Abstract
This study examined the conditions under which multispecies convivial learning (MCL) can be established within the institutional setting of a Japanese public junior high school, and the kinds of transformations it enables. Integrating Participatory Action Research (PAR) and co-design, interventions A–E were conducted over 2023–2024. Reflexive thematic analysis revealed four interlinked elements—(1) self-understanding and expression, (2) sociality, (3) agency, and (4) co-creation with other species—which collectively transformed the classroom into an “ecological dialogic space” where humans and other living beings learn together. The study contributes by conceptualising MCL—previously under-theorised in public education—as a practice of redesigning relationships, and by specifying three implementation principles that support de-schooling from within: redistribution of authority, embedding relational sensibilities, and renewing evaluative language. These findings indicate that even within traditional school structures, multispecies convivial learning is feasible and can cultivate capacities essential for living in more-than-human, sustainable futures.
Keywords
conviviality, co-design, multi-species learning, de-schooling within
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.1786
Citation
Kotokawa, S., and Mizuuchi, T. (2026) Multispecies convivial learning: Art-based interventions at a Japanese public junior high school, in Simeone, L., Gray, C. M., Verhoeven, A., de Götzen, A., Bakırlıoğlu, Y., Zohar, H., Stead, M., and Buwert, P. (eds.), DRS2026: Edinburgh, 8–12 June, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.1786
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Multispecies convivial learning: Art-based interventions at a Japanese public junior high school
This study examined the conditions under which multispecies convivial learning (MCL) can be established within the institutional setting of a Japanese public junior high school, and the kinds of transformations it enables. Integrating Participatory Action Research (PAR) and co-design, interventions A–E were conducted over 2023–2024. Reflexive thematic analysis revealed four interlinked elements—(1) self-understanding and expression, (2) sociality, (3) agency, and (4) co-creation with other species—which collectively transformed the classroom into an “ecological dialogic space” where humans and other living beings learn together. The study contributes by conceptualising MCL—previously under-theorised in public education—as a practice of redesigning relationships, and by specifying three implementation principles that support de-schooling from within: redistribution of authority, embedding relational sensibilities, and renewing evaluative language. These findings indicate that even within traditional school structures, multispecies convivial learning is feasible and can cultivate capacities essential for living in more-than-human, sustainable futures.