Service Learning and Community Engagement in Japanese Higher Education: Looking for the Future Possibility of Sustainable Development of Local Community

• In Event: Poster session III
  In Poster Session: Poster session 3

Proposal

Background and Context
Japanese universities started to work for student learning with the local community in these 10-15 years. This kind of teaching is often called service learning. Some private universities got head starts in service learning. The Ministry of Education has had several funding programs. In these few years, more universities have started a variety of programs working with communities. Service learning developed as one of the newly introduced teaching methods to enhance students’ active learning. How to motivate students to learn in college is a long-time issue for Japanese higher education. At the same time, service learning is the practices to support the development of local communities. Japanese society is changing rapidly. Japan is one of the most rapidly aging societies in the world. More and more foreign people live, work, and learn. We started our challenge to create a more inclusive society for disabled people. To solve these social issues, we need to enhance young people’s participation in the social and civic movement. College students should help to make our changing society sustainable. College students need to develop citizenship, leadership, mutual understanding, and problem-solving skills to engage in contemporary issues.

Literature review/ Research Questions and Contribution
There are some prior studies for service learning in Japan. Some studies describe and review their practices in each university (Tomita et al. 2009; Iwata 2016; Rikkyo University 2018). Kimura & Kawai (2012) and Nakazato et al. (2015) tried to clarify what are student learning outcomes for service learning. Some studies try to overview service learning and community engagement in the U.S. (Miyazaki 1998; Yamazaki 2012) and Indonesia (Nakaya 2015). Goshima (2016) referred to Carnegie’s Community Engagement Classification from the perspective of engagement. Sugimoto (2016) reviewed service learning in the field of Engineering in the U.S.
The purpose of this study is to compare and overview multiple cases of service learning in Japan, and then, to identify distinctions of Japanese service learning. This study is also essential to provide a platform for comparative researches on service learning. The focus of this study is the structure of each program, particularly the linkage of purpose, contents, and student involvement. This study is based on case studies of each service learning programs. I reviewed programs in eight universities and made a qualitative comparison.

Findings
I found many pioneering approaches in each university’s service learning programs. They are opening a new horizon for college education in Japan. Many students showed personal developments and positive reactions. However, there is still limited evidence that these programs contribute to the improvement of local communities. It is the most critical challenge for newly emerging programs. It is crucial for service-learning programs to include community development specifically in their purposes. Also, continual assessment and close communication with people in/ out of each university are other challenges. More studies and dialogs are necessary to make Japanese service-learning programs sustainable and more meaningful.

Author

• Hideto Fukudome, The University of Tokyo