論文の英文要旨
Social Change and Education in Nunavut, Canada

論文題目―A Case Study at Iqaluit－Mizuho Hasegawa

氏

名Nunavut land claims agreement in 1993 and the official creation of Nunavut, 85% of
which is inhabited by Inuit, in 1999 were significant historical events. One of thebiggest motivations in creating Nunavut was the desire to protect Inuit language andculture. In 2008, three acts were passed in Nunavut. The Inuit Language Protection
Act was created to revitalize and protect Inuit language. The Official Languages Act
gives equal rights and status to the Inuit, English and French languages. Education
Act sets a bilingual education system based on Inuit cultural values
The schools in 1950s and 1960s were used as instruments of colonial policy andschooling was aimed at the assimilation of Inuit into the main stream. All instruction
was done in English. At the moment, having abandoned the colonial policy ofassimilation, the Canadian government has been taking measures for the legislativeand financial support for Inuit, their language and culture. Inuit language and culture
were given “recognition” under multiculturalism. However, Nunavut Inuit now realizethat the Inuit language usage has declined and education achievements and outcomesin Nunavut are still lower than in other jurisdictions in Canada.
Why and how did this happen? The object of this thesis is:1) To understand and analyze the language situation, educational achievements andthe implementation of bilingual education at Iqaluit, Nunavut.
2) To analyze the reasons for the present situation.
3) To propose some measures for the present situation.
The author of this thesis got a research license (02- 049-16N-M) issued by Nunavut
Research Institute and conducted questionnaire ( 61 Inuit) and interview (4 non-Inuit,23 Inuit) research at Iqaluit in September, 2016. The research methodology is atriangulation of quantitative and qualitative research, participant observation oflanguage behavior and a literature review concerned. Therefore, data came primarily
1from questionnaire, interview and a review of the literature. Findings are as follows:
1) Inuit language as the language spoken at home and at work is declining.
Inuktitut (a major Inuit dialect) slides toward endangerment.
2) It is age that constitutes the most meaning factor related to language abilities.
Most Inuit between 30 and 60 years old are bilingual but young Inuit are more
fluent in spoken English than in Inuktitut. English is also more dominant when it
comes to reading and writing for young Inuit. Formal Nunavut education thus
seems to have been detrimental especially to literacy in Inuktitut.
3) Most Inuit wish to be Inuit-English bilingual.
4) High school graduation-rate is still low (31.5%, 17-18 years old) in Nunavut.
5) The data shows class formation within Inuit population. Almost 40% of Inuit go
on to post- secondary education (Aboriginal Statics, 2015).
The reasons for the present situation are:1) Early-exit transitional bilingual education system.
Under the current bilingual system, students in Inuit language stream make anabrupt switch to English language instruction following grade 4 and it isinadequate to achieve truly bilingual students.
2) Shortage of Inuit teachers and teaching materials.
3) Social problems.
As for low high- school graduation rate, various social factors, such as drug,violence, poverty, teenage pregnancy etc. are interacting with each other and noone factor can explain the issue.
4) The transition from regional board-administered decision making to government
centered decision making.
Lastly, the following seem to be necessary:1) Teacher recruitment and training and the development of teaching materials2) The Inuit language immersion school (k-12) as a pilot case3) Nunavut Teacher Education Program taught in Inuit language
4) Standardization of Inuit language
5) More use of Inuit language at home and in community
The urgent education efforts and the adequate solution of social and culturalproblems are necessary in Nunavut.

2