Community learning, leadership and gender: the case of kominkan in Okayama City, Japan Rika Yorozu-Kurata Master of International Development Studies Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education (EdD) School of Education College of Social Sciences University of Glasgow 1 March 2021 2 Abstract This dissertation is about leadership and gender in community learning in Japan focusing on a case of women professionals working in kominkan in Okayama City. Kominkan is a public and local educational institution providing community learning and community development services across Japan. Characteristics of leadership practiced by women in promoting transformative community learning for themselves as well as community members were analysed. Based on a constructivist paradigm and critical feminist perspectives, my research used qualitative methods covering analysis of national and local policy documents and information-communication materials by kominkan and narrative text and voice data from individual interviews with ten female staff members of kominkan in Okayama City. Validation of early analysis was conducted through informal group discussion and follow-up interview with two participants. During the collection and analysis of primary data, I applied voice-centred relational method (Mauthner and Doucet, 1998; Jankowska, 2014) in conducting and reflecting on in-depth feminist interviews (Reinharz and Chase, 2001; Doucet and Mauthner, 2008) in Okayama City in 2016 and 2017. Drawing on leadership characteristics of women by Grogan and Shakeshaft (2010), I analysed the research participants’ experiences with leadership and gender and their aspirations. One of my findings is that they are exercising transformative leadership with feminist critical perspectives. Their leadership is less visible than stereotypical (male) leaders; they define leadership as kuroko (backstage supporter in traditional Japanese play supporting main actor or puppets) or what Cranton and Write (2008) called learning companions. Women are the majority in the community learning and lifelong learning profession in Japan and other countries. Understanding and appreciating women’s leadership styles is important in improving the professional development programmes as well as the quality of community learning programmes lead by them. Recommendations I propose for Okayama City may be significant for other local governments that want to take serious measures to promote women working in this profession in Japan and other countries. 3 Table of Contents Abstract .................................................................................................................................. 2 List of Tables ........................................................................................................................... 5 List of Figures ......................................................................................................................... 5 Acknowledgement ................................................................................................................. 6 Author’s Declaration .............................................................................................................. 7 Definitions/Abbreviations ...................................................................................................... 8 Why this research? ..................................................................................... 10 1.1 Introduction ................................................................................................ 10 1.2 Locating the study - Okayama City in Japan ............................................... 12 1.3 How the research questions relate to my professional practice ............... 14 1.4 Structure of dissertation ............................................................................ 17 Understanding kominkan and its professionals ......................................... 19 2.1 Shift from social education to lifelong learning in national policy and legislation ................................................................................................... 19 2.2 Kominkan: community public place for learning ....................................... 25 2.3 Kominkan in Okayama City – Okayama model .......................................... 31 2.4 Is kominkan still relevant today? ................................................................ 39 Literature on leadership and gender in community learning .................... 53 3.1 Introduction ................................................................................................ 53 3.2 Leadership in education sector .................................................................. 54 3.3 Leadership in community development .................................................... 56 3.4 Women and leadership .............................................................................. 58 3.5 Leadership in community learning in Japan ............................................... 62 3.6 Leadership in community learning in other countries ............................... 67 3.7 Conclusion .................................................................................................. 69 Methodology .............................................................................................. 70 4.1 Introduction ................................................................................................ 70 4.2 Researcher positionality ............................................................................. 70 4.3 Theoretical paradigms ................................................................................ 72 4.4 Strategies of inquiry ................................................................................... 73 4 4.5 The Interviews – methods of collecting narrative data ............................. 77 4.6 Interpretation and valuation of data.......................................................... 83 4.7 Ethical considerations ................................................................................ 88 4.8 Data validation ........................................................................................... 89 4.9 Conclusion .................................................................................................. 90 Women’s views .......................................................................................... 91 5.1 Vivian (Director of kominkan) .................................................................... 91 5.2 Kristy ........................................................................................................... 95 5.3 Nell .............................................................................................................. 98 5.4 Lynn ..........................................................................................................102 5.5 Regan ........................................................................................................104 5.6 Astrid ........................................................................................................107 5.7 Rosa ..........................................................................................................111 5.8 Kaylie ........................................................................................................114 5.9 Chloe .........................................................................................................118 5.10 Taylor ........................................................................................................123 5.11 Conclusions ...............................................................................................128 Analysis of feminist leadership characteristics ........................................132 6.1 Introduction ..............................................................................................132 6.2 Relational leadership: working with and learning from other professionals ..................................................................................................................133 6.3 Leadership for social justice as their goal ................................................136 6.4 Positivity leadership .................................................................................138 6.5 Leadership for transformative learning by community members ...........140 6.6 Balanced leadership .................................................................................142 6.7 Conclusion ................................................................................................144 Final discussion ........................................................................................147 7.1 Introduction ..............................................................................................147 7.2 Communitarian approach to community learning ...................................149 7.3 What measures will support women working in Okayama City kominkan to lead community learning? ...................................................................152 7.4 Contribution to knowledge ......................................................................157 7.5 Future of kominkan in Okayama City .......................................................159 5 7.6 Reflection on this research to my professional work...............................161 Appendix 1 Consent Forms ................................................................................................163
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