フリースクールの世代交代における継承の困難性

―指導者としての設立者の役割に着目して―

抄録

  The purpose of this study is to reveal the founders’ roles in free schools from the point of view of the leader, and to consider how these roles affect successions of general change in schools.

  Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six free school founders, each of whom had been involved with a free school for more than 10 years. This study focused on the narratives of the two founders who were facing generational change.

  The data revealed that the free school founders guide children by their actions,while also taking measures to avoid being coercive leaders. In free schools, the roles of founders as leaders and founders’ personalities are closely connected. This fact makes the succession of founders’ roles difficult. The findings of this study suggest the following with regards to social education: First, leaders are able to play active roles with regard to learners without being coercive leaders in social activities. Second, in social education targeting children, founders’ active roles as advisers or coordinators are effective in forming democratic groups.