This dissertation examines the socio-cultural conditions of Japanese society as reflected in factors that induce recent Japanese immigration to Canada. The examination is based on interview research done with six female and six male Japanese immigrants living in Vancouver, who arrived in Canada after the mid-1990s. While previous migration studies emphasized political-economic conditions as the causes of migration flow, the narratives of these interviewees reveal a different migratory pattern that is motivated by spiritual well-being and life values. In order to encapsulate the complexity of contemporary migration flow, the push/pull factors that induced interviewees' emigration are thematically categorized and analyzed within a frame that emphasizes both these factors' interdependence with the interrelationships of Japanese social systems that have swayed the interviewees' decision to emigrate from Japan, and the nature of complexity in Japanese society. Showing the pluralism of these factors, they are categorized into nine themes: 1)physical environment; 2) spiritual enrichment and a stress-reduced life style; 3) socio-cultural constraints; 4) family life; 5) education; 6) age restrictions; 7) gender roles; 8)diversification, and 9) self-actualization. Luhmann's theory of social systems and Foucault's notion of governmentality serve as touchstones for the re-interpretation of the push/pull factors based on the examination of the interrelations among three Japanese social systems of family, education, and employment. The analysis reveals the complexity of the push/pull factors. Moreover, the interviewees' image of a "simple Canada," which also contributes to their decision to immigrate, is explained in terms of the "double complexity" of Japanese society stemming from both the complexity of modern society and the complexity of an amalgam of "modern" and "pre-modern" elements in Japanese society. Through an extensive examination of the correlations between the experiences of contemporary Japanese migrants and Japanese social systems, this study brings new insights to discussions on tensions between human agency and social structure, and the importance of intangible, mental images in the ways people shape their lives.

This dissertation examines the socio-cultural conditions of Japanese society as reflected in factors that induce recent Japanese immigration to Canada. The examination is based on interview research done with six female and six male Japanese immigrants living in Vancouver, who arrived in Canada after the mid-1990s. While previous migration studies emphasized political-economic conditions as the causes of migration flow, the narratives of these interviewees reveal a different migratory pattern that is motivated by spiritual well-being and life values. In order to encapsulate the complexity of contemporary migration flow, the push/pull factors that induced interviewees' emigration are thematically categorized and analyzed within a frame that emphasizes both these factors' interdependence with the interrelationships of Japanese social systems that have swayed the interviewees' decision to emigrate from Japan, and the nature of complexity in Japanese society. Showing the pluralism of these factors, they are categorized into nine themes: 1)physical environment; 2) spiritual enrichment and a stress-reduced life style; 3) socio-cultural constraints; 4) family life; 5) education; 6) age restrictions; 7) gender roles; 8)diversification, and 9) self-actualization. Luhmann's theory of social systems and Foucault's notion of governmentality serve as touchstones for the re-interpretation of the push/pull factors based on the examination of the interrelations among three Japanese social systems of family, education, and employment. The analysis reveals the complexity of the push/pull factors. Moreover, the interviewees' image of a "simple Canada," which also contributes to their decision to immigrate, is explained in terms of the "double complexity" of Japanese society stemming from both the complexity of modern society and the complexity of an amalgam of "modern" and "pre-modern" elements in Japanese society. Through an extensive examination of the correlations between the experiences of contemporary Japanese migrants and Japanese social systems, this study brings new insights to discussions on tensions between human agency and social structure, and the importance of intangible, mental images in the ways people shape their lives.

This dissertation examines the socio-cultural conditions of Japanese society as reflected in factors that induce recent Japanese immigration to Canada. The examination is based on interview research done with six female and six male Japanese immigrants living in Vancouver, who arrived in Canada after the mid-1990s. While previous migration studies emphasized political-economic conditions as the causes of migration flow, the narratives of these interviewees reveal a different migratory pattern that is motivated by spiritual well-being and life values. In order to encapsulate the complexity of contemporary migration flow, the push/pull factors that induced interviewees' emigration are thematically categorized and analyzed within a frame that emphasizes both these factors' interdependence with the interrelationships of Japanese social systems that have swayed the interviewees' decision to emigrate from Japan, and the nature of complexity in Japanese society. Showing the pluralism of these factors, they are categorized into nine themes: 1)physical environment; 2) spiritual enrichment and a stress-reduced life style; 3) socio-cultural constraints; 4) family life; 5) education; 6) age restrictions; 7) gender roles; 8)diversification, and 9) self-actualization. Luhmann's theory of social systems and Foucault's notion of governmentality serve as touchstones for the re-interpretation of the push/pull factors based on the examination of the interrelations among three Japanese social systems of family, education, and employment. The analysis reveals the complexity of the push/pull factors. Moreover, the interviewees' image of a "simple Canada," which also contributes to their decision to immigrate, is explained in terms of the "double complexity" of Japanese society stemming from both the complexity of modern society and the complexity of an amalgam of "modern" and "pre-modern" elements in Japanese society. Through an extensive examination of the correlations between the experiences of contemporary Japanese migrants and Japanese social systems, this study brings new insights to discussions on tensions between human agency and social structure, and the importance of intangible, mental images in the ways people shape their lives. / Arts, Faculty of / Anthropology, Department of / Graduate

Abstract This thesis aims to contribute to the restructuring of the research field of ICT in education by trying to reduce the complexity of the research with an analysis of the research from the perspective of research of science. The analysis provides a second order observation of research especially from a paradigm point of view. The concept of paradigm has been re-defined by applying Niklas Luhmann's (1995) theory of social systems. The main research task of this thesis is to describe the paradigms structuring scientific communication in research on ICT integration in education. The research questions here are based on the understanding that paradigms are structures of the social communicative systems of science, creating expectations for the researcher about the scientific nature of the research. The definition of the paradigm as a selective structure in a social communicative system of science implicitly defines that the communication within the system is language by nature. In this research, to separate it from linguistics, the focus is in the use of language in research context, not in language itself. In practice, the paradigms of research on ICT integration in education are analyzed through qualitative analysis of metaphors containing ontological assumptions of research and rhetoric convincing the scientific community of the scientific nature and the interest of research. The sample articles have been selected according to such a criteria that they can be seen representing the core of the scientific communication in the field. From the education point of view, the mainstream of research on ICT integration in education has led to an immersion of the learning theoretical foundation of the research into techno-economic paradigms - and in a sense led to fading of broader educational and social perspectives. The mainstream of the research is shadowing the research that has social and cultural approaches and critical research interests related to a changing education system and global educational problems. Although the research puts emphasis on constructive learning theories, techno-economic paradigms of the research field continue the tradition of instructional technology, which is framing the concept of "e-Education". This mainstream is not viable in solving the current problems of education globally. This is not to say that the research field of ICT in education is growing obsolete. On the contrary, the research is needed urgently but it should focus also on the broader educational and social developments in a global context. / Tiivistelmä Tämä tutkimus liittyy tieto- ja viestintätekniikan opetuskäytön poikkitieteellisen tutkimusalueen jäsentämiseen ja selkiinnyttämiseen. Tutkimuksen lähestymistapa on tutkimuksen tutkimus, jossa tutkimusaluetta tarkastellaan reflektiivisesti ns. toisen tason havainnointina. Tutkimuksessa lähestytään tieto- ja viestintätekniikan opetuskäytön tutkimusaluetta paradigma -käsitteen avulla, joka määritellään Niklas Luhmann'in (1995) sosiaalisen järjestelmän teoriaa hyödyntäen tieteellisen kommunikaatiojärjestelmän valikoiviksi rakenteeksi. Tutkimusongelmat keskittyvät näiden rakenteiden kuvailemiseen olettaen, että nämä valikoivat rakenteet luovat tutkijoille odotuksia tutkimuksen perusolettamuksista. Paradigmat tieteellisen kommunikatiivisen järjestelmän rakenteina perustuvat kieleen, jota käytetään tutkimusten raportoinnissa sekä muussa tieteellisessä kommunikaatiossa. Tässä tutkimuksessa näitä rakenteita tutkitaan kansainvälisissä tutkimusartikkeleissa esiintyvien tieto- ja viestintätekniikan opetuskäyttöön liittyvien metaforisten ilmauksien sekä tutkimuksen lähtökohtiin ja intresseihin liittyvän retoriikan kautta. Tulkinnassa käytetään kielen käytön tutkimuksen menetelmiä, pitäytyen metaforisten ilmausten sekä retoriikan yhdenmukaisuuksien ja erojen analysoimisessa. Analyysin tarkoituksena on jäsentää tieteellisen kommunikaation paradigmaattisia rakenteita. Tutkimuksen tuloksena voidaan lyhyesti todeta, että tieto- ja viestintätekniikan opetuskäytön tutkimusta luonnehtii voimakas instrumentaalinen sekä teknis-taloudellinen suuntaus. Suurin osa tutkimusta hallitsevista metaforista sekä paradigmoista voidaan nähdä tämän laajemman suuntauksen osina. Orastava sosio-kulttuurinen tutkimus-suuntaus on selvästi edellä mainitun pääsuuntauksen varjossa. Oppimisteoreettisesti orientoitunut opetusteknologinen tutkimus korostaa yhteistoiminnallisuutta ja sosiaalista kontekstia oppimisen edellytyksenä. Tutkimusparadigmojen näkökulmasta myös tämä tutkimusorientaatio noudattaa pääosin teknis-taloudellista tutkimussuuntausta. Tämä on havaittavissa teknologian instrumentaalisuuden korostamisessa sekä tutkimuksen perustumisessa pääosin luonnontieteelliseen tutkimustraditioon. Tutkimus ei siten erotu olennaisesti teknis-taloudellisesta tutkimus- ja kehitystyöstä erilliseksi suuntaukseksi. Tutkimuksen keskeiseksi käsitteeksi nousevat erityisesti "e-education" ja "e-learning", joiden varaan uusi koulutus- ja oppimismuoto on jäsentymässä. Sosio-kulttuurinen tutkimusorientaatio, institutionaaliset tutkimuskohdetta kuvaavat metaforat sekä koulutuksen muutosta korostavat tutkimusintressit ovat tutkimusalan kokonaisvaltaisen jäsentymisen ja globaalien koulutuksellisten ongelmien kannalta tärkeitä. Poikkitieteellisen, eri tieteenaloja ja metaforia syntetisoivan viitekehyksen sekä kulttuuritutkimuksellisen lähestymistavan korostaminen ovat tieto- ja viestintätekniikan opetuskäytön tutkimuksen kehittymisen kannalta keskeisiä.