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Importing Diversity: Inside Japan's JET Program

Description

In 1987, the Japanese government inaugurated the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) program in response to global pressure to "internationalize" its society. This ambitious program has grown to be a major government operation, with an annual budget of $400 million (greater than the United States NEA and NEH combined) and more than six thousand foreign nationals employed each year in public schools all over Japan.

How does a relatively homogeneous and insular society react when a buzzword is suddenly turned into a reality? How did the arrival of so many foreigners affect Japan's educational bureaucracy? How did the foreigners themselves feel upon discovering that English teaching was not the primary goal of the program? In this balanced study of the JET program, David L. McConnell draws on ten years of ethnographic research to explore the cultural and political dynamics of internationalization in Japan. Through vignettes and firsthand accounts, he highlights and interprets the misunderstandings of the early years of the program, traces the culture clashes at all levels of the bureaucracy, and speculates on what lessons the JET program holds for other multicultural initiatives.

This fascinating book's jargon-free style and interdisciplinary approach will make it appealing to educators, policy analysts, students of Japan, and prospective and former JET participants.

Reviews

Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2010-06-07
Summary: "Good Background Knowledge"

While at times this book is a bit more of an academic read (it is, after all, basically a case study), I found it very useful in learning about the background of the JET program. As an incoming JET participant myself, I've found it very informative in understanding why and how the JET program was formed, as well as the snags it encountered in its formative years. It also gives a very good perspective on the JET program through the Japanese eyes, such as those of the Japanese Teachers of English, as well as some of the bureaucrats involved in its running. I'm definitely glad I read this book and hope to share it with fellow JET participants as well.

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Rating: 3 / 5
Date: 2008-12-29
Summary: "Importing Diversity - A Good Inside Look at the JET Program"

McConnell's book gives you a good behind the scenes look at the JET Program during its early years. It would have been nice if McConnell would have provided more depth than breadth, but his research does give you a good look at the program through the eyes of the national government, local officials, and JET participants. I definitely recommend it if you are looking for a study of the JET Program from an anthropoligical perspective.

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Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2008-06-23
Summary: "In The Beginning..."

First, as many reviews may point out - this is a history book. It deals with the creation of JET, the goals it started with, what it developed into and what it can teach us. The Japanese government brought it into existence to respond to global pressure to become more international. The Japanese school system and language teachers saw it as a chance to help their students pass their exams and, maybe, learn a little about the outside world. The American and English and German and other teachers saw it as many things - a way to learn about Japan, a way to force Western values and methods onto the Japanese, a way to bring change to Japan. There were problems with Jet in the form of different goals, cultural barriers and, yes, a language barrier. By reading this book, and trying to understand the many sides of the problems and solutions, we can learn a lot about what the future holds for JET and other international initiatives.

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Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2008-02-25
Summary: "A resource I refer to constantly!"

My research interest has become team-teaching in Japan's high schools, and there simply isn't that much out there which is unbiased, well-informed and detailed. More than any other book, I always recommend this to ALTs, whether they're JET teachers or not.

Why? Because though much of the book is devoted to the origins of the JET program (which started in 1987) , it's not difficult to extrapolate to the present in terms of Japanese attitudes toward English, toward foreign English teachers, and to what they value in both.

The more I learn about Japan's educational system, the more I can see that ALT are not necessarily discriminated against; in many JTEs (Japanese teachers of English) situations are intense versions ALT situations.

Whether you're coming to Japan, are here now, whether you're a JET teacher or a businessman, you will find plenty to apply to your situation. Don't look at this as a how-to or an expose; it's not meant to be either. View this as good journalism, take everything you can from it and run!Importing Diversity: Inside Japan's JET Program

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Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2006-05-01
Summary: "Rings true for me"

As far as I have seen, this is probably the one essential book that anybody needs before embarking on a year (or longer) of teaching English in Japan. I certainly wish I had found it in advance of my own teaching adventure to the country. Although I wasn't in the JET program, much of its content applies to Westerners regardless of the exact nature of the teaching situation. As I haven't been back to Japan for a few years now I can't comment on those who say some of the information in the book is out of date, but it certainly rings true for me.
A strange companion piece to this book for anyone (guys especially) thinking of making the leap to Japan might be Josh Muggins' "How to Pick Up Japanese Chicks and Doom Your Immortal Soul"-a highly readable cautionary tale about all that can go wrong with a young male gaijin's social life.