Competence Development of Filipino Eikaiwa Teachers in Japan: A Self-Determination Theory Perspective

Filipino teachers make up a substantial share of the instructional workforce in Japan's private English conversation schools, commonly known as Eikaiwa, yet how they develop teaching competence inside these commercially organized institutions has received little attention. Research on foreign English teachers in Japan has concentrated on Assistant Language Teachers in public schools. This study examined competence development among eight Filipino Eikaiwa teachers and the extent to which autonomy, competence, and relatedness, as described by Self-Determination Theory (SDT), were reflected in their professional lives. An interpretive qualitative design with phenomenological sensitivity guided semi-structured interviews. Transcripts were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis, with SDT used as an interpretive frame rather than a coding grid. Participants described competence as developing through adaptation to the Japanese Eikaiwa context, experiential learning and instructional adaptation, peer learning and professional support, and responses to challenges to confidence. They reported substantial discretion over lesson planning and delivery but limited influence over scheduling and organisational decisions, evaluated their effectiveness mainly through student progress, attendance, and feedback, and described relationships with colleagues, supervisors, and students as a significant source of professional support and satisfaction. Training and preparation, institutional policies, cultural and linguistic expectations, and collegial support were described as shaping professional growth. The findings suggest that competence development in this setting is better understood as a negotiated process rather than as the accumulation of instructional skill, and that classroom-level discretion can coexist with organisational constraint. Because eight purposively selected teachers were interviewed once, the study offers a context-specific account and neither generalisable findings nor evidence of intervention effects. Implications concern practical training, constructive feedback, teacher participation in decisions, and supportive workplace relationships.