アメリカにおける高等教育研究の展開と日本への示唆

抄録

　 This paper considers current areas of research in higher education in the United States , and suggests opportunities for collaboration between Japanese and U. S. scholars. An analysis of the topics of over 300 presentations at a recent annual meeting of the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE)indicated that three-quarters were related to one of four subject areas : governance(including finance and management),students, academic staff, and equity. Three other subject areas - teaching and curriculum, comparative education, and studies of graduate higher education programs - together made up one -quarter of the presentations. Research in higher education, which had previously emphasized quantitative research has more recently given increased attention to quantitative studies. Some of the better studies utilize both quantitative and qualitative techniques suggesting the need to prepare future scholars who have a broad range of research skills. The existence in both the United States and Japan of several common issues, such as the role of presidential leadership, the effects of the tenure system, the need for curriculum development, and public concerns for management and financial reform suggests that there may be opportunities to develop programs of comparative research in which teams of scholars from both countries work together and, in the process, both teach and learn from each other. In addition to studying substantive issues, it would be interesting and useful to compare the research agendas and approaches of scholars in both countries, and to consider what effect, if any, higher education research has - or should have - on the improvement of public policy or institutional effectiveness.