Abstract
This study clarifies the experience and meaning of Hideo Aikawa as a "young teacher in the rural village" by focusing on the creation of the "New Geography and History Education" practice. Aikawa's experiences that stimulated theoretical change in teaching social studies are interpreted through a literature review of his work. The characteristics of his experiences as a "young teacher in the rural village" are as follows. First, through the study of local history, Aikawa attempted to solve the poverty-related problems in the Tomisato village during the first half of the 1950s. Second, Aikawa designed elementary social studies based on his study of local history by focusing on the lives of the village children. Third, Aikawa regarded the children living in the local region as subjects while he paid attention to their lives in the village. These characteristics showed Aikawa's growth in the first half of the 1950s based on local history. Moreover, this study clarifies the meaning of his experience as a "young teacher in a rural village" that led him to develop local history-centered lessons, and it expands on the previous research on Aikawa's work.
