Constructing, Reconstructing and Reclaiming Learner Identities: Academically Successful 1.5 Generation Filipino Students in Japan

by Ellen Preston Motohashi

Overview

This book focuses on the experiences of 1.5 generation Filipinos in Japan, charting their life histories and educational experiences in both the Philippines and Japan. Against a background of transnational migrations between both countries, and varying levels of Japanese as a Second Language and educational support for immigrant/non-Japanese speaking children in Japanese schools, the author uses a narrative, life history approach to consider how the participants use their educational histories and learner identities as intangible resources upon which they drew to overcome the structural and cultural differences in the teaching–learning environments they encountered in Japanese schools. The book ends by recounting the participants’ regained sense of confidence as learners upon entering university, where they reclaim their learner identities as active participants in the classroom, with several receiving awards for academic excellence.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781800415454
Publisher:	Multilingual Matters Ltd.
Publication date:	09/16/2025
Series:	New Perspectives on Language and Education , #130
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	262
File size:	6 MB

About the Author

Ellen Preston Motohashi is Associate Professor in the Faculty of Foreign Languages, Dokkyo University, Japan. Her research focuses on education for immigrant students and students from linguistic and cultural minorities.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Prologue

Part 1

Chapter 1. Introduction

Chapter 2.  Japan’s Diverse Populations: Ethnic Minorities, Immigrants and a Rapidly Changing Social Landscape

Chapter 3. Japanese in the Philippines, Filipinos in Japan and Schooling in the Philippines

Chapter 4. Ethnically, Racially and Linguistically Diverse Students in Japanese Schools: An Overview

Part 2

Preface

Chapter 5. Participant Narrative Portraits: Life and Schooling in the Philippines and Beyond

Chapter 6. Experiences of School and Learning in Japan: The Good, the Bad and the In-between

Chapter 7. Coming Full Circle - University Life: Back on Top and Bringing Things to a Close

Epilogue: The Where I Am from Poems

References

Index

Editorial Reviews

This book provides an excellent overview of the current status of immigrants entering Japan, particularly with regards to the Filipino population. The subjective views of the participants highlighted in the book provide good examples of the intra-diversity of experiences among Filipino transnational youth in Japan. It is an important contribution to immigration studies in Japan.

Shingo Ashizawa

Contextually situated and empirically grounded, this book sheds a much-needed light on the schooling experiences of 1.5-generation Filipino and Filipino-Japanese youth in Japan. Using narrative portraits, it brilliantly demonstrates how these children succeed in their new socio-cultural and educational settings, revealing their vulnerability but also their academic resilience and learner agency.

Asuncion Fresnoza-Flot

Ellen Preston Motohashi, as a researcher, professor, and caring mentor, has produced agentic portrayals of her Filipino students in Japan who (re)construct learner identities while navigating hardships growing up transnationally. This beautifully written book models a humanizing approach to research and inspires educators to foster inclusive and culturally responsive learning spaces where immigrant students can shine.

Tomoko Tokunaga