Korekara no Kyōshi-Kenkyū (The Future of Research on Teachers - Methodologies for research on teachers in 20 case studies)

“Schools” are spaces for public education where both children and adults learn. The adults who, together with children, learn and develop in schools are called “teachers.” As educational professionals, teachers, together with children, create and maintain the systems we call “formal education” and help to make this “formal education,” which is a form of public education, visible.
 
It goes without saying that, no matter the era, the work of teachers as educational professionals tasked with public education is extremely meaningful to society. That also means that the work of teachers is extremely institutional, social, and cultural. One of the characteristics of the profession of teacher is that it is subject to the ebbs and flows of the times. Teachers are constantly having to make decisions while navigating circumstances that arise. As individuals tasked with the care of children and management of numerous dilemmas that arise in the classroom due to the overabundance of things to be done, teachers grow over time through the accumulation of cognitive and affective experiences in the micro society of the classroom. While the word “teacher” refers to the education-related profession, the concept of teacher also comprises the relationships, institutions, and lifestyles. A teacher’s existence is predicated on the existence of children (=students) in the time and space that we call schools. The teacher-student relationship is prescribed and guaranteed by the institution that we call teachers. Even after retiring, teachers’ impacts continue to live on in their students. It can be said that this essential nature of teachers’ work has been treated as self-evident and neglected up to this point.
 
How can we probe and study the expertise and circumstances facing teachers today? This book, written for individuals engaged in research on teachers, introduces studies that probe the essence of teachers’ work through concrete examples while focusing on how questions in research on teachers are formulated and the manner in which these questions are investigated.
 
This book, which is a sequel to Korekara no shitsuteki kenkyūhō [Future Qualitative Research Methods - Research on School Education Practices: 15 Case Studies] compiled by the same editor, has the following characteristics. First, the book consists of two parts, with Part I providing information on current trends in research content and methodology and Part II introducing examples of research. By connecting current trends along with basic concepts and frameworks seen in the methodology of research on teachers to concrete examples of research, the book provides readers with ideas on how to approach teachers as research subjects. Second, by taking up actual examples of research, the book enables the reader to think about the array of methodologies available as well as the range of possible questions and themes for research on teachers. Third, each author of the chapters in Part II offers their own perspective on their awareness of issues when choosing a research theme and approach, thought-provoking literature, thoughts and wishes regarding research on teachers, research-related struggles, etc. The examples demonstrate the originality of each author’s research as well as the uniqueness of research on teachers in Japan.
 
While there are many books on research methods for investigating classes and learning, to our knowledge, this is the first book in Japan to focus on the types of research that can be conducted and the methodologies that are available to study “teachers.” Understanding who teachers are and understanding teachers’ experiences, thinking, lifestyles, personalities, and cultures is fundamental to the study of formal education and is a timeless area of research. It is our hope that this book serves as a springboard and a permanent reference for research on teachers in the future.
 

(Written by FUJIE Yasuhiko, Professor, Graduate School of Education / 2021)