Reform of Teacher Education in National Universities

Abstract

　 This paper examines the reform of teacher education in national universities through case study methodology from the mid and long term perspective because a meso-level approach to educational reforms has not been sufficiently studied yet and also the methodology of case study has not been established as academic standards in higher education research in Japan. First, a singular case is extracted objectively based on the published information about employment situation of graduates by MEXT. Next, the details of cause and effect in educational reforms to improve newly-recruited teachers from three points of view: entrance examination, organization and curriculum, and employment support, are identified by using both qualitative and quantitative methods. Thirdly, the reason why reform succeeded is analyzed and lastly, analytical frameworks on educational reforms that can be applied for other cases of teacher education reform are hypothetically presented. Four Important points are: Common goal is shared among faculty members especially when organization faces a crisis. No clear distinction between teacher training course and other courses exists. Comprehensive management beyond curriculum reform is practiced. And evidence-based approach toward strategic development or verification of reform is adopted.