Vulnerability and Resilience During Emergency Remote Teaching: Voices of Part-Time University English Language Teachers in Japan
Wendy M. Gough, Bill Snyder, Chiyuki Yanase, and Colin Skeates (Life and Education in Japan Series)
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This book explores the profound impact of Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT) on part-time university English language teachers in Japan during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through a blend of quantitative data and heartfelt personal narratives, the authors reveal the complex challenges faced by these educators—ranging from job insecurity to the rapid adoption of new teaching technologies. The initial chapters delve into the setup of the study, followed by detailed analyses of survey and interview data that underscore the vulnerability and resilience these teachers exhibited. As the pandemic forced a sudden shift to online education, the book examines how these teachers navigated their altered professional landscapes, balancing teaching responsibilities with personal and professional uncertainties.
Part three of the book focuses on the voices of the participants, offering rich, first-person insights into their experiences during the first semester of ERT. The narrative deepens with participant interviews and personal reflections that illustrate the profound psychological impacts and the innovative coping strategies developed in response to the crisis. In concluding, the book addresses the future of educational practices, emphasizing the importance of institutional support and professional development in enhancing the resilience and effectiveness of part-time faculty. This comprehensive study not only highlights the immediate effects of the pandemic on educational practices but also serves as a crucial resource for understanding the ongoing needs and contributions of part-time teachers in higher education. |
Reviews
“There’s a lot to learn from this very readable and engaging book. Curated in an interesting way, researchers report on emergency remote teaching by part-time English language teachers in Japan during the COVID-19 pandemic. Then, teachers tell their own stories, rich in detail and filled with emotion, reflection, and learning. Implications are clear for part-time English teaching in bad times and in good. Recommendations are made. This is a stunning book that all English teachers, and their managers, must read.”
Gary Barkhuizen, University of Auckland, New Zealand
Gary Barkhuizen, University of Auckland, New Zealand
"This book offers useful insights to teachers in a variety of situations. Those who were teaching part-time during the pandemic will be interested to see how their situations compared with others, financially, and in terms of technology and mental health. Those who were not teaching part-time then will want to see how the situation is now. It is hoped that full-time teachers will notice how their schools did (or didn’t) support their part-timers. Finally, administrators really should reflect on how their institutions supported part-timers and what they should be doing in the future.
All teachers should appreciate how the authors and editors took time out of their busy schedules—they were making their way through the crisis, too—to record and analyze what other teachers were doing."
Marc Helgesen, Professor Emeritus, Miyagi Gakuin Women’s University, Sendai, Japan
"This book contains critically important insights into the experiences of a population not well-documented in Japan-based research. Overall, part-time educators deserved better conditions in 2020 and still do. Fortunately, these findings allow the field to understand itself more deeply while providing insights that can guide Japanese institutions in providing informed, meaningful professional teaching support going forward."
Jennie Roloff Rothman, Kanda University of International Studies, Chiba, Japan
"Gough et al. should be celebrated for this work, which offers a thoughtful and much-needed data-led exploration of the impact of emergency remote teaching on teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The book shines its light on a highly under researched group - part-time university teachers in Japan, “the invisible majority” who do much teaching work but with little recognition. What sets the book further apart is the inclusion of chapters by the participants themselves. The authenticity of their voices and the range of their experiences offer all teachers, managers, and institutions a chance to reflect on the support that was, could, and should be offered in times of crisis."
Sam Morris, Rikkyo University, Tokyo, Japan
Sam Morris, Rikkyo University, Tokyo, Japan
Contents
- About the Authors
- Acknowledgements
- Tables and Figures
- Preface: How This Book Got Started
- Introduction
- Definitions
- Chapter 1: Who Are the Teachers? Defining the Invisible Majority in a Japanese University
- Chapter 2: Analysis of the Initial Survey I-PANAS-SF and Open-Ended Data
- Chapter 3: Vulnerability of Part-Time Teachers During ERT
- Chapter 4: Part-Time Teachers' Resilience During ERT [Figure 3; Figure 4]
- Chapter 5: Participant Interviews After the First Semester
- Chapter 6: Building Resilience Through Positive Psychology by Mary Nobuoka
- Chapter 7: ERT is Still Teaching by Ray Franklin
- Chapter 8: COVID-19 Pandemic Reaction at Four Private Universities in Japan: What Was Seen, Unforeseen, and Unspoken by Thomas T. Aoyagi-Nishikawa
- Chapter 9: Professional Development, Faculty Development, Reflections, and Recommendations
References
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Chapter 4 figures
(pp. 98-99) |
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Target audiences
- Researchers and teachers interested in the psychology of language teaching: Exploring emotional well-being, resilience, and the psychological impact of teaching.
- Part-time university English instructors: Navigating the challenges of Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT).
- Full-time instructors in Japan: Gaining insights into the experiences and challenges of part-time colleagues.
- Educational researchers and policy makers: Interested in improving support for part-time educators.
- Professional organizations and support groups: Providing resources and community support during transitions like ERT.
Key features
- Focus on part-time instructors: Explores experiences of Japan-based part-time university English instructors during the first year of Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT).
- Professional and personal insights: Highlights dedication, resilience, well-being, and ability to cope during stressful times.
- Data-driven analysis: Uses initial and weekly surveys, interviews, and participant-written chapters.
- Structured content:
- Part 1: Contextualizes the Japanese university system and part-time instructors' working conditions.
- Part 2: Summarizes weekly survey data on vulnerability and resilience.
- Part 3: Features teachers' voices through interviews and narratives.
- Part 4: Discusses professional and faculty development, offering support recommendations.
- Emotional well-being: Measures mood using the I-PANAS-SF, analyzing emotional responses and experiences.
- Practical recommendations: Offers insights and strategies for better support systems and professional development.
- Narrative accounts: Includes personal perspectives and experiences from participants.
- Holistic understanding: Sheds light on the challenges and triumphs of part-time instructors during the pandemic and beyond.
About the authors
Wendy M. Gough is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Foreign Studies at Bunkyo Gakuin University in Tokyo. She has worked as a language teacher in the United States and Japan for over 25 years. Her current interests are in supporting part-time university teachers, curriculum development, motivating student writers.
Bill Snyder is Professor in the International Language Education: TESOL Program at Soka University in Hachioji, Japan. He has worked in language teacher education for over 30 years in the United States, Turkey, Armenia, South Korea, and Japan. His current research interests focus on trust in language teaching and the lives of part-time teachers in Japan and elsewhere.
Chiyuki Yanase is a part-time lecturer at several universities in Tokyo. She holds an MSc in TESOL from Aston University and has over 30 years of experience teaching English at various institutions. Her current research interests focus on teacher and learner wellbeing, and she continues to explore the science of happiness.
Colin Skeates is currently a part-time lecturer at several universities in Nagoya. At the start of the pandemic, he was a full-time (contract) teacher working for Keio University. He has worked as an English instructor in Thailand and Canada, but has spent the majority of his career in Yokohama, Japan. A bit of a Jack of all trades, he is interested in several areas of language teaching and learning research such as the role of AI in language education and professional and faculty development. It is, however, the role of research in university decision making that leaves him most confused.
Bill Snyder is Professor in the International Language Education: TESOL Program at Soka University in Hachioji, Japan. He has worked in language teacher education for over 30 years in the United States, Turkey, Armenia, South Korea, and Japan. His current research interests focus on trust in language teaching and the lives of part-time teachers in Japan and elsewhere.
Chiyuki Yanase is a part-time lecturer at several universities in Tokyo. She holds an MSc in TESOL from Aston University and has over 30 years of experience teaching English at various institutions. Her current research interests focus on teacher and learner wellbeing, and she continues to explore the science of happiness.
Colin Skeates is currently a part-time lecturer at several universities in Nagoya. At the start of the pandemic, he was a full-time (contract) teacher working for Keio University. He has worked as an English instructor in Thailand and Canada, but has spent the majority of his career in Yokohama, Japan. A bit of a Jack of all trades, he is interested in several areas of language teaching and learning research such as the role of AI in language education and professional and faculty development. It is, however, the role of research in university decision making that leaves him most confused.
Collaborating authors
Mary Nobuoka has taught all proficiencies and ages ranging from 2 to 82. Since 2010, she has designed and been teaching a content course focusing on soft skills and wellbeing. She has also served as an executive board member of the Japan Association of Language Teachers (JALT). She currently teaches part-time at Keio University, Waseda University and Aoyama Gakuin University.
Ray Franklin has been teaching English in Osaka, Japan since 1990, when he came from Colorado, USA for “just a year or two.” He has an MS Ed. TESOL from Temple University Japan, and has been teaching part-time at various universities in Kansai since 2000.
Thomas T. Aoyagi-Nishikawa, EdD (University of Liverpool, UK) is a lecturer in International Relations, Ritsumeikan University in Japan. He has worked for 18 years at various Japanese universities. His research interests lie in the areas of foreign faculty integration into a domestic tertiary environment, including traits of non-Japanese faculty used to integrate into the local community. His other specializations include academic writing and communicative skills at the university level.
Ray Franklin has been teaching English in Osaka, Japan since 1990, when he came from Colorado, USA for “just a year or two.” He has an MS Ed. TESOL from Temple University Japan, and has been teaching part-time at various universities in Kansai since 2000.
Thomas T. Aoyagi-Nishikawa, EdD (University of Liverpool, UK) is a lecturer in International Relations, Ritsumeikan University in Japan. He has worked for 18 years at various Japanese universities. His research interests lie in the areas of foreign faculty integration into a domestic tertiary environment, including traits of non-Japanese faculty used to integrate into the local community. His other specializations include academic writing and communicative skills at the university level.
Publication details
Publication date: July 5th, 2024
Series: Life and Education in Japan
Series editor: Melodie Cook
Purchase PDF and ePub bundle
ISBN (Print): 9798326675156
ISBN (ebook): 9798215337196
DOI: https://doi.org/10.47908/32
Ebook, $9.99 [Will be available from Smashwords, Amazon Kindle, Apple, Kobo, other ebook stores, and elibraries]
Print book, approx. 250 pages, $29.99 [Will be available from Amazon and other online booksellers]
Audio book, $9.99 [Will be available to purchase in our online store https://payhip.com/CandlinMynard]
Series: Life and Education in Japan
Series editor: Melodie Cook
Purchase PDF and ePub bundle
ISBN (Print): 9798326675156
ISBN (ebook): 9798215337196
DOI: https://doi.org/10.47908/32
Ebook, $9.99 [Will be available from Smashwords, Amazon Kindle, Apple, Kobo, other ebook stores, and elibraries]
Print book, approx. 250 pages, $29.99 [Will be available from Amazon and other online booksellers]
Audio book, $9.99 [Will be available to purchase in our online store https://payhip.com/CandlinMynard]