This paper provides an overview of research presented from July 2022 to June 2023 that targeted infancy and childhood and consists of two parts. The first part summarizes the research themes presented in the "Development" section at the 65th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Association of Educational Psychology and compares them with recent trends. As reflected in the symposium "The Present and Future of Research Using Longitudinal Data" at the 65th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Association of Educational Psychology and in the special issue of The Japanese Journal of Developmental Psychology entitled "How Do Longitudinal Studies Contribute to Our Understanding of Development" (Vol. 33, No. 4, 2022), interest in longitudinal research has entered a new phase. In the second part, an overview of longitudinal research in Japan is provided. Specifically, it focuses on longitudinal studies among articles published in The Japanese Journal of Educational Psychology, The Japanese Journal of Developmental Psychology, The Japanese Journal of Psychology, Japanese Psychological Research, and international journals covering the period from infancy to childhood. Finally, research trends and prospects are discussed.

  The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of developmental studies both domestically and internationally and to discuss the prospects of developmental research in Japan beyond adolescence. Firstly, an examination of the characteristics of 10 domestic research reports and journals revealed a scarcity of developmental research in Japan beyond adolescence. Subsequently, attention was directed towards 64 international studies (53 focusing on adolescence and emerging adulthood, 8 on adulthood, and 3 on elderhood), and their distinctive features were outlined. Notably, characteristics of international research included (1) a focus on diversity, (2) the utilization of diverse research methods, (3) an approach to developmental research from both macro and micro levels, and (4) the application of statistical analysis methods at the within-person level. Finally, in alignment with these features, the paper discusses the prospects of developmental research in Japan beyond adolescence.

  This paper reviews recent trends in educational psychology research within the past year, specifically focusing on teaching, learning, and cognitive domains. These research themes are systematically organ­ized through the lens of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and its implications for the future trajectory of educational psychology. The first analysis highlights an overview of ICT applications in learning, investigating the prevalent research trends through keyword analysis. This analysis includes segmenting the discourse into areas such as online class methodologies and incorporating ICT in traditional classroom settings. We also examine anticipated studies using ICT for learning purposes, categorizing them into themes such as self-regulated learning and collaborative learning. Furthermore, this paper provides a breakdown of ICT methodologies in research, distinguishing between online experiment/survey approaches and conventional experimental methods enhanced by ICT. Lastly, this paper explores the relationship between educational psychology and the application of ICT in pedagogical and cognitive contexts, projecting forward to envisage future directions and possibilities.

  The purpose of this paper is to review research trends in the social field of educational psychology in Japan. After a brief overview of the meaning of "Educational and Social Psychology," the term used in this section, the papers in the proceedings of the 65th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Association of Educational Psychology held in 2023 and the articles published in The Journal of Educational Psychology from July 2022 to June 2023 were categorized according to the same framework as before. As a result, it was found that studies carefully examining interactions in educational settings, studies on school environments and collaboration in schools, and studies treating social factors in psychosocial adjustment were the major features of studies in this area. From an ecological system model perspective, more external systems are expected to be examined in future studies on educational psychology.

  This paper reviews research on personality and individual differences in Japan based on the Big Five and the recently proposed social-emotional skills framework, focusing primarily on studies published between July 2022 and June 2023. It then discusses the implications of emotional intelligence research for the debate on noncognitive abilities and social-emotional skills. Emotional intelligence research is currently pushing for theoretical integration with emotion regulation research, where information-processing models explaining mental processes have been actively constructed. This trend can be seen as the introduction of the social-cognitive perspective in personality psychology into emotional intelligence research. For the debate on noncognitive and social-emotional skills, three advantages of research that incorporate the perspective of the social-cognitive approach are suggested: (1) this approach provides clues for considering how much these traits and abstract skills are inherent in individuals and how stable they are across situations, (2) it provides insight into mechanisms of change, and (3) it provides an idiographic perspective. Finally, the role of the psychology of personality and individual differences in the interdisciplinary debate is discussed.

  The presentations from the Clinical Section at the 65th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Educational Psychology in 2023, and articles published in The Japanese Journal of Educational Psychology, Journal of Japanese Clinical Psychology, and Japanese Journal of Psychology from July 2022 to June 2023 were selected. These presentations and articles were used to review trends in clinical psychology practice. From the study results, the 22 individual presentations included various themes, such as interpersonal distress (e.g., bullying and its preventive strategies), psycho-behavioral problems associated with developmental aspects, depression and anxiety, unfamiliar environments, nurturing, and help-seeking skills. The 41 academic papers included various themes such as psychological education and support, therapeutic approaches, stress and coping with stress, developmental difficulties and chronic illnesses, and social skills. In conclusion, there was also a wide range of studies concerning the care of children, youth, and their families for reducing difficulties. In the future, it will be important to integrate these findings and apply them to the actual field.

  Trends in research on special education are influenced by society and the legal system. Many studies have investigated the role of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), which has gained importance and spread rapidly since the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, many studies have examined subject instruction, regardless of the type of disability, based on the direction of the current Japanese Curriculum Guidelines. As Japanese society moves toward inclusivity and embraces diversity, research on inclusive and universally designed education is on the rise. The implementation of special education resource rooms in high schools, along with the mandatory provision of reasonable accommodations, signifies a shift beyond compulsory education, extending support to high schools and universities. This marks significant progress in fostering lifelong development. In December 2022, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan published the "Survey of Students with Special Needs Enrolled in Regular Classes" and the revised "Student Guidance Guidelines," which are anticipated to have a major impact on the future direction of special education.

  The purpose of this paper is to overview the trends in research within the field of school psychology in educational psychology from July 2022 to June 2023, and to discuss its characteristics and challenges. Specifically, we analyzed 74 studies presented in the "School Psychology (PG)" section of the 65th annual meeting of the Japanese Association of Educational Psychology and 38 articles selected from five domestic Japanese journals related to school psychology. Through this analysis, we aimed to verify how the main themes, focuses, and issues being addressed in each research perspective are handled, and based on that, to gain insights into how the choice of research methods and designs may potentially impact the outcomes of the research.

  This report examines the prospects and challenges of using web panel surveys in educational psychology, drawing on research presented at The Japanese Journal of Educational Psychology and the 65th Annual Conference of the Japanese Association of Educational Psychology. In this paper, "web panel survey" is defined as a survey that is open to the public on the Web, in which respondents register their own attributes and other information at their own will and participate in the survey on an ongoing basis. The use of web panel surveys in educational psychology research has increased, partly due to the difficulties of face-to-face data collection in the COVID-19 era.

  Key benefits of web panel surveys include reaching hard-to-access targeted subjects, ensuring anonymity, and efficient data collection. Challenges include data bias and issues with respondent motivation. Possible solutions to these challenges involve the use of Directed Questions Scales (DQS) and monitoring response times.

  Despite various challenges, the merits and demerits of web panel surveys are two sides of the same coin, necessitating a judicious decision on their suitability based on the research question. Web panel surveys are expected to become a staple in future educational psychology research methodologies.

  This paper clarifies the nature of teaching and the direction of teachers' professional development by exploring important findings of teacher research in the past and recent years. The initiative of the University of Fukui, which is designated as a flagship university for teacher education, is examined as a case study. Teacher research has revealed reflective practice at the core of teachers' professionality based on research on their behavioral and cognitive processes, and has clarified the interactivity and collaboration based on research on teachers' emotions, motivation, learning and development. As a result, the teaching profession has been redefined as "co-creative professions." The initiative of the University of Fukui is based on the school-based longitudinal practice at the graduate school, the longitudinal epidemic cycle of reflective practice at the faculty of education, and the organization of reflective practice of teacher education and the network between schools, boards of education, local communities, and universities. This case study revealed that universities need to build curricula and organizations that support teachers' reflective practice and co-creation, and teacher research needs to generate new knowledge and theories that support them.

  This paper summarizes the situation of education policy in Japan that serves as the basis for thinking about the past and future of ICT utilization in special needs education. Then, ICT utilization for children with intellectual or developmental disabilities is reviewed through 30 years. Focusing on the activities of the target children, the research papers were classified into ten frameworks: looking, listening, reading, selecting the correct stimulus, manipulating objects on the screen, simulation learning, speaking, writing, programming, and using remote communication. It was found that the focus of research shifted from creating teaching materials to using them and evaluating results. In addition, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, using tools for remote communication has progressed dramatically.

  The purposes of this review were to reveal trends in research about child-rearing support practice and to suggest future perspectives of studies in Japan. Approximately 30 years have passed since the inception of parenting support practices, and these practices have become more sophisticated over time. This paper provides an overview of how child-rearing support has been positioned in childcare settings, and then reviews research trends, focusing on papers published in the last 10 years. With the enhancement of child-rearing support, the range of support content has expanded, and there has been an increasing psychological approach. In this paper, based on issues identified in practice, we examined four topics: (a) research on support providers, (b) research from the perspective of users, (c) research focusing on changes in ecological environments, and (d) research on contemporary issues in parenting and child development. Additionally, we discuss the outcomes and challenges of these studies and deliberate on the potential contributions of psychological research to future parenting support.

  The concept "hi ninchi" (noncognitive) has gradually become widespread in Japanese families, childcare, and school settings. Daily use of the terms "noncognitive" in contrast with "cognitive" abilities such as IQ and academic achievement may spread the idea that noncognitive skills or abilities are not accompanied by or involved with cognition, or that cognitive skills or abilities are not accompanied or involved with noncognitive components. The recent popularization and propagation of noncognitive highlights the contrast between cognitive versus noncognitive, or the significance of noncognitive abilities or skills. However, there have been few attempts to critically assess the balance between cognitive and noncognitive, and what lies "in between" them, or to collaborate with researchers who are experts in cognition and those in noncognitive (social and emotional) aspects. In this study, researchers studying cognitive or noncognitive aspects have organized the meanings of and relationships between cognitive and noncognitive from the perspectives of education, research, and practice, and discuss the "in-between" of cognitive and noncognitive.