This ethnographic study examines the role of Japanese students' culture and its effects on the rate of acquisition of academic English. It is based on observation of classes in Japanese schools, both in Japan and Germany, as well as in an international school, together with interviews, questionnaires, student responses and case studies over a…

This article adopts a non-rational, existential, subjective approach to school leadership, on the assumption that rational models provide useful pointers on mechanics such as time management, coaching and staff evaluation, but are less appropriate for grasping the essence of leadership which resides in managing interpersonal relationships and the…

This critical literature review argues that, in a world of increasing global interconnectedness, balancing the two diametrically opposite forces of globalism and tribalism is of critical importance. The article begins with a brief description of the world of the 21st century and goes on to discuss the terms "globalism" and "tribalism" within this…

Taking as its starting point that the adjective international is an inadequate, but unavoidable, label to describe the content of a contemporary international education, this article sets out to explore some of the issues facing international education in a post-international world. It draws mainly on writings in French as a deliberate…

A growing internationally mobile community is served by international schools. Their students are seen as adjusting to moves by identity development, acquiring new values and norms through cultural influences from national, individual and perhaps global sources. This occurs by emotional attachment to significant others and subsequent adoption of…

This article aims to look at the concepts of internationalism and international education through the lens of postcolonial theory, arguing that the fundamental aims of international education are obstructed as it remains a concept locked in the idea of the nation state that has not evolved with the ideas of major postcolonial theorists. However,…

This article describes a case study conducted at an International Baccalaureate World School in mainland China in which the majority of faculty and over 98 per cent of students are Chinese. The purpose of the study was to investigate and compare the teacher-student relationships of Chinese and non-Chinese teachers, with a specific focus on the…

An ethnographic study conducted between 2003 and 2006 followed three children from Latin America attending three different public Japanese primary schools. The investigation concerned a Japanese-language tutoring programme for foreign children, which was evaluated by participant observation and a set of in-depth interviews with officials, school…

This article explores the response to cultural diversity and international mindedness at international schools in Malaysia and Brunei. It shows that the curriculum at these schools is set within a liberal-humanist framework, which some might suggest facilitates the project of "Westernization". It argues, however, that under the (local)…

This article examines the various claims made about sojourn children known as kaigaishijo and kikokushijo, or third culture kids (TCKs) in a Japanese context. Their image has shifted from educationally disadvantaged to internationally minded children with bilingual and bicultural abilities who can thrive in the era of globalization. The article…

This article describes research undertaken to investigate aspects of Thai culture and its effects on Thai students in an international school in Thailand. Using a variety of data gathering methods, the investigation looks at how Thai culture manifests itself in the classroom in the form of student behaviour and attitudes. The research also…