Purdue University Purdue e-Pubs Open Access Dissertations Theses and Dissertations 12-2016 Language, culture, and identity negotiation: perspectives of adolescent Japanese sojourner students in the Midwest, USA Reiko Akiyama Purdue University Follow this and additional works at: https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/open_access_dissertations Part of the Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons Recommended Citation Akiyama, Reiko, "Language, culture, and identity negotiation: perspectives of adolescent Japanese sojourner students in the Midwest, USA" (2016). Open Access Dissertations. 901. https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/open_access_dissertations/901 This document has been made available through Purdue e-Pubs, a service of the Purdue University Libraries. Please contact [email protected] for additional information. Graduate School Form 30 Updated PURDUE UNIVERSITY GRADUATE SCHOOL Thesis/Dissertation Acceptance This is to certify that the thesis/dissertation prepared By Reiko Akiyama Entitled LANGUAGE, CULTURE, AND IDENTITY NEGOTIATION: PERSPECTIVES OF ADOLESCENT JAPANESE SOJOURNER STUDENTS IN THE MIDWEST, USA For the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Is approved by the final examining committee: JoAnn I. Phillion Chair Janet M. Alsup Luciana C. de Oliveira Anatoli Rapoport To the best of my knowledge and as understood by the student in the Thesis/Dissertation Agreement, Publication Delay, and Certification Disclaimer (Graduate School Form 32), this thesis/dissertation adheres to the provisions of Purdue University’s “Policy of Integrity in Research” and the use of copyright material. Approved by Major Professor(s): JoAnn I. Phillion Approved by: Janet M. Alsup 11/09/2016 Head of the Departmental Graduate Program Date i LANGUAGE, CULTURE, AND IDENTITY NEGOTIATION: PERSPECTIVES OF ADOLESCENT JAPANESE SOJOURNER STUDENTS IN THE MIDWEST, USA A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of Purdue University by Reiko Akiyama In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy i December 2016 Purdue University West Lafayette, Indiana ii For my parents Kaeko and Takashi Akiyama Also for my host mother in Chico, California Janice Evans (1940-2015) ii iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to use this opportunity to recognize and thank the people who supported my dissertation research. First and foremost, I would like to express the deepest appreciation to my committee chair, Dr. Phillion, who is also my academic advisor. Since I started the doctoral program in Curriculum Studies at Purdue University as her advisee in 2010, I have deepened my knowledge under her guidance, especially on the topic of social justice through the lens of multicultural education. Dr. Phillion has been tremendously supportive throughout my Ph.D. work, and I have been fortunate enough to receive her accurate and helpful advice and feedback. Without her guidance and persistence, this dissertation would not have been possible. In addition, I would like to thank my dissertation committee members: Dr. Alsup, Dr. de Oliveira, and Dr. Rapoport. Your support and feedback—especially on adolescent identity development, iii the terms and issues of English language learners, and phenomenography—further strengthened and enriched my dissertation. Second, I would like to thank the Japanese sojourner families—the Yoshidas, the Sasakis, and the Tanakas—for participating in my research. I also appreciate the staff and students at Salem Saturday School—especially Principal Sato and Dr. Yamada—for their positive cooperation with me. To Hinako, Ryo, Yui, Kenji, and Sayo: all the experiences that you shared with me revealed the reality of Japanese sojourner students’ learning iv experiences in the Midwest, especially in areas with a smaller Japanese population. Both your bitter, challenging experiences and your beneficial ones while sojourning shed light on the development of teacher education programs in terms of deepening the understanding of cultural and linguistic minority students. To Ms. Yoshida, Ms. Sasaki, and Ms. Tanaka: your own experiences as sojourners as well as your perspectives on your children’s U.S. school experiences also enriched my dissertation research. I believe that the inclusion of all of your voices in this study will form a solid foundation for future research on cultural and linguistic minority students living in the Midwest. Third, I would like to thank my friends in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction for their constant encouragement. I especially thank Ileana and Nassi for their support. You always stood by me, listened when I told you of my struggles and anxious feelings, and gave me various words of encouragement. You totally empowered me—I could never have been so successful without your encouragement. Fourth, I want to thank Ms. Goodwin for providing me with effective linguistic support as a professional editor. Although we have not met in person, you are one of the iv most talented editors I have ever seen, and I have been very fortunate to have your support. You polished and refined my writing in order to provide clear and appropriate explanations, expressions, and descriptions for the readers. I wish I could show this dissertation research to my “Chico Mama,” Jan, who passed away last summer. Like my parents, she was so proud of me for earning a doctoral degree at Purdue University, and she was eager to come to my graduation ceremony. She will be loved and missed forever. v Lastly, I am truly grateful to my family in Japan. Thank you to my parents, Kaeko and Takashi, as well as my siblings, Mihoko and Keisuke. You have always believed in my potential and supported me throughout my doctoral life—I cannot express how grateful I am to you all. v vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................... iii LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................ xii ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................... xiii CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................... 1 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 1 Research Inspiration ....................................................................................................... 1 Japanese Sojourner Students ..................................................................................... 1 Personal Interests and Experiences ........................................................................... 2 Personal Connections ................................................................................................ 3 My Teaching Perspectives at Purdue University ...................................................... 5 Pilot Study ................................................................................................................. 6 Use of Terms .................................................................................................................. 6 Overview of This Research .......................................................................................... 10 vi CHAPTER 2. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK AND LITERATURE REVIEW ...... 14 Introduction .................................................................................................................. 14 Theoretical Framework ................................................................................................ 14 Japanese Sojourner Students in the Midwest .......................................................... 15 Second Language Acquisition: Cultural Adjustment and Linguistic Barriers ........ 16 Identity Development .............................................................................................. 18 Research Questions ...................................................................................................... 24 Literature Review on Japanese Sojourner Students ..................................................... 26 Motivation of Sojourner Students ........................................................................... 27 Educational Challenges ........................................................................................... 28 vii Page Cultural Adjustments .......................................................................................... 29 Language Barriers .............................................................................................. 31 The Model Minority Stereotype ......................................................................... 33 Preparation as Future Kikokushijo ...................................................................... 34 Benefits of Sojourning ............................................................................................ 36 Literature Review on Identity Development ................................................................ 38 CHAPTER 3. METHODOLOGY .................................................................................. 42 Introduction .................................................................................................................. 42 Methodological Framework ......................................................................................... 42 Phenomenography ..................................................................................................