NSJLE 2016 Proceedings: Visible and Valuable

Towards effective advocacy – evaluation of the Nihongo Roadshow and the
School Leader Fellowship Program
Mayumi Mitsuya
Cathy JonakThe Japan Foundation, Sydney

Introduction
Australia has the fourth highest number of learners of Japanese in the world (Kokusai Kōryū
Kikin, 2015), and Japanese is the most learned language in primary and secondary schools.
However, in many regional areas there are very limited opportunities to connect with Japanese
language and culture, and this can lead to Japanese language learners feeling disengaged fromtheir learning.
Japan has recently been losing its economic power while China’s presence has been expanding.
This is reflected in the situation of Japanese language education in Australia, wherestakeholders’ interest in Asian languages has been shifting from Japanese to Chinese. Facedwith this reality and with the decline in languages in schools in general, the Japan Foundation,
Sydney (JFSYD) has come to recognise that advocacy for Japanese language education is
critical, and has implemented two programs, the Nihongo Roadshow and the School Leader
Fellowship Program.
This paper reports on these programs and on their influence on students and the schoolcommunity. It then presents the results of a survey of teachers from various states on the mosteffective ways to advocate Japanese, and considers how to formulate future advocacy.

Nihongo Roadshow
Outline
The Nihongo Roadshow is a program which integrates a quiz day for students, a professional
development (PD) session for teachers, a film night for both students and parents and a meetingwith school principals. The aim of this event is not just to entertain students and parents withquizzes or film screenings, but to offer opportunities to connect with authentic Japanese
language and culture and to advocate Japanese learning. JFSYD has conducted the Roadshow
in eight cities in three states. Table 1 below shows the participation levels that were achieved.
Quiz Day
The quiz day participants were primary and secondary students. A total of 1217 students from
57 schools in three states participated in the quiz days. The quiz questions reflected the aims of
the Australian Curriculum and of language learning in general, and the quiz was conducted in
a combination of English and Japanese, adjusting to the level of the students. Between the quizrounds students participated in cultural activities such as the chopstick challenge and the
kendama relay.

NSJLE 2016 Proceedings: Visible and Valuable
Film NightA film night was held for students and parents, and before the screening we gave a short
information session to parents on ‘Why learn Japanese?’, where we explained the benefits oflearning languages and of learning Japanese in particular. We also handed out the advocacy
flyer produced by the Japanese Language Teachers’ Association of Victoria (JLTAV) which
gives information on how parents can support children in learning Japanese.
Meeting with principals (Tasmania only)
Principals from the host schools were invited to the quiz day, and a meeting between theprincipal and the JF staff was planned. Unfortunately, due to the principals’ busy schedules,
only one principal was able to participate in the in-depth meeting. (As a result we decided not
to schedule a principal’s meeting at the following Roadshow events and to consider other waysof advocating to the principal.)In the meeting we gave the principal information about JFSYD grant programs and PD forteachers. We also explained the situation of Japanese language education in Australia,emphasizing that the quality of Japanese teachers is high and that there is generally a good
supply of teachers, so Japanese programs can be maintained.
PD session
For the Japanese teachers we held an information session and a PD session. In the information
session we explained our grant programs and student events, and introduced useful websites
including our Classroom Resources Website. In the PD session we showed how to use quizzes
in the classroom, and shared quiz questions. Our aim was to support teachers in advocating thestudy of Japanese to students through quizzes and other events.

when

where

Mar 2015

TAS

Feb 2016

WA

Jun 2016

VIC
TOTAL

Quiz Day(students)
602 students
29 schools
358 students
13 schools
257 students
15 schools
1217 students
57 schools

Film Night(students andparents)

Meeting withprincipals

PD

96

1

23

68

---

11

48

---

10

212

1

44

Table 1: Numbers of participants in each component, by State
Feedback
Both students and teachers answered a questionnaire following the Roadshow. Additionally,
three months after the first Roadshow in Tasmania, we conducted a follow-up survey in which
we asked teachers what effect the Roadshow had had on their students, on themselves asteachers, and on the school community.

NSJLE 2016 Proceedings: Visible and Valuable
Post-event questionnaire to students

Figure 1: Student feedback (comparing primary and secondary)

Figure 2: Student feedback (comparing states)

From the survey we found that primary students responded more positively to the event thansecondary students (Figure 1). This may be because the content of the quiz questions was moresuited to the intellectual level of primary students.
Across the three states, Tasmanian students responded more positively than students from theother states (Figure 2). One possible reason for the relatively muted response in Victoria may
be that the major event was held in a suburb of Melbourne, a multi-cultural city where students
have more access to authentic Japanese language and culture. But the total rate of satisfied andsomewhat satisfied was more than 90 percent in all states, so we can say that the Roadshow
was successful in engaging students.
Post-event questionnaire to teachers
In order to find out how teachers perceived the program, we collected their comments andanalysed them. We categorised the comments under four key words: entertaining, educational,
teaching ideas, networking.
First of all, the entertaining aspect was positively evaluated by teachers who answered that‘the range of (quiz) questions was really varied and students found it interesting’. Some teachersNSJLE 2016 Proceedings: Visible and Valuable
found the program educational because ‘students learned new things about Japan that they can’t
learn at school’. Other teachers commented that the quiz ‘helped to emphasise the importanceof learning a language in a new way’. The program was educationally beneficial not only forstudents but also for teachers, as it gave them some teaching ideas and techniques which canbe applied in the classroom.
Furthermore, as several different schools participated in the event, it was a good opportunity
both for students and teachers to build networks between their peers from their area. Someteachers even mentioned that mixing students from different schools had a positive effect on
their identity as learners. It is very important for students to recognize that they belong to a
Japanese-speaking community, and we as teachers should support them in raising theirawareness of this.
Follow-up survey to teachers
We conducted a follow-up survey three months after our first roadshow in Tasmania to ascertain
if there were any ongoing benefits, asking teachers three questions.
• To the first question, ‘Have you noticed any changes in your students’ attitudes towards
Japanese learning?’, many teachers responded that students have been more motivatedsince the roadshow.
• To the second question, ‘Have there been any changes in your thinking regarding
Japanese teaching or in your classroom practices?’, some teachers responded that they
have tried to use more Japanese or include more culture in their classes. From thisfeedback we can say that positive changes were evident in students and teachers.
• However, to the third question ‘Have there been any changes in the attitude of the schoolcommunity and students’ families?’, the majority answered ‘There was little change’ or‘No’. Parents and particularly principals have an important role to play in decisionmaking concerning languages in schools, but this result tells us that it is difficult to change
their attitudes.

School Leader Fellowship Program
OutlineThe School Leader Fellowship Program is a one-week program which provides an opportunity
for school principals and administrators to explore Japan and gain an understanding of thebenefits of Japanese language learning for their students. The program comprises a publicauthority visit, a school visit, networking opportunities, cultural experiences and sightseeing.
The first program was held in February 2016, and 20 school principals and administrators
participated.
Feedback
After the program we collected feedback from participants via email, and 13 of 20 participants
responded. We asked three questions to find out how and to what extent the program influenced
participants’ perception of the Japanese program in their school.
• To the first question ‘Overall, how would you rate the tour?’, all participants respondedwith ‘Excellent’.

NSJLE 2016 Proceedings: Visible and Valuable• To the second question ‘To what extent was the tour useful for you to think about
Japanese language education?’, almost all participants responded with ‘To a great extent’.
One participant commented that the program made him realise why language education
was important and why Japanese was so important for Australia.
The last question asked the principals if the program had influenced how they saw the Japanese
program within their school. We identified the following five types of responses:• First, the program has led participants to better understand the Japanese program in theirschools. One principal commented that he felt ‘more affinity and understanding of theplace of Japanese language education in school’. Another principal mentioned that the
program increased his awareness of the potential value of the Japanese language program.
• Second, the program has led participants to improve and expand the Japanese programand curriculum. One participant has made arrangements with teachers ‘to improve thecurriculum, improve the language used in class’, and another has started to expand thenumber of year levels which offer Japanese at their school.
• Third, the program has led participants to improve ways of promoting their Japanese
program. One participant commented that the program made him/her fully committed to
publicising how successful, dynamic and strong the Japanese program is at his/her schooland promoting it further on the school website and information days.
• Fourth, participants have recognised the importance of cultural understanding in language
learning through the program. One participant understood that ‘the language needs to betaught within the context of the culture and both elements need to be part of the program
to make it more effective’, even adding a comment that ‘just learning to speak thelanguage could be an empty experience without the cultural context and understanding.’• Lastly, some participants have started to create links with Japan, such as establishing asister school program and organising a student tour of Japan. One participant whose
school already has a sister school wishes to strengthen the existing program to createstronger links with the sister school.
Participants identified some aspects of the program that could be improved. One participantsuggested time during the orientation for sharing brief background presentations on each other’s
school Japanese program. Another suggested a daily de-briefing and reflection session. A
further suggestion was for a follow-up evaluation of the long-term effects of the program. This
feedback has shown us that there was a need to not just focus on the in-Japan part of the program,but to see it as part of an ongoing project in which participants would continue to network andsupport Japanese language education in their regions.

How can teachers be powerful advocates?
From the feedback above we learned that the Nihongo Roadshow had a significant impact on
students and teachers, as did the School Leader Fellowship Program on principals andadministrators. However, teachers are obviously key persons in advocacy, as they have contact
with students, principals, and parents on a daily basis, and have therefore more opportunities toadvocate the Japanese program in the school community. But how can teachers be powerfuladvocates? What do they need? In order to answer these questions, we conducted a
supplementary survey with the help of 124 of the teachers who participated in the JFSYD
Intensive Seminars and a number of state PD sessions. We asked two questions, as seen in Table
2, which teachers rated on a scale from 4 to 1.

NSJLE 2016 Proceedings: Visible and Valuable
Table 2: Questionnaire for advocacy survey
Q1: How effective do you think the following methods are for advocating Japanesestudy? Please rate from 4 (effective) to 1 (ineffective).
・Paper materials (e.g. flyer, pamphlet)
・Online materials (e.g. video, website, movie)
・Promotional activities (e.g. students contest, cultural event)・Training session for teachers in advocacy skills

Q2: How important do you think the following items are as information for advocacy?
Please rate from 4 (very important) to 1 (unimportant).
・A list of educational institutions where students can learn Japanese・A list of organisations where students can potentially apply their Japanese language skills
・Hearing about the experiences of those who have learnt or are currently learning Japanese・Information about Japan and the Japanese language

Effective methods for advocacy
Regarding the first question, all items except paper materials were perceived as effective orquite effective. An advocacy training session for teachers was particularly highly rated (Figure3). This indicates that teachers think they should take the lead in advocacy and gain the skills
required.

Figure 3: Effective methods for advocacy
Important information for advocacy
Regarding the second question, all of the information listed was perceived as important, butteachers thought that hearing about the experiences of those who have learnt or are currently
learning Japanese was particularly important (Figure 4).

NSJLE 2016 Proceedings: Visible and Valuable

Figure 4: Important information for advocacy
To summarize, there are four essential elements involved in advocacy: teachers who advocate,
up-to date and handy materials, workshops or sessions to gain advocacy skills, and networks toconnect these elements. And advocacy materials should contain information such as personal
experiences and pathways to the future.

Findings and Conclusion
In order to boost students’ engagement, providing opportunities to connect to Japanese
language and culture through a program such as the Nihongo Roadshow is highly effective inremote areas. However, the Roadshow was less effective in cities where access to Japanese
language and culture already exists. Secondly, while the Roadshow had an impact on students’
engagement in the short to medium term, it is not clear how it will affect students in the longer
term. Therefore, we should consider other possibilities for encouraging and maintaining student
engagement.
The School Leader Fellowship Program had a significant impact on principals andadministrators in leading them to recognise the importance of intercultural understanding andJapanese language programs in their own schools/ states. We need to follow up the relevantschool programs to see if there is a long-term flow-on effect on the schools and theircommunities.
The supplementary survey revealed that materials and resources alone are not enough for
advocacy, but advocacy skills and networking are also crucial. The next step will be to findwhat kinds of skills are required and how we can acquire and share them.
Despite the challenging situation we are facing, Japanese is still a leading mainstream languagein schools taught by enthusiastic teachers who maintain vibrant teacher associations with strong
networks around Australia. The Japan Foundation is very keen to support initiatives of teachers
and their organisations and to collaborate with them in building and sharing strategies foradvocacy of Japanese language learning.

NSJLE 2016 Proceedings: Visible and Valuable
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