Hopes and challenges for progressive educators in Japan: assessment of the ‘progressive turn’ in the 2002 educational reform

Motani, Yoko

doi:10.1080/03050060500211666

Cited by 18 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 7 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…On the other hand, industry worries that making the schools "tender" may compromise academic excellence' (6). Motani (2005) concurs with this assessment, emphasising that business leaders exert a powerful influence on education policy-making, and that their objectives often conflict with the visions of progressive educators. This ubiquitous undercurrent of resistance helps to explain why efforts to alter the educational status quo, especially when reforms involve reducing academic intensity, have proceeded in a series of advances and retreats over the past 40 years.…”

Section: The Path To Reformmentioning

confidence: 61%

“…Concerns about the possible consequences of following the Ministry's plans for change spawned a 'Back-to-Basics' movement that aimed to counter the impact of measures such as the IS programme (Bjork and Tsuneyoshi 2005;Motani 2005). According to critics who identify with this position, attempts to reduce pressure in the schools constitute a threat to a system with a long history of success.…”

Section: The Path To Reformmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although research on the process of IS policy formulation has been published (Cave 2001(Cave , 2003Motani 2005;Muta 2006), the effects of the reform at the school level have yet to be examined carefully. Both proponents and critics of the reform have relied on assertions that often lack empirical foundation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Local implementation of Japan’s Integrated Studies reform: a preliminary analysis of efforts to decentralise the curriculum

Bjork

2009

Comparative Education

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Section: The Path To Reformmentioning

confidence: 61%

Section: The Path To Reformmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Local implementation of Japan’s Integrated Studies reform: a preliminary analysis of efforts to decentralise the curriculum

Bjork

2009

Comparative Education

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…For example, the promotion of critical thinking skills has been a prominent part of Western nursing education for some time, but such skills are criticized as lacking in Japanese nursing education (Kawashima, 2003; Stockhausen & Kawashima, 2003; Kawashima & Petrini, 2004; Motani, 2005). Although these views often do not take account of the differences between Western and Eastern forms of knowing, learning and teaching, behavior, and cultural subtlety, it is generally the case that there is a cultural tradition of not encouraging critical thinking in Japanese education (Motani, 2005). In part, this is related to the Japanese traditions of honoring the respected teacher, or sensei , by not publicly questioning the teaching of the sensei , and maintaining group harmony (Turale et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nursing scholarship in Japan: Development, facilitators, and barriers

Turale

Ito

Murakami

et al. 2009

Nursing & Health Sciences

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This qualitative study sought a contemporary view of the development, facilitators of, and barriers to nursing scholarship in Japan from the perspectives of the scholars. In-depth interviews were conducted with 13 scholars across Japan, which were digitally recorded, and the data were subjected to content analysis. Five themes emerged: a spirit of collectivism; a lack of nursing control; a lack of English ability; a high workload; and collaboration. The participants considered that culturally based consensus and communication behaviors, as well as the control and dominance by the medical profession, were hampering nursing scholarship. Furthermore, Japanese nurses were not in control of the profession in a period of unprecedented growth in university nursing education and a growing nursing shortage. A lack of English-speaking and English-writing abilities hindered collaboration with scholars internationally and the writing of international publications. Most of the participants felt unable to compare the extent and nature of Japanese scholarship with that of their Asian neighbors. The Japanese scholars need to grasp opportunities to learn English, collaborate with other nurses nationally and internationally, learn assertion and political skills to give them the confidence to take control of nursing education, and be more involved in research collaboration and international publications.

show abstract

“…In essence, the reform attempts to encourage "Zest for Living" and provide "Relaxed Education" for students (Motani, 2005). "Relaxed Education" is perceived as necessary to cultivate "Zest for Living"; it refers to a humanistic learning environment as opposed to a competitive, stratifying school environment.…”

Section: Japanmentioning

confidence: 99%

Teacher Education and Professional Development for Sustainable School Effectiveness

Tam¹,

Cheng²

International Handbook of School Effectiveness and Improvement

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Asia-Pacific is one of the regions in the world that has experienced rapid economic growth as well as occasional economic instability in the last 20 years. Countries in this region were enticed to compete in the world market and to compete with each other for foreign investment. One of the key assets for their success is perhaps the low cost but fairly skilled human capital. This is confirmed by the fact that international comparisons such as PISA and TIMSS have demonstrated time and again that average student attainments in selected subjects in some of these countries have far exceeded those of major Western countries (Willms, 2004). However, in order to maintain a competitive advantage in the increasingly complex and differentiated global economy in the future, education will become a key determinant of development. The importance of education is not merely a means to achieve an individual's career development and selfactualization but can also be a way of alleviating the negative effects of global competition on individuals and communities, bringing about stability and the development of the society (Cheng, 2003). Hence, governments expect their education systems to meet social demands and help their countries to increase future competitiveness. However, many are troubled with the large education budget and the inefficiency of the system. Under these circumstances, large-scale education reforms are unavoidable. In order to facilitate a large-scale education reform, the reform of the teacher education system is also inevitable. In the following sections, selected national cases are used to demonstrate the diverse strategies for education reform in the region and how reform in teacher education is being employed as a means of achieving national reform goals. 751

show abstract

Hopes and challenges for progressive educators in Japan: assessment of the ‘progressive turn’ in the 2002 educational reform

Cited by 18 publications

References 7 publications

Local implementation of Japan’s Integrated Studies reform: a preliminary analysis of efforts to decentralise the curriculum

Local implementation of Japan’s Integrated Studies reform: a preliminary analysis of efforts to decentralise the curriculum

Nursing scholarship in Japan: Development, facilitators, and barriers

Teacher Education and Professional Development for Sustainable School Effectiveness

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About