International parents in Tokyo and the education of their transnational children.

Abstract

This thesis is a qualitative investigation of sixty-one international parents living in Tokyo in relation to their family’s cultural background and their choice of schooling for their children. The context of cosmopolitan Tokyo is discussed as the city of residence for three groups of participants: Japanese-born internationally-oriented families; Japanese intercultural families; and non-Japanese internationally-mobile families with origins in other countries. Research on so-called ‘Third Culture’ or ‘Cross Cultural Kids’ is reviewed in order to understand children’s experiences of growing up in more than one cultural context because of parental career or lifestyle decisions. In addition, the range and nature of Japanese and non-Japanese national and international schools available to international parents in Tokyo is described. The conceptual framework adopted is based on Bronfenbrenner’s human ecology model, in which the various contexts of children’s lives—family, school and community—need to be seen holistically and as interacting influences in children’s social and educational development. This approach was extended by Epstein who described the possible partnerships among these three contexts in terms of overlapping spheres of influence. Based on these two models, the research developed a new conceptual framework of fourteen cross cultural scenarios designed to take account of the experiences of transnational children who find themselves negotiating unfamiliar cultural settings, either at school or in society. Four spheres of cultural influence on the social and educational developmental ecology of transnational children in Tokyo were identified and specified as mother’s cultural background (M), father’s cultural background (F), school cultural background (S), all sited within the Japanese residential country culture (R). For this exploratory study, research data concerning the families’ cultural backgrounds and choice of schools for their only or eldest child in Tokyo were collected in two distinct stages. First, a four-page questionnaire, distributed throughout the 23 wards of Tokyo, but predominantly the high foreign population areas in and around Minato-ward during 14 November – 20 December 2007, was completed by 55 parent respondents (43 mothers and 12 fathers). Their responses were summarised in frequency tables. Second, face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 parents (10 mothers and 7 fathers), with nine parents participating in both stages. Participants were again recruited predominantly throughout the Minato-ward of central Tokyo during the period 26 June – 29 August 2008. The interviews were audio-recorded and later transcribed as narratives, used to develop family profile summaries, and discussed in relation to four key themes that emerged: international orientation; location of home; language socialisation; and school choice. An analysis of the research data, in terms of the spheres of cultural influence, revealed that ten of the fourteen cross cultural scenarios were represented. Correlating each family’s cultural background with the choice of schooling for their only or eldest child in Tokyo, revealed a definite pattern of relationships. It also demonstrated the usefulness of the cross cultural scenario framework for identifying the extent of cultural overlap in each child’s ecology. Such understanding is important for parents, schools and community services dealing with transnational children in Tokyo, as well as providing insights for those in other international education contexts.