Speakers
Description
This study explores university language teachers’ experiences of belonging in Japan. Using narrative inquiry, data were collected from 47 educators through open-ended written vignettes describing moments of belonging and exclusion. Findings show that all participants experienced both belonging and unbelonging, though those with fewer institutional privileges reported more frequent exclusion. Professional recognition, collegial support, and career opportunities fostered belonging, while microaggressions, precarious employment, and social exclusion undermined teacher well-being and retention.
References
Clandinin, D.J. (2023). Engaging in narrative inquiry (2nd ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003240143
Keywords
belonging, university, intersectionality
Abstract
Belonging is a crucial yet underexamined aspect of educators’ professional lives, particularly in contexts where language teachers often navigate complex cultural, linguistic, and institutional hierarchies. While existing research has largely focused on students’ sense of belonging, educators’ experiences, especially those of university language teachers in Japan remain underexplored. For our research, we collected data from 47 language educators working in Japan using an open-ended Google forms questionnaire. The participants responded to two prompts providing short written vignettes describing moments they felt a sense of belonging and moments when they felt excluded. We analyzed the data through a narrative approach as theorized by Clandinin (2023).
Our findings show that all participants experienced both belonging and unbelonging, regardless of race, gender, age, or employment status, underscoring the subjective and situational nature of belonging. However, educators with fewer institutional and social privileges reported more frequent and intense experiences of unbelonging. Professional recognition, career development support, and strong collegial relationships were key markers of belonging, while lack of recognition, racialized and linguistic microaggressions, precarious employment, and social exclusion contributed to unbelonging. These experiences shaped participants’ professional identities, well-being, and intentions to remain at their institutions. Based on these findings, we emphasize the need for institutions to move beyond symbolic inclusivity toward systems that genuinely recognize and support teachers as valued members of the teaching community in Japan.
Short summary
This study explores university language teachers’ experiences of belonging in Japan. Using narrative inquiry, data were collected from 47 educators through open-ended written vignettes describing moments of belonging and exclusion. Findings show that all participants experienced both belonging and unbelonging, though those with fewer institutional privileges reported more frequent exclusion. Professional recognition, collegial support, and career opportunities fostered belonging, while microaggressions, precarious employment, and social exclusion undermined teacher well-being and retention.
| Scheduling preference | Anytime on Saturday |
|---|---|
| Title | Narrating Belonging: Experiences of ELT Teachers in Japan |