In the field of teaching Japanese as a second language, teacher education has recently received much attention as seen in the increasing number of presentations and articles (e.g., Ozaki et al., 2000; Nihongo Kyooin Yooseikatei Choosa Kenkyuu Iinkai, 2001; Yokomizo and Tohsaku, 2003). The increasing attention to this type of study derives from the paradigm shift from ‘teacher training' (in which one type of teaching is considered the uppermost model to master) to ‘teacher development' (in which each teacher seeks their own good teaching). In this new paradigm, ‘self-directed teachers' and ‘reflective practitioners' have been considered models of a good teacher since they constantly develop themselves as a teacher. Action research (hereafter, AR) has been paid much attention as a means to realize these models.
Like other fields of education, AR has been conducted in the field of teaching Japanese as a second language, too (Tsuda, 1998; Yokoi, 1999; Nakamura and Yamada, 2000; Yokomizo, 2000; Mihara et al., 2001). However, its number is still rather limited and almost all of them have been conducted by in-service teachers. Sakoda (2000) is the only study which introduced AR to student-teachers (i.e., pre-service teachers), but the analysis of this attempt is merely based upon the observation of the teacher in charge of the course.
This particular study is a case study to clarify the role of AR when it is introduced into a practicum course of teaching Japanese as a second language. By qualitative analysis of the data gained from participants of the practicum course in 2001, 2002 and 2003 (3 teacher-educators, 6 teaching assistants and 41 student-teachers), this study attempted to investigate student-teachers' development throughout the course.
Student-teachers' development was observed in positive manners, such as (1) positive learning attitudes, (2) co-development with other student-teachers, (3) realization of the importance of ‘teacher as a researcher', (4) attention to learners, (5) realization of self-development in their selected AR topic, etc.
At the same time, this study revealed several problems. The most serious problem was ‘double burden' of teaching and conducting AR in the same course. As its concrete solution, ‘Participatory Teaching' (Allwright, 1999) is suggested to those with limited teaching experiences.
This particular research is merely a case study, and therefore, its results and discussions are likely to be valid within the context of the study. It can be expected that different results will occur when AR is introduced in other contexts of a practicum course of Teaching Japanese as a Second Language. Further studies are awaited in order to clarify possibilities and limitations of teaching practicum courses within the framework of teacher development.
本研究は、「アクション・リサーチ（以下、AR）」を導入した「教師成長型」日本語教育実習を紹介し、参加した実習生の内省の分析を通して、実施に伴う問題点を考察する事例研究である。2001、2002、2003年度の実習期間中に実習参加者から得た実習前のデータと実習後のデータを質的に分析し、（１）積極的態度の養成、（２）共同成長、（３）｢研究者としての教師｣の重要性の認識、（４）学習者への注意力、（５）各自選択したテーマ内での自身の成長の認識等の観点から、考察を行った。その一方、問題点としては、特に「実習生の実習授業とARの二重負担感」が挙げられる。そこで、問題点を克服するために2003年度に実施した「探究的授業」について紹介した。
The action research process as a means of helping student teachers understand and fulfil the complex role of the teacher
