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Descriptors:
Immigrants; Children; Preschool Teachers; Semi Structured Interviews; Mothers; Japanese Americans; Preschool Education; Mother Attitudes; Communication Strategies; Interpersonal Relationship; Educational Attitudes

Abstract:
Japanese immigrants have been living in the United States for nearly 150 years. Yet, despite the continued presence of this population, there is not a lot of research to suggest why Japanese families have not become more active participants in preschools across the United States (US). In an attempt to understand this phenomenon, this paper examined the voices of nine Japanese immigrant mothers living in the US and articulates their major concerns and ideas; it also provides suggestions to early childhood professionals regarding these insights. Fundamental to this study is the belief that both Japanese parents and preschool teachers need to make a sincere effort to learn and employ communicative strategies and to acquire fundamental knowledge for building effective relationships. Data were drawn from semi-structured interviews and conducted over 12 months of fieldwork. Implications for early childhood professionals are explicated and briefly discussed. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Immigrants; Parent Child Relationship; Cultural Differences; Infants; Mothers; Japanese Americans; Whites; Infant Behavior; Cultural Background; Cultural Influences; Socialization; Video Technology; Coding; Foreign Countries

Abstract:
Cultural variation in relations and moment-to-moment contingencies of infant-mother person-oriented and object-oriented interactions were compared in 118 Japanese, Japanese American immigrant, and European American dyads with 5.5-month-olds. Infant and mother person-oriented behaviors were related in all cultural groups, but infant and mother object-oriented behaviors were related only among European Americans. Infant and mother behaviors within each modality were mutually contingent in all groups. Culture moderated lead-lag relations: Japanese infants were more likely than their mothers to respond in object-oriented interactions; European American mothers were more likely than their infants to respond in person-oriented interactions. Japanese American dyads behaved like European American dyads. Interactions, infant effects, and parent socialization findings are set in cultural and accultural models of infant-mother transactions. (Contains 2 tables.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Childrens Literature; Figurative Language; Personal Narratives; Ideology; Fiction; Grade 5; Japanese Americans; Reading Material Selection; World History; United States History; Elementary School Students; War; Picture Books; Social Bias; Teaching Methods; Consciousness Raising; Content Analysis

Abstract:
Ideological assumptions about childhood play into the production and selection of children's literature. Various ideologies proclaim that children should be happy and free from stories of evil, children's literature should help children encounter the joys in life, it should be filled with bright colors to keep children's attention, and it should teach a good lesson (Nodelman & Reimer, 2003; Tunnell & Jacobs, 2008). However, many authors and illustrators of historical fiction challenge mainstream or traditional ideologies by telling stories that shed light on some darker moments in human history. They challenge the notion that children should only be exposed to literature that has a happy ending or mirrors dominant ideologies. In this article, the author describes how fifth graders interpreted Japanese American Internment picturebooks and developed awareness of injustice and irony as presented in the visual and written narratives. (Contains 6 figures.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Religious Factors; Buddhism; Religion; Religious Cultural Groups; Foreign Countries; Japanese Americans; Spiritual Development; Motivation; Death; Content Analysis; Beliefs

Abstract:
This qualitative interview study investigated Japanese understandings of spirituality, religion, and The Divine. Thirteen native Japanese living in central Ohio (6 male, 7 female) answered open-ended questions about spiritual or religious activities they engaged in, motivations for engaging in them, what constitutes sacredness, why humanity and the universe exist, and what happens after death. Content analyses identified prominent themes. Participants overwhelmingly reported no religious affiliation and espoused certain secular beliefs, yet the majority also reported beliefs related to traditional Japanese religions. Overall, understanding of existence and the human condition appeared to blend Buddhist, Shinto, and secular themes at a psychological level. Conceptualization of The Divine included themes involving interrelatedness, real-world perfection, and connection to the human heart. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Natural Disasters; Mental Health Workers; Mental Health; Foreign Countries; School Psychology; School Counselors; Japanese Americans; Mental Health Programs; Cultural Context; Social Support Groups; Technical Assistance; Helping Relationship; Emergency Programs; Crisis Management

Abstract:
On Friday, March 11, 2011, one of the worst disasters in the world hit the country of Japan. A magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck off the coast of Japan, forever changing the lives of the people and the state of the country. Not only were lives lost and homes destroyed, the tsunami that followed caused numerous nuclear accidents around the Fukushima nuclear power plant, forcing many to leave their homes and live in evacuation centers miles away. According to the National Police Agency of Japan, this disaster caused close to 16,000 deaths and more than 5,000 injuries. More than 8,000 people are still missing. While miles away from the epicenter of this natural disaster, mental health professionals may have encountered or may encounter Japanese and Japanese American individuals in the United States who were affected by this event. The authors of this article are Japanese and Japanese American school counselor and school psychology graduates and students residing in San Diego, California, who came together to bring about awareness regarding this situation. This article addresses various perspectives of those affected by the earthquake, an overview of the efforts of the mental health professionals in Japan and abroad, and cultural considerations when working with Japanese students in the school system. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
War; Personal Narratives; Japanese Americans; Violence; Law Enforcement; Institutionalized Persons; Immigrants; History; Autobiographies; Discourse Analysis; Political Influences; Content Analysis; Rhetoric

Abstract:
One of the more complex and premeditated acts of covert violence during World War II concerns the American surveillance, arrest, and incarceration of thousands of resident Japanese immigrants prior to and upon the outbreak of the Pacific War. While briefly outlining the historical and political context of this mass incarceration, specifically pertaining to the Territory of Hawaii, this essay examines two documents and the rhetorical strategies they employed. Both documents were written from the Santa Fe Internment Camp in New Mexico: a large group petition and an individual petition--the former using a collective autobiographical experience, the latter personal narrative, for political purposes, as rationale for the reversal of the government's decision for mainland exile, and the return of the internees to their island homes. Despite disenfranchisement on various levels, the petitioners were arguing for political subjectivity and voice within the discourse of their oppressors. (Contains 15 notes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Japanese Americans; War; United States History; Rhetoric; Self Concept; Authors; Writing (Composition); Emotional Response; Resistance (Psychology); Diaries; Coping

Abstract:
Although Japanese Americans' concept of "gaman" has been stereotypically associated with silent passivity, several practiced this principle as a form of resistance in personal writings about the U.S. government's incarceration of them during World War II. This article focuses on the relationship between gaman, an inherited cultural rhetoric often presumed to be passive, and the use of literacy to respond to the conditions of oppression. It addresses the ways a cultural rhetoric that values silence can still encourage verbal activity. Though a cultural ethos like gaman, with its emphasis on outward silence, may seem to simply stifle verbalization, a look at more private forms of literacy in the incarceration camps suggests that the technology of writing enabled many "Nikkei" (of Japanese ancestry) both to verbalize a wide range of emotion-thought and practice gaman at the same time. Before the author addresses the specific ways that the activity of writing made this possible, the author begins with a more in-depth discussion of the struggle over meaning that has often surrounded gaman. (Contains 6 notes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Community Colleges; Structural Equation Models; Pacific Islanders; Interaction; Learning Processes; Asian Americans; White Students; Ethnicity; Cultural Differences; Japanese Americans; Chinese Americans; Filipino Americans; Hawaiians; Student Attitudes; Student Experience

Abstract:
This paper examines two topics understudied in higher education: the within group diversity of ethnic subgroups subsumed by the label Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) and minority-serving institutions. Using structural equation modeling, this paper examines the college pathways of community college students in Hawai'i through the experience of Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, Hawai'ian and White students with the intention of understanding their college-learning processes. Analysis of interaction terms in structural equation models reveals race has a moderating effect on students' college experience views. The results from structural equation modeling also show some differences in main effects and total effects due to the inclusion of several interaction terms and the relaxing of the nonrecursive assumption. (Contains 2 tables.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Literacy; Japanese Americans; Case Studies; Interviews; Observation; Parent Attitudes; Native Language; Japanese; Family Relationship; Heritage Education; Access to Education; Language Maintenance; Ethnography; English (Second Language); Second Language Learning

Abstract:
This article documents the heritage-language (HL) literacy practices of three Japanese American families residing in a predominantly Anglo and Latino community. Through interviews and observations, this study investigates Japanese children's HL-literacy practices, parental attitudes toward HL literacy, and challenges in HL-literacy development in a setting with minimal access to other HL speakers and resources. The data show that Japanese-literacy practices differed in each family, reflecting the situated nature of literacy and each family's unique needs for literacy. By providing exposure to varied forms of literacy texts and practices, the parents were instrumental in supporting their children's Japanese-literacy skills. Japanese literacy gave the children a strong foundation upon which to build their HL, supported familial relations, and also created channels of communication among family members. Although the parents possessed a focused commitment to achieve native-like HL literacy skills for their children, they were skeptical that their children would be able to reach this goal. The lack of external support, such as HL-speaking peers, HL schools, and accessible information about pedagogical strategies and resources, was perceived as a barrier to their efforts in helping their children sustain a high level of interest in HL-literacy practices. (Contains 2 tables and 2 footnotes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Psycholinguistics; Metalinguistics; Developmental Psychology; Language Acquisition; Cognitive Ability; Bilingualism; Story Telling; Language Research; Child Development; Cultural Pluralism; Cultural Differences; English; Literacy; Sociolinguistics; Vocabulary; Student Evaluation; Vocabulary Development; Japanese; Language Universals; Japanese Americans; Educational Environment; Language Skills

Abstract:
The topic of bilingualism has aroused considerable interest in research on language acquisition in recent decades. Researchers in various fields, such as developmental psychology and psycholinguistics, have investigated bilingual populations from different perspectives in order to understand better how bilingualism affects cognitive abilities like memory, perception, and metalinguistic awareness. Telling Stories in Two Languages contributes to the general upsurge in linguistically related studies of bilingual children. The book's particular and unique focus is narrative development in a bilingual and multicultural context. The book is particularly important in an increasingly pluralistic and multicultural United States, where there are large numbers of children from increasingly diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Telling stories is important in the context of language and communication development because it is often by means of this activity that children develop the skill of presenting a series of events both in speech and writing. However, varying concepts of literacy exist in different societies, and literacy has different social and personal implications in different social and cultural contexts. In our schools, teachers are expected to teach what is relevant for students in the dominant cultural framework, but it would benefit those teachers greatly to have an understanding of important differences in, for example, narrative styles of different cultures. Bilingualism or even multilingualism is all around us. Even in the United States, where a single language is clearly predominant, there are hundreds of languages spoken. Speaking more than one language may not be typical, but is so common in modern times that it would be senseless to ignore its many implications. The study of narratives told by children in both English and Japanese that are presented in this book will provide an important point of reference for research aimed at teasing apart the relative contributions of linguistic abilities and cultural conceptions to bilingual children's narrative development. The following chapters are contained in this book: (1) Introduction; (2) Bilingualism, Literacy, and Schooling: A Sociolinguistic Perspective; (3) Assessment of Vocabulary; (4) Complexities of Bilingualism: Putting Together Vocabulary Building and Storytelling; (5) Narrative Discourse Skills in English-Japanese Bilingual Children: Content-Focus Approach; (6) Linking Bilingual Children's Connective Use and Narrative Macrostructure; (7) Universals and Language-Specific Aspects of Narrative Development: Form/Function Relations; (8) Referential Topic Management in English-Japanese Bilingual Children's Narratives; and (9) Telling Good Stories in Different Languages: Linguistic and Educational Implications of Bilingual Children's Narrative. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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