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METHODOLOGIES OF SOCIAL EDUCATION IN JAPAN
A. Kawano
The article is focused on the analysis of retrospective and current methodology, method and practice of social education in Japan. It considers several methods, widely spread nowadays.
Key words: Collaborative learning, Life Writing Movement (Seikatsu Kiroku Undo), Work life and social education, Reflective practice.
Introduction. All countries have their own methodologies for educational activities, and they continue to change every day along with people’s lives due to such things as economic crisis and development of globalization. The importance and urgency of not just the diffusion and expansion of basic education, but also lifelong education and lifelong learning for individuals throughout life is increasing further.
In Japan, social education has been developed as one of people’s most important learning bases in their local community and lives before World War II and all the way up until now historically, with various methodologies of social education being built in the process.
In this article, I will review how the methodologies of social education in Japan were created and developed through both governmental institutions and the people themselves up until now. Next, I will examine how the methodologies of social education are applied in the practices up to now through several examples of activities.
Methodologies of social education in Japan from a historical
perspective. If we can give a few distinctive features of education and learning views prior to World War II, “enlightenment”, “cultivation of the mind”, “mobilization”1, “passive learning” and “education based on national ideology” would be prominent. In Japan, the first national library Shojakukan was established for the enlightenment of the people during the civilization after the Meiji Restoration. Particularly, public education was regarded as education which was provided by the Emperor in the period just before the World War II and during the war, and the fostering of Japanese subjects was conducted in the places of education. Social education was no exception, and it was utilized for national integration and the fostering of people who would cooperate with the government during the war. All in all, education for the fostering of children to become Japanese subjects was conducted in school education and was education given to adults carried out in social education. Government attempted to raise human resources who understood the national ideology towards the war, and they tried to mobilize people into the war mentality. After World War II, these negative legacies of education were removed, and Japan tried to establish a peaceful democratic state and the sovereignty of the people.
1 Kobayashi S., Kataoka R., Hirakawa, K. eds., The Introduction to Lifelong Learning (Shogai Gakushu Gairon: Manabiau Community wo Tsukuru), Eidell Kenkyusho, 2014, pp.105-107.
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However, there was not only education provided by government institutions, but also the self-educational movement by people such as “Free University Movement (Jiyudaigaku-undo)”.
The Free University Movement was begun by Tsuchida Kyoson and the youth of agricultural villages in the Nagano prefecture during the 1920s. They criticized the centralized universities of the day, and tried to establish the Shinano1 Free University where people who were working could continue learning. Depending on the idea of Shinano Free University which was drafted by Tsuchida Kyoson, Shinano Free University opened its doors to all people, even women. Regarding the concrete methodologies of Shinano Free University, students attended lectures during the agricultural off-season and continued self-learning throughout the year2.
In addition, the Life Writing Movement (Seikatsu Tsuzurikata Undo) also expanded by Ashida Enosuke and Suzuki Miekichi during the Taisho period, and by Sasaoka Tadayoshi in the Showa period. People depicted their own experiences in everyday life, their thoughts and feelings in writing, and they realized the issues of life and thought solutions.
The movement and methodologies of the above mentioned Shinao Free University and Life Writing Movement inherited current social education in Japan and it raises the importance of the education, self-learning and mutual learning of the people.
The current methodologies of social education.
(1) Development of methodologies during the post-war period. After World War II, the CIE (Civil Information and Educational Section) of the GHQ (General Headquarters, the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers) promoted enlightenment, the democratization of Japan and the democratic management of youth organizations and women’s associations in the local community. In this process, the methodologies of the settlement movement in England and youth education in United States were introduced to Japan, and the Ministry of Education of the day diffused these methodologies, “Group work”, into youth education in all parts of Japan3.
In the historical development of social education methodologies, those methodologies unique to Japan have been created. I will indicate two representative methodologies of social education, and examine their significance in the following.
To date, many methodologies are being advocated and are attracting a great deal of attention. Above all, the “Collaborative learning” and “Life-Writing Movement (Seikatsu Kiroku Undo)" have been developed since World War II up until now.
Collaborative learning is the practice of learning by the youth themselves, started in 1950, and developed depending on the activities of the youth organization. The theory of collaborative learning originated from the theory of
1 Shinano is name of old province of Japan that is now present day Nagano Prefecture.
2 Kobayashi, S., Kataoka, R., Hirakawa, K. eds., Ibid., 2014, pp.107-109. Nagashima, S. “The Historical Meaning and Limitation of Jiyudaigaku-undo (Free University Movement)(Jiyu Daigaku Undo no Rekishiteki Igi to Sono Genkai)”, KEIZAI SHIRIN (The Hosei University Economic Review) , Vol.74(1 • 2), 2006, pp.169-201.
3 Kobayashi, S., Kataoka, R., Hirakawa, K. eds., Ibid., 2014, pp. 109-110.
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group work during the Occupation by GHQ, the theory of Collective Education in China, Life Writing Movement (Seikatsu Tsuzurikata Undo) and the activities of youth organizations after World War II1. The goal of collaborative learning is for young people to plan and learn by themselves, to organize their learning independently and to create a self- education and cross-education based on collaborative relationships with other young people. This theory of collaborative learning denied the passive learning found where students listen to teachers lecture and cramming. Specifically, they learn and work on life improvement, such as surveying the current agricultural situation, agricultural modernization, simplified wedding ceremony and so on. Through collaborative learning, young people discussed local issues together and revealed issues in their everyday lives, and finally they actively practiced solutions2.
As mentioned previously it can be said that collaborative learning has its roots deep in young learners’ needs and demands, by finding common issues between young people and trying to solve those issues. Basically, small group learning (15 people at the most) was proposed in the theory of collaborative learning. Through the learning people grasping the issues of their life and considering their own life. In other words, it seems that this learning is connected with the people’s real life.
At the same time, in the 1950s, the “Life-Writing Movement (Seikatsu Kiroku Undo)" was developed for youth and women’s learning. The Life-Writing Movement (Seikatsu Tsuzurikata Undo), which expanded in Tohoku region before World War II, was the predecessor to the Life-Writing (Seikatsu Kiroku) after the War, and developed as a learning method for youth and women. For example, the women who worked at a spinning factory wrote essays regarding their mother, and they read essays to each other, and discussed jobs, and marriage in the future. At the same time, they also could learn the issues of the background and social system of a mother’s life, such as the exploitation of labor, feudal family relationships3, the gender gap between men and women, etc. Women inquired again on their own life and social structure through their everyday life and their mother’s life history using the methodologies of Life-Writing.
Thus, the methodologies mentioned above allowed learners to look back over their life and career, to learn and discuss their life issues in the local community together, and to try to find solutions for issues that continue in the current practices of social education in Japan. These methodologies raise the characteristics of Japanese social education and the significances of self-learning by the people in modern society.
(2) Methodologies of social education in recent years. Other special feature is that social education is connect with work life more strong in a variety of place. It has been said that the distinctive features of the typical employment system and tradition of Japanese firms are lifetime employment and seniority promotion. However, due to long-term Japanese economic slump since the middle
1 Kobayashi, S., Kataoka, R., Hirakawa, K. eds., Ibid., 2014, p.112.
2 Kobayashi, S., Kataoka, R., Hirakawa, K. eds., Ibid., 2014, p.113.
3 Kobayashi, S., Kataoka, R., Hirakawa, K. eds., Ibid., 2014, pp.115-117. For details, see Takako
Saruyama, “Communication and ‘Recording’ in Tsurumi Kazuko’s Seikatsu-kiroku Movement : History of
the learning organization ‘Seikatsu wo tuzuru kai’", The Japan Society for the Study of Adult and Community Education, Japanese journal of adult and community education, 50(2), 2014, pp.11-20.
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1990s and influence of worldwide globalization, the system of lifetime and seniority promotion was break down and now people need to consider new work life and lifelong learning as well.
Up to now group training was conducted in work place, however, few methods to improve employees’ ability themselves have been required in firm inservice education and training. For instance, employees organize small groups and discuss the issues and solution of own work, and suggest ideas. This methodology called “Quality control circles”1. Furthermore, people who want to learn newest special knowledge and technics continue learning in evening course of graduate school in university or in a foreign country through study abroad program of firms. Not only special knowledge and technics, but also some firms provide life plan programs like course of preparing for after transfer or retirement, course for reemployment, educational leave for work life, course for taking official qualifications, course for pension, courses on life values and healthy life, course for community services2. Employees also participate in various circles, learning groups, community services in local community etc.
Moreover, one of new trends of methodologies of social education lately is “Reflective practice”. Reflective practice is a process of continuous learning and reflection on action. For example, practitioners who are working at social education facilities such as Kominkan, public library, museum, lifelong learning center try to grasp the voice of the participants of social educational activities, and discuss issues and improvement. The learning by practitioners also continue constantly.
Conclusion. This article aimed to review how the methodologies of social education in Japan were created and developed through both governmental institutions and the people themselves up until now. Furthermore, I examined how the methodologies of social education are applied in the practices up to now through several examples of activities. To summarize this article, the methodologies mentioned in this article allowed learners to look back over their life and career, to learn and discuss their life issues, and to try to find solutions for issues that continue in the current practices of social education in Japan.
Recently social education is connect with work life more strong in a variety of place, and new methodologies like reflective practice are introduced into social education. However, conventional methods such as collaborative learning and LifeWriting are still used in social education field. These methodologies raise the characteristics of Japanese social education and the significances of self-learning by the people in modern society.
As I mentioned before, all countries have their own methodologies for educational activities, and they continue to change every day. Thus, there is a very wide diversity of methodologies. It is inferred that methodologies of social education are developing based on assorted country, area, ethnicity, locality, and so on. In this case, how do we understand the special feature of methodologies of Japanese social education through comparative studies between Japan and other countries? Additional studies on these issues are suggested.
1 Murata Y., Yamaguchi M. eds., A Bilingual Text Education in Contemporary Japan - System and Content-, Toshindo, 2010, pp.140-143.
2 Murata Y., Yamaguchi M. eds., Ibid., 2010, p.142.
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