2023 Volume 45 Issue 2 Pages 81-91
The purpose of this study is to examine the educational effects of the Universityʼs curricular practices. Specifically, we are conducting interview surveys to clarify how the undergraduate students who study using our curriculum, which started in FY2019, face the prospect of becoming teachers. For this purpose, we asked all undergraduate students from the first to fourth year who were enrolled in the 2022 academic year to cooperate in this interview survey. 22 students cooperated and were interviewed in order to capture the changes in their attitudes towards teaching. The survey will be conducted continuously until the students graduate. This approach is unique in that it captures the growth of the students during their four years at our university.
The students shown in this paper are the cases of 4 students, all of whom are fourth-year students. These 4 students were chosen for the analysis because they were judged to be typical cases for the following reasons. Students A and B belong to a group that obtained elementary and middle school licenses and are currently employed in elementary schools, while student C belongs to a group that obtained pre-school and elementary school licenses and is employed in a child-care facility. Student D chose not to seek employment in education following graduation, however we thought it was significant as a control case for the purpose of clarifying “attitudes toward the teaching profession”. These four students are students who have spent four years under a new curriculum. This study will be completed in the 2025 academic year, when the students who enrolled in the 2022 academic year graduate. In this sense, this paper can be considered an interim report.
In regards to empowering students, the interviews have revealed the importance of students studying in an environment where they learn while interacting with others. Students were inspired by encouragement, and found enjoyment and satisfaction in working together with other students to solve problems. In addition, the students were motivated to become teachers through the experience of working with school children and seeing them actually change positively and being treated with respect by them and their parents who approved their teaching approaches. It became clear that universities are challenged to ensure that students have opportunities to study and interact with others throughout their four-year curriculum.
