Soka Education in Praxis: A Case Study in English Education

• In Event: Roundtable Session 19
  In Roundtable Session: Second Language Research and Pedagogy

Abstract

The presenter of this paper introduces and ethnographically examines the philosophy of soka (“value-creating”) education in English language learning in Japan. Although soka education may be Japan’s most internationally practiced pedagogy, no empirical studies of it exist in the extant literature. Thus, by triangulating classroom observations, fieldnotes, student work, and individual and focus-group interviews with 53 instructors and students at Soka University and Soka Women’s College in Tokyo, the presenter breaks new ground by examining soka education in language learning and answering the following question: How do instructors and students of English in Soka Women’s College and Soka University articulate and demonstrate soka education in praxis and, through it, articulate and cultivate academic achievement, language acquisition, value creation, and happiness?

Author

• Jason Goulah, DePaul University