You’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t: the tension-filled relationships between Japanese beginning and senior teachers

Abstract

This article contributes to theoretical discussions about beginning teachers’ work being both relational and emotional. Specifically, we have examined the tensions that frequently characterise the relationships between beginning and senior teachers. Our research material consisted of narrative interviews with seven beginning teachers and seven senior teachers working at the same junior high school in Japan. Through thematic analysis, we have identified three categories of tensions: (1) tension between dependence and independence, (2) tension between obedience and assertiveness and (3) tension between loyalty to one’s students and loyalty to one’s colleagues. These tensions are meaningful for both beginning and senior teachers, but they view them in different ways and connect them to different expectations regarding appropriate actions and attitudes. These tensions are also related to wider cultural expectations and general principles that are often concretely realised through different practices within the micropolitical environment of a school.

Keywords:

• Beginning teachers
• senior teachers
• educational relationships
• emotions
• Japan
• narrative approach
• tensions

Acknowledgement

We are grateful to Professor Geert Kelchtermans, University of Leuven, Belgium, for providing feedback on the article in its different stages as a visiting professor at the University of Oulu.

Notes

1. Erkki, originally from Finland, has studied the language since 2005 and has passed the highest level of Japanese language proficiency test. He has lived in Japan during 2007–2008 and 2013–2016. During the latter period he conducted the empirical part of this research. The co-authors, Minna and Eila (situated in Finland) became involved in the analysis and writing stage of the research.

2. Organised at least once a year by the prefectural boards of education and separately for different school levels and subjects.

3. Many schools in Japan struggle with this demographic anomaly (Wakimoto and Chôshi 2015).

4. It is typical in Japanese culture for different social groups to gather together to eat and drink.