Department of Educational Sciences

History of Education

Prof. YOSHIKAWA Takuji

This sub-area focuses on the history of education in Japan, East Asian countries, and the West. One distinguishing feature of this course is that it actively engages in fieldwork at the national and local community levels, instilling mastery of skills related to collecting research materials, and conducting historical research. Furthermore, comparisons between countries are made from the perspective of the philosophy and history of modern educational systems, and educational cultural exchange.

Educational Administration

Prof. ISHII Takuji
* Assis. Prof. KONAGAI Akiko

Educational administration is concerned with the way our educational system forms and conducts policy. It focuses on the use of administration, law and management to protect and guarantee the rights of individuals to attain education, especially children. This sub-area examines the establishment of educational policies, and the principles of respecting educational autonomy and local authority. Under Article Ten of the Fundamental Law of Education, analyses of the state of educational administration, inquire into the formulation of educational systems, the establishment of educational institutions, and the maintenance of learning standards for children.

※Faculty members marked with an asterisk (*) are not designated as academic advisors for the Master’s and Doctoral programs.

Adult and Lifelong Education

Assoc. Prof. KAWANO Asuka

This sub-area looks at education outside the school, namely, how people are educated within the household or at the workplace. Specific attention is given to fundamental and historical research, the effect of learning and culture on children, youth, women, the elderly, workers, and other community members, and adult education facilities (such as community learning centers, libraries, museums). One of the more recent interests of the faculty is fieldwork on adult learning in the developing world, with Asia as a particular focus.

Technical and Vocational Education

This area of studies, established in 1980, is relatively new to our school. There is no other university in Japan that has a Doctor’s degree course in the same area.This area covers research and study on various subjects such as play, handicraft education, technology education , home economics education , vocational education and training for high school students and handicapped people etc. We are doing comparative and historical study on these areas , specially in Japan, Sweden, and other nordic countries including Balto countries.

Technologies in Education

The sub-area of technologies in education investigates the increasingly widespread growth of technological media in education, and focuses on the importance of information to the educational content, methods, and environment. The recent focus of attention has been on the educational use of computers and the Internet. Currently, not only are regular schools being studied, but free schools are also being examined. The objective is to construct a basic theory about the use of technology and information in education, in collaboration with other research areas within educational studies.

Curriculum Studies

Prof. WATANABE Masako Ema

What knowledge is of most worth in a given time and place? Curriculum studies inquire into the content of education in relations to politics, culture, economics and history. This sub-field looks into not only the content of knowledge taught in schools but also what values and attitudes are transmitted through the formal curriculum. Thus, pertinent questions to be probed include; what is taught in what way; what cultural contents are conveyed in what form, and how results are evaluated with what standards. In order to clarify the characteristics of institutionalized knowledge and skills, a comparative perspective in international contexts is recommended.

Methods of Education

Prof. SHIBATA Yoshiaki
Assoc. Prof. SAKAMOTO Masanobu

The focus of research here is the clarification of the theoretical foundations of educational methods, approached from the perspectives of the childs thinking processes and classrrom instruction. In addition, research is also being conducted on the history and theory behind social studies in Japan, and on educational instruction in Europe and in the United States. Recent topics of collaborative research include the following: A study on a theoretical model of a classroom lesson based upon relevant structures of classroom factors, Effects of classroom instruction on personal development: Constructive activities using natural materials, Longitudinal study of constructive activities over the school year: An account of personal experience gained from analysis of relevant structures of factors in classroom instruction. Every project has been conducted collaboratively using research funding from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology.

Educational Management

Prof. NAMBU Hatsuyo

This sub-area investigates the particular characteristics of the Administration of education with regard to, first of all, schools and various educational institutions and how they conform to constitutional and basic educational law, and secondly, how public educational organizations are run in order to achieve educational goals. A theoretical and logical examination of the methods used to solve present-day problems of transforming school autonomy into educational autonomy is the main focus. This is done by analyzing the situation and structure of administration at public schools, from the perspective of school and staff function, and the relationship of parents and residents to public education.

Teacher Education 

Prof. SARKAR ARANI Mohammad Reza
Lecturer KUSANAGI Kanako N

This research area is designed in 2013 focusing on professional carrier of teachers and on the theory and practice of teacher education to support their professional development. The mission of this area is clarifying the competencies of teachers and teacher educators in order to create academic knowledge applicable to varieties of teacher education sites.

Philosophy of Human Becoming

Assoc. Prof. IZAWA Shigeki

This sub-area examines various educational phenomena that focus on the meaning of our lives. It also investigates new types of human phenomena, human relations, and cooperation, with the aim of creating and reconstructing theoretical frameworks for future conceptions of education. Various theories, past and present, regarding personal development and societal formation are studied.

Anthropology of Education

Prof. HATTORI Mina

This sub-area, by using anthropological methods, aims to shed light on the formation and function of cultural environments influencing human development and education.

Comparative Education

Prof. MATSUMOTO Asato

Comparative and international education makes inquiries into the structures of education in Japan and other countries, while doing comparative analysis of their relevant socio-historical, cultural, political, economical, characteristics. This research is not limited to a simple introduction of the educational affairs of foreign countries, but strives to conduct research emphasizing on-site observation based upon extensive background research.

Sociology of Education

Prof. ITO Akihiro
Prof. UCHIDA Ryo

This sub-area explains the function of education from a sociological perspective and conducts objective investigations into the path of human growth and development, and explores the positions of individuals in their various environments and systems: family, school (from kindergarten through university), peer groups, local community, and mass media. Theoretical and statistical methods are utilized to cultivate insight into students, and a number of different approaches for examining present-day educational issues are employed.

Higher Education Studies

Assoc. Prof. MARUYAMA Kazuaki

This area conducts theoretical and empirical analyses of the structure and function of the university and knowledge, taken from sociological, economic, historical, and international comparative perspectives, including analyses of such issues as social impacts of undergraduate/graduate education and academic research, processes of knowledge production and distribution, structures of organization and finance in higher education and academic research, and effects of governmental policy on the university and knowledge.

Interrelated Research Areas (Global Education)

This area of research criticizes nationalistic or ethnocentric thinking, and aims to reconstruct educational content and methods from the standpoint of the education of a global community. In particular, research is conducted with emphasis on the cultivation of global perspectives and intercultural understanding in school education. As a rule, visiting international scholars serve as instructors in this area.

Higher Education

Prof. KATO Maki
Assoc. Prof. ABE Yukiko
Assoc. Prof. YASUDA Junichiro

Here, theoretical, historical, and empirical research is conducted regarding education, research, and social services, which all serve basic functions in higher education. Through empirical probes into educational systems in Japan and in other countries, this sub-area focuses on educational systems, policies and finances, along with the role of the university and graduate school in lifelong learning, all with an eye foward the future of higher education.

Lifelong Physical Activity and Fitness

This sub-area probes the multitude of issues related to physical and sports activities engaged in over the course of a lifetime. While including perspectives from related areas such as sports participation, physical sciences and exercise therapy, various topics related to human physical activity and sports activities are explored within the framework of lifelong development and physical education.

Health Promoting Exercise

Assoc. Prof. TANAKA Noriko

This area assesses effect of health promotion with exercise programs on health, and develops a new program to enhance quality of life.

Sport Pedagogy

This area studies physical education in school and lifelong sport and leisure activities. In terms of methodology, we apply a wide knowledge of education, sociology and economics and conduct research by using theoretical, historical and experimental methods. We analyze content and methods in sports and physical education. We also make an international comparative study of physical education in school and sport and leisure activities.

Sport Management

Prof. SASAKI Koh

This academic area focuses on a competitive strategy management concerned with sport practice/organizations. It includes the micro mechanism of skill/game structure and the macro one of governance, policy and planning.

Sports Biomechanics

Assoc. Prof. MIZUNO Takamasa

Sports skills which are highly technical in their performance can be described from the view of Sports Biomechanics. This sub-area probes the means for understanding the structure and mechanisms of sports skill, thereby providing significant idea to refine the techniques and to prevent injuries.

Exercise and Sports Physiology

Prof. AKIMA Hiroshi

Exercise and sports physiology is a study of applied science involving physical responses to exercise and adaptation to exercise training. We focus on respiratory, cardiovascular, and neuromuscular responses during exercise. Also studied in our laboratory are physical adaptations to inactivity, i.e., bed rest, and hypoxic condition.