教育行政研究の有用性と教育行政研究者の養成の在り方(まとめ,課題研究2)

抄録

1. This year's theme. This year is the last of a three-year special research project on the usefulness of educational administration research. We discussed the following topics : the first year, which was on "Research on Educational Administration and the Educational Policy Making Processes," and the second year, which was on "The Usefulness of Educational Administration Research for Educational Administration Practice." The task force set up the above-mentioned topic as that for the third year, based upon these two previous years' sessions. 2. Three presentations. First, Toyokazu Urano of the University of Tokyo made a presentation on the actual situation of and problems in training researchers of educational administration at his university. He mentioned the changing situation of his university, such as the increase of the number of graduate students with different educational backgrounds and the introduction of a new, highly competitive system. He also pointed out the necessity of training practical researchers as well as professionals who would have advanced knowledge and skills. Second, Takeaki Nakadome of Kyushu University reported on the situation of his graduate school, which has accepted many students for in-service training. According to Nakadome, though training of school leaders had become an important task, there are many limitations for a single graduate school to provide sufficient training programs for this purpose. Therefore, it will be imperative to set up cooperation among graduate schools, partnerships between graduate schools and the boards of education, and support by academic associations such as the JEAS. Third, Shinichi Yamamoto of the University of Tsukuba gave a presentation of the system and actual situation of training of researchers of educational administration in the U.S.A. He suggested, as general characteristics of American graduate schools, a systematized training program, many kinds of financial supports for students, and close relationships between research funds and research activities. He then argued for the specific features of schools of education, especially in the field of educational administration and management. According to Yamamoto, many graduate students in this field are professional-orientated and self-supported part-time students. 3. Discussion. The following questions were mainly raised after the three presentations. In the diversification of the purpose of graduate education, how are the graduate schools or professors there trying to respond to these demands? What abilities are needed for the researchers of educational administration, who are in charge of educating and training professionals as well as academics? On the increase of the number of doctoral courses in the field of education, isn't it necessary to set up some common standards? Through the discussion, we came to a common understanding that more practical abilities are demanded for researchers of educational administration. Therefore, as a more important issue, how can students be trained as researchers with practical abilities in graduate programs of educational administration? It is important, however, that the narrow interpretation of the term "usefulness" might result in limiting the diversity of the research on educational administration.