Thirty years of the JSSTE and educational studies

― a retrospection and discussion on prospects

Abstract

　　 As clarified by the article by Tomiji NAGAO, the first president of the Japanese Society for the Study on Teacher Education (JSSTE), the JSSTE positioned “teacher education” within the “teaching of educational studies” at the time of its foundation in 1991. Further, the Society has consistently attempted to place practice in the context of research and promote the development of academic research from practice. 　　 However, the circumstances surrounding teacher education practice and research have been changing dramatically, particularly in recent years. In Japan, teacher education has been standardized under the influence of global neoliberal “educational reforms,” which are reflected in “teacher development indicators” and the “national curriculum for teacher training in universities“. At the time of preparation of the “Disciplinary Reference Points for Curriculum Design and Quality Assurance of University Education—Education”’ by the Science Council of Japan, scholarly discussions focused on the relationship between teacher education and educational studies and that between practice and research in teacher education. The author considers it necessary for the JSSTE to examine the quality and level of teacher education research, particularly practical research, and provide points of discussion on teacher education and educational studies to the academia.