ABSTRACT
Definitions and patterns of classroom management vary, depending on the societal and cultural contexts in which they have evolved. Classroom management can be better appreciated when it is examined from the perspective of the culture where it is practiced. In this chapter, I will explore Japanese classroom management with particular attention to its premises or underlying beliefs, which reflect cultural practices embedded in Japanese society. In Japan, as in other cultures, there is a significant degree of isomorphism between the basic tenets of classroom management and the dominant cultural orientation. My discussion will focus on elementary school classroom management to explore that relationship, and I will incorporate materials on secondary school classroom management into the chapter when they are relevant to my analysis. I will triangulate various sources of data so that I may identify a dominant pattern of classroom management in Japan. These sources include my ethnographic studies on teacher occupational socialization and the culture of teaching, conducted in Japan from 1989 to 1996, including a project currently progressing in Osaka, Japan (Shimahara, 1996; Shimahara and Sakai, 1995), case studies conducted by Japanese researchers, official documents, and the Japanese literature in the field.
