citizens (Andrzejewski & Alessio, 1999; Giroux, 2012). Fostering a mindset for global citizenship urgently requires an alternative form of education that is ethical in its orientation (Noddings, 2005). One such model is Soka education, which is based on value-creation and Buddhist humanism (Ikeda, 2001). Since Soka education is still an emerging field, there is a dearth of studies on the practice of individual Soka educators, especially in the United States and specifically in regard to how they teach global citizenship. This study explored how U.S. K-3 teachers practicing Soka education are teaching global citizenship. This qualitative study involved three purposefully selected U.S. K-3 teachers who practice Soka education in different schools located in the United States. The data sources included primarily interview transcripts, classroom observation notes, and classroom ii documents from four days of fieldwork with each participant. Ikeda’s (2001) non- prescriptive framework for global citizenship based on the bodhisattva virtues of wisdom, courage, and compassion served as the primary guide to collect and analyze data. The three teachers adopted concepts from Makiguchi’s value creation philosophy, Ikeda’s human education philosophy, and Ikeda’s concept of global citizenship. They developed strong teacher-student relationships based on care, trust, dialogue, and character development. They modeled and taught wisdom, courage, and compassion via classroom activities. It seemed harder to implement Ikeda’s concept of global citizenship in public schools than in private schools. The teacher’s inner transformation based on Buddhist practice was key to their success. Assessing the impact of the teachers’ Soka education practice was challenging due to the lack of a systematic curriculum – they experienced both successes and challenges. iii This dissertation, written under the direction of the candidate’s dissertation committee and approved by the members of the committee, has been presented to and accepted by the Faculty of the School of Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education. The content and research methodologies presented in this work represent the work of the candidate alone. Mahi Takazawa May 24, 2016 Candidate Date Dissertation Committee Dr. Christopher Thomas May 24, 2016 Chairperson Dr. Susan Katz May 24, 2016 Dr. Shabnam Koirala-Azad May 24, 2016 iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This dissertation would not have been possible if not for all the support I received from many individuals, including my committee members, friends at the Ikeda Center, my mentors, my friends, and my family – My deepest and heartfelt appreciation to all of them! First, I would like to thank my committee members, Dr. Katz and Dr. Koirala- Azad, for their feedback, understanding, and encouragement, especially during my extended struggles in the latter part of my dissertation journey. I am eternally grateful to my advisor and chair, Dr. Thomas, for his undying support, patience, and belief in me over the past few years, especially while I was on the verge of giving up. I also would like to acknowledge program assistant, Thanh Ly, for her assistance and support with all my dissertation-related paperwork. Secondly, I would like to thank the staff at the Ikeda Center for Peace, Learning, and Dialogue for giving me the opportunity and resources to pursue Soka education research, thus opening a whole new world of possibilities for me. I am sincerely grateful to Kevin Maher and Richard Yoshimachi for their constant support, communication, visits, and opportunities to collaborate. My heartfelt appreciation to Ginny Benson and the advisory panel at the Ikeda Center, Dr. Garrison, Dr. Hickman, Dr. Hansen, Dr. Noddings, and Dr. Diller, for their expertise, ideas, and feedback for my dissertation proposal. I would like to also express my gratitude to my spiritual mentor, Soka Gakkai International President, Daisaku Ikeda, for establishing peace institutes like the Ikeda Center, and for inspiring the Soka education movement for peace. Additionally, I would like to acknowledge the role of a few friends of the Ikeda center, Dr. Joffee, and Dr. v Takahashi and Elaine Sandoval from Soka University of America, for helping me find participants for my study. Thirdly, I am sincerely grateful for the three teachers (who shall remain anonymous) in my study for volunteering their time, energy, and classroom space with the hope of advancing Soka education research. I am also grateful for my dear friends and mentors, Keith Thomas, the late Tom Johnson, Nobu Saeki, Rob Vincent, Brett Berning, and many others for their support and encouragement over the years. Finally, I would like to acknowledge my parents, Shizuko and Paul Dias, and my late grandmother, Taeko Takazawa, for their major role in helping me get to this point. Words cannot fully express my feelings of gratitude for each and every person who directly and indirectly made this dissertation possible. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS DISSERTATION ABSTRACT…………………………………………………………...ii SIGNATURE PAGE……………………………………………………………………..iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS……………………………………………………………….v TABLE OF CONTENTS………………………………………………………………..vii CHAPTER ONE: THE RESEARCH PROBLEM………………………………………..1 Statement of the Problem………………………………………………………………1 Background and Need………………………………………………………………….6 Purpose of the Study…………………………………………………………………...9 Research Questions…………………………………………………………………….9 Conceptual Framework………………………………………………………………...9 Educational Significance……………………………………………………………...19 Definition of Terms…………………………………………………………………...20 CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE………………………………….21 Introduction…………………………………………………………………………...21 Global Citizenship…………………………………………………………………….22 Education for Global Citizenship within the U.S. K-12 Context….………………….34 The Soka System of Education……………………………………………………….51 Summary of the Literature…………………………………………………………....67 CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY………………………………………………..68 Introduction……………………………………………………...……………………68 Research Design………………………………………………………………………68 Participants and Research Site………………………………………………………..69 Ethical Considerations………………………………………………………………..72 Data Collection Process………………………………………………………………73 Data Analysis Process………………………………………………………………...78 Validity and Reliability……………………………………………………………….79 Limitations……………………………………………………………………………79 Background of the Researcher………………………………………………………..80 CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS…………………………………………………………..82 Introduction…………………………………………………………………………...82 Profile of Participants…………………………………………………………………82 Findings……………………………………………………………………………….88 Research Question One…………………………………………………………..88 Research Question Two………………………………………………………….92 Research Question Three……………………………………………………….106 Summary…………………………………………………………………………….109 vii CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION, CONCLUSIONS, IMPLICATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS……………………………………………………………….111 Summary of the Study……………………………………………………………….111 Discussion………………………………………………………………………...…112 Conclusions………………………………………………………………………….129 Implications………………………………………………………………………….131 Recommendations for Practice…………………………………………………131 Recommendations for Future Research………………………………………...132 Concluding Remarks………………………………………………………………...134 REFERENCES…………………………………………………………………………136 APPENDICES………………………………………………………………………….142 Appendix A: