Improvement of Japanese language skills of non-native speakers of Japanese through Benkyōkai as a Community of Practice

This study observes three non-native Japanese speaking research students in Japanese studies, and their participation process in the Benkyōkai Community of Practice (CoP). Benkyōkai is a study group for these and other research students in Japanese studies at an Australian university for their mutual support during their endeavour to complete their research degrees. The study examines their development as researchers and Japanese language users in the framework of CoP (Wenger 1998) and Legitimate Peripheral Participation (Lave and Wenger 1991), using testimonials written by themselves and their peers. The study found that the new learners progressively participate in the community in four stages of (1) limited peripheral participation; (2) scaffolded participation; (3) repeated participation; and (4) expansion of participation, as proposed by Ohta (1999). It also found that learning of Japanese does not happen in isolation, but in the process of participation in practices as the whole person, often triggered by individual turning points, which change their relationships with other members of the community.