Policies and Practices of School Leaderships in Japan: A Case of Leadership Development Strategies in Akita

Reflecting the social and economic change, Japanese education has shifted to decentralization since the 1980s. With an increased autonomy and responsibility, the local government plays an important role to develop competent school leaders. This descriptive study employs case study approach to illustrate current status of leadership development at the local level in Japan. Through the analysis of current policies and practices, it lays out the strategies of leadership development in Akita prefecture. In addition, semi-structured interviews with 17 education leaders were conducted in 2014 and 2015 to explore their perceptions on the leadership development. The study found that the leadership development in Akita is implemented combining formal and informal training activities. While a comprehensive professional development system is implemented strategically, informal learning of competency is commonly exercised. This dual approach enables school leaders to develop their leadership skills and knowledge

ヘンリー ジェイムズ ト シカク ゲイジュツ The Wings of the Dove ノ バアイ

Henry　James　weaves　many　pictures　and　artists　into　the　textures　of　his　works． He　was　wel置versed　in　visual　arts　and　able　to　make　effective　use　of　them．　He thought　that　the　art　of　the　novelist　and　the　art　of　the　painter　had　many　characterlStlCS 　ln　COmmOn． 　　Recently，　several　James　scholars　have　been　studying　this　area　and　several interesting　studies　of　their　research　have　been　published，　However，　it　seems that　they　reach　insufficient　conclusions　to　the　argument　regarding　the　connection 　of　text　with　visual　arts　and　the　purpose　of　art　in　James’fiction．　This　paper attempts　to　fill　this　void　by　examining　the　roles　of　the　f6110wing　artists’works in　7加W囎∫の加Dov8：Bronzino，　Watteau　and　Veronese． 　　The　results　of　this　study　show　that　their　works　play　signi．ficant　roles　in　providing 　readers　with　visible　illustrations　of　the　subject　of　the　fiction　and　convey directly　and　adequately　what　the　author　wanted　to　do　instead　of　using　tedious descriptions．　They　add　the　charm　of　artistic　depth　and　vivid　impressions．　This study　also　shows　that　it　is　possible　to　make　new　text　interpretations　about　the text　of　this　novel

A study on Teacher’s Self-efficacy for promoting ICT integrated Education in primary school in Mongolia

Use of the Information Communication Technology (ICT) in education has been received more attention for improving a quality of education, and this is no exception in Mongolia. This study investigates the current climate of ICT integrated education in Mongolia through a lense of teachers’ self-efficacy. The data were collected from 838 primary school teachers in Mongolia. The pairwise correlation coefficient was calculated to assess the relationships between three types of perceived self-efficacy (confidence, competency and satisfaction.) and two education aspects, teacher training activities and practical ICT experience at school level. The study found that perceived influence of school-based trainings had the strongest correlation among teacher training activities. It also found that positive institutional attitude toward ICT integrated education is vital to teacher’s self-efficacy. Based on the findings, following points were implied to increase or maintain teacher’s higher self-efficacy: 1) school-based teacher training activities, especially related to ICT integrated education, should be given a priority; and 2) sessions to understand the pedagogical value of ICT should be included in management level trainings

Surface transfer doping of hydrogen-terminated diamond probed by shallow nitrogen-vacancy centers

The surface conductivity of hydrogen-terminated diamond is a topic of great interest from both scientific and technological perspectives. This is primarily due to the fact that the conductivity is exceptionally high without the need for substitutional doping, thus enabling a wide range of electronic applications. Although the conductivity is commonly explained by the surface transfer doping due to air-borne surface acceptors, there remains uncertainty regarding the main determining factors that govern the degree of band bending and hole density, which are crucial for the design of electronic devices. Here, we elucidate the dominant factor influencing band bending by creating shallow nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers beneath the hydrogen-terminated diamond surface through nitrogen ion implantation at varying fluences. We measured the photoluminescence and optically detected magnetic resonance of the NV centers as well as the surface conductivity as a function of the implantation fluence. Our findings indicate that band bending is not exclusively determined by the work-function difference between diamond and the surface acceptor material, but by the finite density of surface acceptors. Furthermore, this study also suggests the presence of spatial inhomogeneities in the surface conductivity and the charge state of the NV centers when the implantation fluence is close to the density of negatively charged surface acceptors. This work emphasizes the importance of distinguishing work-function-difference-limited band bending and surface-acceptor-density-limited band bending when modeling the surface transfer doping and provides useful insights for the development of devices based on hydrogen-terminated diamond