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Research has indicated how diverse books contribute to a more culturally responsive pedagogy, allowing children to identify themselves in the stories they read and gain an appreciation for others whose lives are different from theirs. Moreover, a sensitive discussion of and critical responses to diverse picturebooks is found to positively influence a child's social and emotional learning competecies, apart from increasing a child's cultural knowledge and serving as a catalyst for social justice. This paper is meant to broaden early childhood educators' repertoire of picturebooks that can be used in the classroom to also include international titles (translated into English from their original languages) and multicultural titles to facilitate affective engagement with these narratives and introduce social and emotional learning skills (self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship management and responsible decision-making). This paper provides a list of diverse books (from the Netherlands, Japan, Lithuania, Spain, Germany, France, Argentina – among others) for students in early childhood (from preschool to third grade) thematically organized across the five social and emotional learning competencies. Strategies such as book-bonding and literacy bags for family engagement will be shared while using the framework of culturally responsive teaching in an early childhood setting. Recommendations for how family members can be more involved are included, along with critical literacy strategies that include conversations, multiple perspectives and the sharing of authentic experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses findings from online surveys completed by parents of 0–3-year-old children in Norway, Portugal and Japan concerning their young children's use of touchscreen technology. The study investigated parental practices, views and perspectives related to children's digital practices and explored these in relation to wider cultural discourses around early childhood in the participant countries. The study adopted Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory to inform the questionnaire and interpretative data analysis of how parents' views and experiences are influenced by a wide range of social, cultural and personal factors. The findings demonstrate some coherence between beliefs among parents regarding very young children's use of touchscreen technologies and their place in the children's home lives. Quantitative and qualitative results highlight that the respondents from all countries expressed the need for further guidance regarding technology use, and better communication with early education and care centres. The study findings are discussed in relation to the reported uses of touchscreen technologies in the three different cultural contexts, parents' views on the benefits and/or disadvantages of children's touchscreen technology use, and the potential influences of dominant cultural discourses on parents' perceptions, views and practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 19th century roots of social work in social justice movements within immigrant communities continue to thrive in contemporary social work. Yet relatively little attention has focused on the challenges faced by Asian immigrants, currently the second largest immigrant group in the U.S. Indeed, Asians in the U.S. have long been stereotyped as a "model minority," perpetuating the myth that Asian children do not need special attention when acculturating to U.S. schools. Yet parents report obstacles to their children's acculturation, including racism. As part of a larger ethnography, this study examines how Japanese immigrant and temporary resident parents understand their children's acculturation to the U.S. We conducted in-depth, individual interviews with 14 Japanese immigrant and temporary resident parents of school-aged children. They discussed acculturation challenges centered on differences in the Japanese and U.S. cultural self, and how they modified their socialization practices to support their children's acculturation. Rather than employing Japanese child rearing practices that implicitly guide children by shaping their environment, parents shifted to explicit efforts to ensure their children's development of Japanese cultural selves in the U.S. Such practices, however, may result in children losing a sense of independence and autonomy important to both U.S. and Japanese cultural selves. These experiences of Japanese parents challenge the stereotype of Asians as a model minority. We discuss social work implications for culturally appropriate support for acculturation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Folk epistemology is a study of the commonsense knowledge and internalized beliefs of ordinary people. This paper discusses consumer knowledge in the context of consumption rituals in Japan. Studying the development of local knowledge is imperative in consumer research, despite accelerating globalization, because knowledge and reasoning cannot be separated from the history in which they are embedded. Prior research tended to treat knowledge projects and consumption rituals as sequential conceptions. The purpose of this study is to propose a model of transcendental consumption rituals, underpinned by cultural pragmatics and ontological liquidity. The proposed model entails a holistic approach to consumer rituals, synthesizing both synchronic and diachronic aspects of the rituals. Metaphors in language and tacit knowledge influence folk epistemology of consumption rituals. Ontological viscosity and the spiritual center of gravity are proposed to better explain the dynamism of consumer rituals in a relatively monolithic culture. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper examines how multiple roles affect the mental health of the elderly in Japan and the United States, two countries with vastly different cultures. Hypotheses were drawn based on the cultural differences in role experiences, and these hypotheses are tested by analyzing nationally representative samples of the elderly in these countries. The results show that Americans are more likely to be involved in roles related to family, work, and community, while the Japanese are more likely to be involved in only those roles related to family and work. Multiple roles are also found to be less beneficialfor the mental health of Japanese elderly compared to American counterparts. National differences in the effects of individual roles and role configurations on mental health are also documented. Overall, the results show the importance of broad cultural contexts for understanding the relationship between roles and mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an attempt to address the paucity of research on sport in Asian settings, this paper uses a case-study approach to examine young Japanese men's participation in pre-game rugby rituals. Drawing on Durkheim's seminal work, it is argued that the pre-game ceremonies have much in common with rituals conducted in similar western settings. However, many of the ritual activities were performed in distinctly Japanese ways, suggesting that they also express and confirm dominant local values and mark rugby as a discrete cultural practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Despite existing patient safety measures, both outside and inside hospitals, barriers to patient safety prevail. We aimed to identify the current contributory factors to patient safety in Japan. Methods: This qualitative study included nine expert Japanese health care providers working both inside and outside hospitals. These participants, who included six physicians, one nurse, one pharmacist, and one physical therapist, work across a broad spectrum in government policy and public health, academia, and safety management. Root cause analysis using the online Kawakita Jiro method (KJ method or affinity diagram) was conducted. We labeled and summarized the classification in a fishbone diagram to elucidate barriers to patient safety in Japan. Results: We identified specific factors in six main groups: the hospital system, education, law and policy, culture and society, patient centricity, and multidisciplinary cooperation. Quality of care, patient engagement, and shortage of patient safety specialists were crucial factors for multiple groups. Conclusions: This study clarifies components of patient safety in Japan and provides basic data for promoting comprehensive patient safety in the future. Periodic root cause analysis of comprehensive patient safety issues can help develop strategies to promote patient safety at both the hospital and national levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current research aimed to examine the reasons people are single, that is, not in an intimate relationship, across eight different countries—Brazil, China, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, India, Japan, and the UK. We asked a large cross-cultural sample of single participants (N = 6,822) to rate 92 different possible reasons for being single. These reasons were classified into 12 factors, including one's perceived inability to find the right partner, the perception that one is not good at flirting, and the desire to focus on one's career. Significant sex and age effects were found for most factors. The extracted factors were further classified into three separate domains: Perceived poor capacity to attract mates, desiring the freedom of choice, and currently being in between relationships. The domain structure, the relative importance of each factor and domain, as well as sex and age effects were relatively consistent across countries. There were also important differences however, including the differing effect sizes of sex and age effects between countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined cross-cultural similarities and differences in antecedents and appraisals of triumph. Participants in the U.S., Serbia, Russia, and Japan provided open-ended descriptions of previous antecedent events that elicited experiences of triumph, and completed a standard appraisal questionnaire about those events. Events that elicited pride were also included for comparison. The open-ended responses were coded using a framework that delineated theoretical characteristics of triumph based on previous research. Findings indicated cross-cultural similarities in the antecedents and appraisals of triumph-eliciting events. Cultural variations were also found, especially between Japan and the other cultural groups and with regard to self-evaluations, which suggested the role of culture in triggering and appraising emotion-eliciting events. These findings extended empirical evidence about these important components of triumph, further contributing to its possibility as a discrete emotion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In most societies, there is an ongoing contest over who is the "we," to whom specific moral obligations apply, and who is the "they," to whom they do not. This paper explores and contrasts the most blatant forms of active exclusion, which includes genocide, and indirect exclusion, which is characterized by subtle forms of exclusion through social invisibility. In genocide, the targeted groups are not simply excluded from life integrity rights, but offenses against them are explicitly encouraged, rewarded, and sanctioned by the regime. In indirect exclusion, the exclusion is implicit in cultural and institutional practices and is often unintentional. I examine the difficulties and dilemmas involved in resisting and preventing active exclusion and in challenging the cultural codes that maintain indirect exclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper seeks to understand a subtle form of relational common sense among Japanese conversational partners. To do so we examine possible explanations of a conversation between two Japanese that at first glance appears atypical. We argue that the most satisfying explanation is grounded in an understanding of the Japanese concept of kenson. Using ethnographic techniques the "common sense" of kenson is detailed in regards to its forms and meanings. Implications of this concept for conversation are discussed as well as comparisons made between kenson, the American notion of modesty and Japanese indirect refusals. Finally, kenson is discussed as an informal ritual grounded in social norms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research shows that some adolescents experience positive psychological changes resulting from highly stressful life events. Because "positive change" is a value-laden concept, there may be cross-cultural differences in this conception of growth. The purpose of this study was to qualitatively and quantitatively assess different perceptions of personal growth across cultures. Adolescents from Japan (n = 288, Mage = 16.16) and the United States (n = 155, Mage = 16.21) completed demographic information and wrote three words describing their perception of personal growth. Results showed 443 different words generated, which were condensed into 12 categories. The types of words generated differed between nationalities, with Japanese adolescents generating more words related to social connection, and adolescents in the United States generating words related to change. Gender differences were found in physical change and age differences in the knowledge categories. Results demonstrate cross-cultural differences as well as similarities in the conceptualization of personal growth. Future research may examine how adolescents change the meaning of personal growth after experiencing personal growth resulting from a stressful life event. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Moral distress occurs when one knows the right thing to do, but institutional constraints make it nearly impossible to pursue the right course of action. Moral distress was found to cause negative feelings, burnout, and/or resignation. Not only external factors such as lack of staff but also internal ones affect moral distress. Moral sensitivity, which is thought of as an advantage of nurses, could effect moral distress, as nurses being unaware of existing ethical problems must feel little distress. Objectives: To examine the impact of moral sensitivity on moral distress among psychiatric nurses, and affirm the hypothesis that nurses with higher moral sensitivity will suffer moral distress more than nurses with less moral sensitivity in two different samples. Ethical consideration: The study obtained ethical approval from the Research Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Medicine at Mie University (# 1111, 20.4.2010), and by the Turku University Ethics Board (29.5.2012). Permissions to undertake the study was obtained from the in two hospital districts and in one city (§ 48/4.10.2012, § 63/4.9.2012, 51/2012 27.8.2012). Informed consent was not formally obtained, because the questionnaire was anonymously reported by the participants who volunteered to answer. The participants responded voluntarily and anonymously. Methods: An anonymous questionnaire containing the Revised Moral Sensitivity Questionnaire and the Moral Distress Scale for Psychiatric nurses was conducted to 997 nurses in 12 hospitals in Japan, and 974 nurses in 10 hospitals in Finland after obtaining of approval by research ethics committees. Data were analyzed using a multi-group structural equation model analysis. Findings: A set of analyses imply that the association of moral sensitivity with moral distress is significant and similar between Japan and Finland, whereas the factor structures of moral sensitivity and moral distress may be partially different. Discussion: The result of this study may indicate that nurses with high moral sensitivity can sense and identify moral problems, but not resolve them. Therefore, supporting nurses to solve ethical problems, not benumbing them, can be important for better nursing care and prevention of nurses' resignation. Conclusion: Moral sensitivity and moral distress were positively correlated among psychiatric nurses in both Japan and Finland, although the participating nurses from the two countries were different in qualification, age, and cultural background. Nurses with high moral sensitivity suffer from moral distress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we translated the Adolescent Time Inventory–Time Attitudes (ATI-TA) scale into Japanese and examined the internal consistency and structural and convergent validity of ATI-TA scores in a sample of 383 Japanese high school students aged 15 to 18 years. The ATI-TA consists of six subscales assessing two valences (positive and negative) for each of three time periods (past, present, and future). Internal consistency estimates for scores on the ATI-TA were over .79. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that a six-factor model yielded the best fit to scores. Correlations among ATI-TA scores, time attitudes assessed by the semantic differential method, educational career planning, and self-esteem were consistent with our hypotheses. Our results provide evidence that scores on the Japanese version of the ATI-TA are reliable and valid, and thus potentially useful for research in this cultural context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Japanese communication relies heavily on nonverbal cues and context. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of video-mediated communication (VMC) on communication satisfaction and marital relationships in young couples separated during the perinatal period as they honor the Japanese tradition of Satogaeri Bunben. Couples were assigned to the VMC treatment group (n = 14) or control group (n = 13). A mixed-methods approach to data collection and analysis was used. Longitudinal quantitative analysis from the Primary Communication Inventory and Intimate Bond Measure revealed significant differences between the Husband groups. Primary Communication Inventory and Intimate Bond Measure were strongly correlated regardless of group. Qualitative analysis of participant diaries revealed the addition of visual cues helped create a sense of “virtual co-presence,” which was both positive and negative. In conclusion, VMC appears to improve communication in the separated Japanese perinatal couples, especially through the addition of visual cues provided with VMC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Advocacy is an important role of psychiatric nurses because their patients are ethically, socially, and legally vulnerable. This study of Japanese expert psychiatric nurses’ judgments of interventions for patient advocacy will show effective strategies for ethical nursing practice and their relationship with Japanese culture. Objectives: This article explores Japanese psychiatric nurses’ decision to intervene as a patient advocate and examine their ethical, cultural, and social implications. Research design: Using semi-structured interviews verbatim, themes of the problems that required interventions were inductively summarized by a qualitative analysis and their contexts and nursing judgments were examined. Participants and research context: The participants were 21 nurses with 5 or more years of experience in psychiatric nursing. Ethical considerations: The research was approved by Institutional Review Board of research site and study facilities. The participants gave written informed consent. Findings: Analysis of 45 cases showed that nurses decided to intervene when (a) surrounding people’s opinions impeded patients’ safety, (b) healthcare professionals’ policies impeded patients’ decision-making, (c) own violent behaviors impeded treatment and welfare services for patients, (d) own or families’ low acceptance of illness impeded patients’ self-actualization, (e) inappropriate treatment or care impeded patients’ liberty, and (f) their families abused patients’ property. Discussion: To solve conflicts between patients and their surrounding people, the nurses sought reconciliation between them, which is in accordance with Japanese cultural norms respecting harmony. When necessary, however, they protected patients’ rights against cultural norms. Therefore, their judgments cannot be explained by cultural norms alone. Conclusion: The findings indicate that the nurses’ judgments were based on respect for patients’ rights apart from cultural norms, and they first sought solutions fitting the cultural norms before other solutions. This seems to be an ethical, effective strategy if advocates know the culture in depth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The study examined the subjective life experiences of elderly first-generation Korean women living in Japan and investigated their adjustment to the local Japanese community. Design: The study group comprised 14 elderly Korean women residents at a Korean-oriented, insurance-based, day services center in midwestern Japan. They were interviewed in depth, and the data were analyzed using the modified grounded theory approach. Findings: The study designated the core category as “conservation of ethnic identity” and identified five subcategories: (a) loneliness, (b) returning to one’s homeland culture, (c) physical decline as a result of aging, (d) family ties, and (e) a place where one belongs. Conclusions: The results elucidated that although the participants had adapted to Japanese culture, they were strongly influenced by the memories of their hometowns and wished to return to their homeland. Implications for Practice: The study suggests that elderly immigrants need day care support that provides an environment where they can enjoy their culture. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study evaluates the research method of means–end in a cross-cultural research context in order to understand Japanese tourists’ values that drive travel choices in New Zealand. It contributes an extensive critique of means–end analysis and its advantages over quantitative research methods in cross-cultural research. Its theoretical contribution comes in the form of a set of values or travel motivators, including a number of culturally motivated values that reveal unique insights into Japanese travel experiences. The article argues that meaningful values research must consider not only those values that are commonly understood across cultures but also those that are particular to the culture of interest, in order to understand what drives perception and satisfaction relevant for destination management and marketing. The data can be used to address a number of practical issues facing tourism practitioners such as segmenting the Japanese market, positioning tourism offerings within this market, and developing communication strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this theoretically informed study I explore the broader cultural changes that created the conditions for the credit crisis of 2008. Drawing on psychoanalysis and its application to organizational and social dynamics, I develop a theoretical framework around the notion of a manic culture, comprised of four aspects: denial; omnipotence; triumphalism; and over-activity. I then apply this to the credit crisis and argue that the events of 2008 were preceded by an incubation period lasting for over two decades during which a culture of mania developed. Then, focusing especially on the Japanese and South East Asia/LTCM crises, I argue that a series of major ruptures in capitalism during this incubation period served not as warnings, but as opportunities for a manic response, thereby dramatically increasing the risks involved. I also argue that this mania was triggered and strengthened by triumphant feelings in the West over the collapse of communism. I suggest therefore that this manic culture played a significant role in creating the conditions for the problems that led to the credit crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Caregiving in Japan is defined as predominately a woman's responsibility. However, caregiving has been largely understudied as a lived experience or within a cultural frame of reference. In an estimated 50% of Japanese households, women are currently caregivers of one or more family members. However, the relative absence of information on their experiences has held back the development of programs and services to support their caregiving. In this article, I present results of a grounded-theory study that explored the experiences of Japanese working women caregivers as they cared for the elderly family member in their home. I interviewed 11 women caregivers including 6 daughters and 5 daughters-in-law. I generated a substantive grounded theory, resulting in the identification of the core concept of "releasing self," which included three dimensions: laughing away, self-belief, and losing enthusiasm for the elderly and elderly care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current research undertook a U.S.-Japan cross-cultural comparison to explore the underlying structure of family communication standards (FCS), or beliefs about the "ideal" ways of family interactions. The main study (U.S. n = 311, Japanese n = 192), utilizing latent profile analysis, revealed that (a) there are three "FCS profiles" (laissezfaire, high-context, and open-affectionate), each of which represents distinct FCS endorsement patterns; (b) individuals with different FCS profiles have different levels of subjective well-being and family satisfaction, and moreover, such profile-level dynamics operate independently of the effects of individual FCS dimensions; and (c) FCS profile endorsement is undergirded by individualism-collectivism and horizontal-vertical orientation. A follow-up study found that FCS profiles entail unique family conflict strategies. These findings are discussed in terms of the hierarchical structure of human cognition and impact of standards on psychological, relational, and communicative phenomena. Limitations and future directions for the research on FCS are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores difficulties that arise when culture is factored into the attempt to develop methods for both describing and measuring religiousness or spirituality as variables in health research. The author uses a report titled Multidimensional Measurement of Religiousness/Spirituality for Use in Health Research published by the John E. Fetzer Institute to raise questions about the extent to which basic ideas associated with the study of Judeo-Christian religions are meaningful in contexts such as Japan, India, or China. Using a combination of ethnographic data from his own fieldwork in Japan and ethnographic literature focused on other cultures, the author argues that as an analytic category "religion" is problematic because basic elements of that category, such as faith or the notion of the transcendent, have been developed in terms of a predominately Christian or Western theological framework that is not necessarily appropriate for research in non-Western cultural contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through a discourse analysis of news photographs published after the end of the Second World War, this study investigates how Japan's new position as a defeated and occupied nation was visually negotiated in the two decades following the war in the pages of one major national Japanese English-language newspaper. It addresses, in particular, how symbolic representations of the Japanese nation were (re)defined and reinterpreted in these photographs in the aftermath of the war under the significant influence of occupation leaders eager to reorganize the Japanese press system following American models. It argues that visual representations of Japan and its leaders created shortly after the war illustrate the beginnings of a process of erasure of the past and cultural reinterpretation that scholars of the Japanese cultural environment have identified as a central component of Japanese contemporary (post)modern identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The East has been upsetting and sometimes even revolutionizing Europeans' modes of thought, feeling and enjoyment since the most ancient times. From the 18th century Europe has played a similar role in the technological and even the philosophical field, with regard to India, China and Japan. The huge Euro-Asian bloc was the arena for several encounters, or clashes, between civilizations which considerably enriched the technical skills, culture and taste of Europeans; the transmission of Greco-Arab knowledge in the 12th century, the contribution of Chinese techniques thanks to the great Asian land routes.

The United States and Japan have long existed in a symbiotic partnership. The sociology of Japan contributes to the international and multicultural approaches within sociology. The goal of the course is to sharpen students' observational and analytical abilities and increase understanding of Japanese society using sociological theories and concepts. The course also helps students accept, appreciate, and respect the sociocultural differences between the two nations. It also provides ample opportunities to reflect upon American society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The war has brought new realization of the terrible consequences of international anarchy. The bankruptcy of nationalism as a system of world organization is proclaimed on every side. People are exhorted to adopt internationalism as a way of life, as though by an act of will we might create a master for the monster, rampant nationalism, which has perhaps reached its climax in modem Germany and Japan. The long, slow processes of cultural growth are disregarded, and people turn with high hope to the magic of conversion as a solution to their problems. With techniques of control developed by modem research people perhaps can increase somewhat the tempo of change but cultural growth is much more an organic than a mechanical process. They are likely to find the obstetrician's techniques are more effective than those of the inventor. They can do much to guarantee the health of the society which is giving birth to a new one, relieve somewhat the pain and anxiety which accompanies it, and prevent birth trauma but if they hurry the process too much we may produce abortion or those very traumatic experiences we seek to avoid.