Development of Practical Seminar for the Teaching Profession for Quality Assurance of Teacher Education (I) : Based on the Results of a Questionnaire Survey to Faculty and Staff

The purpose of this study is to develop a practical seminar for the teaching profession for assuring quality in teacher education. This paper reports on the status quo of professional portfolios, teacher education standards, and practical seminars for the teaching profession. Data from 83 faculty members and 57 staff members of colleges & departments for training elementary teachers who answered questionnaires were analyzed. As a result of our examination, we reached the following three conclusions: 1) Many colleges & departments developed custom teacher education standards based on the 4 matters indicated by the MEXT Central Education Council report (2006). 2) Regarding professional portfolios, using paper media is more popular than using digital media. The data accumulated in the professional portfolio included records of self-evaluation by students, their academic performance, records of volunteering, and the like. 3) Faculty and staff recognized the practical seminar for the teaching profession as a compilation of the undergraduate’s learning in teacher training programs.本研究は，JSPS科学研究費補助金基盤研究C（一般）「教員養成の質保証に向けた教職実践演習のモデル開発に関する研究」（課題番号：26381032，研究代表者：米沢崇）の助成を受けたものである。なお本稿は，日本教師教育学会第25回大会において発表した内容を加筆・修正して執筆している

Development of Practical Seminar for the Teaching Profession for Quality Assurance of Teacher Education (Ⅱ): Based on the Results of the Interview Survey to Undergraduate

This research will clarify the facts regarding professional portfolios and practical seminars for the teaching profession, as well as what students learn through such opportunities, based on the results of interviews with students who participated in practical seminars for the teaching profession. First, students recognized the considerations made to maintain balance between lecture-focused and exercise-focused classes, and creative approaches to lessons such as group work. Second, regarding professional portfolios, reflection upon the knowledge accumulated beyond the four years of study at university may be useful in helping students to recognize their own achievements and future challenges. Third, the qualifications and abilities that were formed through practical seminars for the teaching profession included a sense of mission, affection for education, interpersonal skills, and a sense of responsibility. It is also important to clearly indicate standards and make students aware of the qualifications and abilities that the university wants them to acquire. Based on the above, the authors believe that practical seminars for the teaching profession (including professional portfolios) are also meaningful in terms of performing a key role for assuring quality.本研究は，JSPS 科学研究費補助金基盤研究（C）（一般）「教員養成の質保証に向けた教職実践演習のモデル開発に関する研究」（研究代表者：米沢崇）（JP 26381032）の助成を受けたものです。 なお，表2，表3，表4 では，紙幅の関係でストーリーライン，理論記述，課題や追究すべき点を除く，テクスト等については一部抜粋する形で掲載している（詳細な情報が必要な場合は研究代表者に問合せのこと）

Effects of Infusion Lessons on Students’ Critical Thinking Attitudes

The present study was conducted with students of Yamaguchi Elementary School attached to the Faculty of Education, Yamaguchi University, with the purpose of fostering critical thinking attitudes based on an infusion approach. The aim of this study was to understand that thinking based on evidence is useful in solving problems in daily life. The results of the questionnaire survey showed a significant increase in the value of the items related to the importance of evidence. A qualitative analysis was conducted on the contents of the worksheets created by the children's self-initiated investigative study. The results showed that the children who expressed their own opinions during the investigation study were significantly more concerned about listening to the opinions of others who had different ideas than themselves than those who did not the investigation study.井上弥先生・樋口聡先生退職記念特集

Does municipal mergers internalize spatial spillover effects? Empirical evidence from Japanese municipalities

This paper investigates whether municipal mergers could internalize spatial spillover effects by comparing mergers before and after they occur, especially focusing on local public library services in Japan. A spatial spillover effect occurs when the benefit of a local public service spreads across not only its own administrative district but also into neighboring ones. A free rider problem among municipalities might be caused when a municipality makes a policy decision regarding how much it supplies to its own local public service under a decentralization system, recognizing the existence of a spatial spillover effect. Under such circumstances, spatial spillover effects might be internalized through municipal mergers. In Japan, the boundaries of administrative districts—including those of municipalities—have been determined based on traditional or historical reasons. However, large-scale municipal mergers took place in FY2004 and FY2005 due to serious fiscal deficits and a rapidly aging population. Consequently, the number of municipalities in Japan has decreased from 3,232 to 1,820. In light of these facts, we examine whether municipal mergers internalize spatial spillover effects, focusing on Japanese local public library services, by applying cross-sectional spatial autoregressive models. As a result, we found that there are spatial spillover effects in public library services both in FY2001 (before) and in FY2008 (after). We also found that the impact of such spillovers in FY2008 is smaller than that in FY2001. The results imply that municipal mergers could at least partially internalize spatial spillover effects among municipalities

Does municipal mergers internalize spatial spillover effects? Empirical evidence from Japanese municipalities

This paper investigates whether municipal mergers could internalize spatial spillover effects by comparing mergers before and after they occur, especially focusing on local public library services in Japan. A spatial spillover effect occurs when the benefit of a local public service spreads across not only its own administrative district but also into neighboring ones. A free rider problem among municipalities might be caused when a municipality makes a policy decision regarding how much it supplies to its own local public service under a decentralization system, recognizing the existence of a spatial spillover effect. Under such circumstances, spatial spillover effects might be internalized through municipal mergers. In Japan, the boundaries of administrative districts—including those of municipalities—have been determined based on traditional or historical reasons. However, large-scale municipal mergers took place in FY2004 and FY2005 due to serious fiscal deficits and a rapidly aging population. Consequently, the number of municipalities in Japan has decreased from 3,232 to 1,820. In light of these facts, we examine whether municipal mergers internalize spatial spillover effects, focusing on Japanese local public library services, by applying cross-sectional spatial autoregressive models. As a result, we found that there are spatial spillover effects in public library services both in FY2001 (before) and in FY2008 (after). We also found that the impact of such spillovers in FY2008 is smaller than that in FY2001. The results imply that municipal mergers could at least partially internalize spatial spillover effects among municipalities

Development of the Novice Teachers Training Program in Collaboration between University and Education Board

In this study, we reported about the novice teachers training program in collaboration between Hiroshima University and Hiroshima prefectural education board. In the grouped education practical research of this program, the teachers from university and consultants from education board gave theoretical & practical lectures for the novice teachers. The research is one of the novice teachers training in place by Hiroshima prefectural education center, where the novice teachers are grouped, create lesson from study on teaching materials to trial lessons and discuss about them. We had a questionnaire in free description style to the participants for feedback as to this program in order to make sure its outcomes. The results showed that this program could fulfill some roles in encouraging the novices to deepen their thought and understanding of various issues and findings regarding teaching method, to reflect their own lessons, which improves their own practical teaching competencies, especially their teaching method.本研究は，平成25-26年度独立行政法人教員研修センター委嘱事業「教員研修モデルカリキュラム開発プログラム」の成果の一部である。なお，本稿は広島大学(2015a) および広島大学(2015b)の一部を修正するとともに平成27年度の取り組み内容を加筆したものである

A Study on Novice Teachers’ Development of Practical Qualities and Competencies : Through comparison between novices, 2nd years, 6th years, and mentors

This study compares and examines between consciousness of teachers with different length of teaching about professional development of practical qualities and competencies: 61 novices; 63 teachers with two years teaching experience; 67 teachers with six years teaching experience; 78 mentors. As a result of our examination, we reached following three conclusions: 1) The stably-required practical qualities and competencies have three factors structure and the temporarily-overrated ones have two factors structure. 2) Teachers consider increasingly that the basic competencies of learning instruction, designing children-centered lessons and general educational activities less need to be acquired by novices in a rushed way during their initial stages instead teachers need to acquire them gradually after those stages in association with the length of teaching experience. 3) Teachers tend to give a higher estimate how much novices acquire those competencies with increasing teaching experience and they might consider that they had already learned all basics during their initial stages; including the practical qualities and competencies they actually have acquired in their teaching years

Development and Operation of the Handbooks for Novice Teachers and Mentors (I) : Towards Constructing Foundation and Basis of Teachers as Continuous Learners

In this study, we developed Handbook for improving the practical teaching competencies for novice teachers and Handbook for supporting Novices for mentors and actually got them used by those teachers. We interviewed three pairs of novice and mentor, obtained feedbacks on their contents & usability and analyzed them. As a result of this research, we reached following three conclusions: 1) Handbook for novice teachers helped in organization and accumulation of the documents of novice teachers training; 2) Handbook for mentors are contributory for mentors to support and to advise novices by offering useful knowledge and so on; 3) Standard can be an index of lesson observation and analyzation for novices as well as a tool promoting their reflections. Furthermore, it also works as a medium connecting novices and mentors. We plan to keep on considering the valid ways to utilize these Handbooks.本研究は，平成25-26年度独立行政法人教員研修センター委嘱事業「教員研修モデルカリキュラム開発プログラム」の成果の一部である。なお，本稿は広島大学（2015）の一部を加筆・修正するとともに，平成27年度日本教育大学協会研究集会（10月10日開催）で発表した内容を加え執筆したものである

A Study of Contents What Special Needs Education Coordinators Support Regular Class Teachers

The purpose of this study was to examine contents what special needs education coordinators support regular class teachers. The questionnaire survey was conducted by mailing method. The subjects were 102 special needs education coordinators and 306 regular class teachers in elementary schools. The results were as follows: (1) Contents of support were "connect", "address", "listen", "advise", "supply" and "help". (2) "Connect" was indirect support and the others were direct supports. In direct supports, "address" and "listen" were emotional supports and "advise", "supply" and "help" were instrumental supports. (3) Contents of support that Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology announced were widely recognized and conducted. (4) A gap in awareness regarding contents of support between special needs education coordinators and regular class teachers was little. (5) Some contents of support were not completely conducted by problems that special needs education coordinators were busy and their competences were not enough. (6) Both special needs education coordinators and regular class teachers felt that emotional supports were important

The Trends and Problems in Studies on Special Needs Education Coordinators at Regular Schools in Japan

The purpose of this study was to research the trends and problems in previous studies on special needs education coordinators (SNECo) at regular schools in Japan. The findings of this study were as follows: 1) The studies on SNECo at kindergartens and high schools were few. 2) There was not the longitudinal survey about SNECo. 3) The effects of SNECo's actions should be objectively examined