再専門職化の時代における教員養成の方向性

抄録

This paper considered the reform trends of current teacher education in Japan from the perspective of the sociology of professions.

First, this paper summarized the trends in the sociological studies of the professions. In recent years, sociological studies of professions tend to define the professions broadly as intellectual occupational groups. One of the main themes of these studies is to investigate how the professions change their knowledge level, task area, influence, and how they interact with states, universities, and other occupations. In addition to this, recent studies of the sociology of professions tend to argue that the model image of professions is diversifying in some new professions like management consultancy as well as in traditional professions like doctors. This paper defined this situation as “re-professionalization”.

Secondly, this paper focused on the problem of the core curriculum of teacher education that is the one of the main issues of the recent reform of teacher education in Japan. The recent reform should not be denied entirely, because it has features of the policy for the re-professionalization of teacher education. However, the recent reform also includes some problems. The policy making process of the recent reform is mainly promoted by the Ministry of Education, and the reform plan heavily reflects the interest of administrators. As a consequence of this, the recent reform plan of teacher education lacks consideration for diversification of teachers, and participation of professional groups.

Thirdly, this paper examined the possibility of the plural accreditation in teacher education as a solution for the problem of the diversity and participation of professional groups of teachers. In comparison with doctors which is a precedent example of core curriculum, the teachers are characterized by a massive working population and internal diversity. This feature of teachers makes it difficult to build a unified core curriculum with the participation of professional groups of teachers. As one solution to this problem, we can learn many from the plural accreditation system of the U.S. teacher education or the U.S. psychologist education.

In conclusion, this paper argued that we should build multiple associations for accreditation and devote more time to making a core curriculum. We should not use a rough-and-ready method to make a rigid unified core curriculum without the participation of professional groups of teachers. We may have another way to make a more flexible core curriculum through competition or cooperation of plural accreditation groups. Each of them holds a different professional image of teachers.

The concepts of professions are diversifying in many other occupations as well as in the teaching profession. Faced with this situation, we need to consider the diversity of the professional image of teachers, and to discuss the plural accreditation system for participation of professional groups of teachers.