Applying the Self‐Determination Theory to Japanese Special Education Contexts: A Four‐Step Model

Abstract

The authors describe what preparations they undertook before introducing self‐determination theory and its corresponding teaching model to the Japanese special education system for students with intellectual disabilities. The Japanese special education services are designed to nurture students to be individuals who are independent, know and exhibit preferences and interests, set and achieve goals, and possess a sense of achievement and self‐awareness. In this respect, the values embedded in the practices of the prevalent Japanese special education teaching model appear to substantially overlap with those of self‐determination. At the same time, Japanese education is designed to value corporate independence, corporate preferences and interests, setting and achieving corporate goals, and corporate sense of achievement and self‐awareness. The authors conclude that by focusing on these similarities when introducing the concepts and strategies underlying self‐determination to Japanese professionals it will help them operationalize what they have done, what they have tried to do, and what they are going to do. Further, by substituting the term “self” determination for “corporate” determination, the functional model of self‐determination and the corresponding teaching model can be applied to theorize or articulate the practices of Japanese special education that have been implemented on the basis of collectivism values.

A cross-cultural comparison of the self-determination construct in Italian and American adolescents

“…Shogren (2011) explored the literature on culture and the fSDT, and found theoretical and empirical research examining the expression of self-determined behaviour in Diné cultures (Navajo) (Frankland, Turnbull, Wehmeyer, & Blackmountain, 2004), Korean (Lee & Wehmeyer, 2004), Japanese (Ohtake & Wehmeyer, 2004), Chinese (Zhang, Wehmeyer, & Chen, 2005), as well as diverse cultures within the United States (Trainor, 2005;Valenzuela & Martin, 2005). Researchers in Italy (Nota, Ferrari, Soresi, & Wehmeyer, 2007) and Belgium (Lachapelle et al, 2005) have also explored self-determination and its relationship with other constructs.…”

Enhancing Self-Determination of Culturally Diverse Students With Disabilities: Current Status and Future Directions

“…Similarly, Lee and Wehmeyer (2004) found that Korean teachers have embraced self-determination practices well in their daily instruction. These and other studies (e.g., Ohtake & Wehmeyer, 2004) reveal that instructional practices promoting students' self-determination are widely accepted by many cultures and, therefore, self-determination instructional models can and should be applied to diverse cultures.…”

“…The students involved in instruction from teachers using the model, including adolescents and young children with cognitive and developmental disabilities, were able to self-direct educational goal setting and attainment and to become more self-determined. The model was introduced to Japan and Korea (Lee & Wehmeyer, 2004;Ohtake & Wehmeyer, 2004) and was found to work well in these cultures. This may lead to consideration by other cultures.…”

“…Studies have been done to examine cultural and socioeconomic influences on students' acquisition and development of self-determination skills (e.g., . This line of research focuses on the conceptualization and operationalization of self-determination in various cultures (e.g., Frankland et al, 2004;Lee & Wehmeyer, 2004;Ohtake & Wehmeyer, 2004) and attempts to investigate how culturally diverse students and parents perceive self-determination (Trainor, 2005), as well as the extent to which parents and teachers promote self-determination skills among culturally diverse children .…”

“…Ohtake and Wehmeyer (2004) analyzed the Japanese special education research system and proposed a model for applying the self-determination concept to the Japanese special education context. According to these authors, Japan has a tradition of importing and adapting new theories and teaching innovations from other countries, especially the United States, although there is some resistance in the field because some theories and innovations are culturally different from those in Japan.…”