In 1995, Massey University received a generous endowment from the Sasakawa Foundation of Tokyo, now the Nippon Foundation, to fund a programme for the enhancement of Japanese Language Education and Japanese Studies in New Zealand. This programme is called the Sasakawa Fellowship Fund for Japanese Language Education.

The Fund offers research scholarships to post-graduate students whose research will benefit Japanese language learning in New Zealand.

These scholarships are normally tenable at a New Zealand tertiary institution, although special consideration may be given to applications for study to be undertaken at an institution outside New Zealand.

There shall be three categories of scholarships as follows:

A. PhD scholarship:
Every year one scholarship of up to $30,000 (max. $10,000 in one year) may be awarded to a PhD student who is researching an area of relevance to Japanese language learning in New Zealand.

B. Masters scholarship:
Every year up to 2 scholarships of $5,000 each may be awarded to Masters students who are researching an area of relevance to Japanese language learning in New Zealand.

C. Honours scholarship:
$1,000 may be awarded to honours students who are researching an area of relevance to Japanese language learning in New Zealand.

For further details and application and referee report forms, go to the NZVCC site.

Candidates who are contemplating postgraduate study but who have not yet decided on a topic, might be interested in a list of possible topics which has arisen out of a number of recent research projects, into issues affecting Japanese language teachers in New Zealand. Prospective candidates could use this list to stimulate ideas for their own research. Some of the topics on the list will be more relevant than others depending on the candidates’ category of enrolment.

Examples of possible research areas for postgraduate students:

• Instrumental motivation with regard to careers (secondary and tertiary).
• The significance for the motivation of Japanese language learners, of connectedness with Japanese people and culture through, for example, sister school contacts, web / e-mail friends, school visits to Japan.
• Other dimensions of motivation – the need and how to communicate the relevance of learning Japanese or aspects of Japanese culture (especially to year 9 students).
• Integration of Japanese across the curriculum (social studies/ language /mathematics) at Years 7 and 8.
• Inter-cultural competence – what should be the focus of learning of Japanese in the New Zealand Curriculum (for example Japanese studies versus Japanese language).
• Investigation of a literacy strategy in Japanese - identification of the key steps involved in the acquisition of Japanese as a Foreign Language.
• Investigation of the numbers of year 9 students who have prior experience and whether that experience was a deciding factor in continuing Japanese (link to the attitude of Year 9 teachers towards prior learning).
• Investigation of other models of delivery (Years 7 and 8)– e.g. USA /Scottish/Australian.
• Use of romanised Japanese versus script in Years 7 and 8.
• Use of technology (and teachers’ attitudes towards technology) in the Japanese language classroom.
• Investigation of retention rates in years 12/13 and those going on to tertiary study.
• Investigation of tertiary level Japan related programmes and how they are instrumental in providing students with relevant career/research pathways.
• Follow up of secondary and tertiary graduates and analysis of career paths.
• Investigation into the extent to which prior study of Japanese is advantageous to students entering Japanese language studies at the tertiary level.

The above list is intended to be instructive, not exhaustive.