TES Connect 2026 Summer

Cover Story Whole Child Development

We based our research on three case studies of re cently arrived students in an international school. The research combined semi-structured interviews, field observations and preliminary discourse analysis. We observed interactions in several “netdoms”, or network domains, such as the classroom, friendship groups, cor ridors, lunch breaks and online communication. The key was to record and transcribe interviews in order to an alyse how language reveals, hides or reshapes identity. This approach allowed us to compare what people say about themselves with what can be observed in social interactions.

The trip was also an opportunity to discover Tokyo and to connect the research experience with a broader cul tural and educational context. Among the visits, we en joyed the Currency Museum of the Bank of Japan and discovering various Tokyo districts, such as Ikebukuro and Shibuya. These moments outside the conference setting contributed to the richness of the experience by linking academic work, cultural discovery and personal reflection. For the students, the project was demanding but re warding. It required time, organisation, teamwork and a willingness to accept uncertainty. Research did not simply mean finding answers; it meant learning how to formulate better questions, how to listen carefully, how to interpret data and think critically, and how to recognise the limits of one’s own work. Presenting at a conference also helped them to understand the expec tations of higher education, especially the importance of methodology and academic discussion.

Ethical questions quickly became central to the pro ject. We asked for consent, protected confidentiality, and allowed participants to feel safe when speaking about personal topics. This was essential because the research dealt with sensitive issues such as integration, self-perception, friendship, stress and sense of belong ing. Since the research focused on students in a school community, anonymity and confidentiality had to be carefully protected. Names and identifying details were changed, and the students reflected on the limits of what could be shared. For this reason, the results pre sented in the project did not aim to expose individual stories, but rather to highlight general social mecha nisms. The research showed that identities are multi ple, ever-evolving and often adjusted depending on the situation. It also showed that individuals may use differ ent strategies to maintain coherence between how they see themselves, how they wish to be perceived and how others perceive them. The project also led us to reflect on our own position as ‘student-researchers’. Being part of the same school community as the participants gave us access to cer tain forms of understanding that an external observer might not have perceived. At the same time, this close ness created important ethical and methodological questions. Where does the role of student end and the role of researcher begin? Can a researcher give advice to a participant who is struggling? Could their presence influence the answers they receive? These questions be came an important part of the project itself. The trip to Japan gave another dimension to the whole project. Presenting the research in Tokyo in two differ ent settings required a long preparation: first in front of peers at the Lycée Français International de Tokyo, then at the University of Tokyo in a more academic setting.

The project is not necessarily finished. We identified several possible continuations: analysing the interview transcripts in more depth with digital tools, conducting further interviews with peers, parents, and teachers, studying online interactions in more detail, etc. These possibilities show that this research project did not sim ply lead to a final presentation; it opened the door to future research. We are very grateful for the opportunity offered by the Journée Francophone de la Recherche des Lycéens, for the support received throughout the preparation of the project, and for the warm welcome in Tokyo. This ex perience allowed us to understand academic research not only as a final result, but as a process consisting of observation, discussion, collaboration, and doubt. From Taipei to Tokyo, this project became an opportunity to think, present and learn beyond the classroom.

| SUMMER 2026 33