LINFENG WANG (OSAKA KYOIKU UNIVERSITY )
SHO KOBAYASHI (Osaka Kyoiku University)

HOW TO TRANSIT FROM AN ALT TO A TENURED TEACHER IN JAPANESE PUBLIC SCHOOLS : TEACHER EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

This paper examines the professional expectations for the transition from ALT to tenured teacher in Japanese public schools, focusing on the requirement of teacher recruitment exams. The study aims to investigate what is required for an ALT to perform as a full-time tenured school teacher. The research is derived from the teacher shortage and ALT’s professional potential to fulfill the duties of school teachers, drawing upon the management's experience running a 3-year-long professional learning community for ALTs and school teachers. The paper outlines the challenges of teacher shortages, the potential of ALTs as educators, and trends in hiring ALTs as full-time tenured school teachers. This study reveals that transferring from an ALT to a school teacher requires professional competence in teaching and learning, as well as understanding teacher’s multiple roles in the Japanese education system. It shows the multifaceted dimensions of the transition, emphasizing the evolving roles, responsibilities, and competencies required of ALTs as they transition to tenured teachers. Central to this transition is the cultivation of professionalism, which can be fulfilled by the Graduate School of Professional Teacher Education.

Linfeng Wang, Ph.D, is an Associate Professor at the Multicultural Education Division, Osaka Kyoiku University, Japan. Her research interests include teacher education, lesson study, and foreign language education. As a teacher educator, she has been supporting K–12 teachers at different stages of their careers in Japanese public schools since 2017. She is currently working on teacher education programs for the professional learning of both pre-service and in-service teachers. Given her background as a language teacher, her research interests also include foreign language material development, a pluriannual approach, and foreign language classroom teaching and learning.

Associate Professor at Osaka Kyoiku University