The value of the Ph.D. in Japanese society: Experiences and challenges of doctoral students

• In Event: Academic mobility: Acknowledging talents and knowledge for inclusion and diversity

Proposal

The purpose of this study is to explore doctoral students’ experiences and perceptions of the social value of Ph.D. degrees in Japan. This study is relevant to the CIES 2023 theme, ‘Improving Education for a more Equitable World,’ (subtheme III) because the study will 1) contribute to the literature on how the PhD degree is positioned within different country contexts, and 2) provide implications for practice and policy in doctoral education.
Doctoral education is central to university research capacity and plays an essential role in producing knowledge and training the academics who contribute to the global knowledge economy (Auriol, Misu, & Freedman, 2013; Nerad, Trzyna, & Heggelund, 2008). In today’s context, the value of the Ph.D. is more relevant than ever, as social issues require research to engage in transdisciplinary discussions in which researchers from different fields can communicate and provide expertise to the government and the public—COVID 19 is a prime example necessitating cooperation amongst medical, natural, and social scientists and government organizations. With the rise of league tables like Times Higher Education, the Academic Ranking of World Universities, and QS World Rankings, attention to fostering productive universities has skyrocketed, as nations compete to attract gifted researchers around the globe and hold on to native talent (Marginson, 2010). However, while Japan was once a forerunner in research production, over the past 20 years research productivity has dramatically decreased to amongst the lowest in article production amongst the G7 countries (Arimoto, 2015). Similarly, from 2006 to 2015, the number of awarded PhDs fell by 10.6% across all fields of study (Arimoto, 2018), and there has been a decline in the number of academics under 35 years old, reflecting a dearth of new researchers (Arimoto, 2015).
As the number of available academic positions in Japan decreases, Ph.D. graduates seek work in other sectors (MEXT, 2014), particularly those in the fields of science and engineering (Arimoto, Daizen, Huang, & Kim, 2019). At the same time, there are limited career options beyond academic positions for the graduates in social sciences and humanities in Japan (Kim & Sato, 2021). As a result, Japan, like many other countries (Auriol, Misu, & Freedman, 2013), has turned to restructuring the nature of Ph.D. training, shifting from a German model apprenticeship-style system to one that integrates coursework and research training, similar to American models (Huang, 2014). However, while the growing number of Ph.D. graduates working outside academia is not unique to Japan (Etmanski, 2018), other countries with strong research productivity continue to see high or even growing numbers of domestic and international Ph.D. students (see, e.g., HESA, 2020; Okahana & Zhou, 2018). Japan, however, struggles to enroll students in its doctoral programs (Arimoto, 2018), which is directly linked to the quality of doctoral training and the Japanese job market for Ph.D. holders (Arimoto, 2015); doctoral employment is lower than for master’s or undergraduate degree holders, possibly because employers in non-academic sectors do not recognize the value of the Ph.D. degree (MEXT, 2016).
The decline in Ph.D. enrollment may thus be linked to how the Ph.D. is viewed, influenced by the industrial employment structures within Japanese society. Despite the importance of doctoral education as the bedrock for developing productive research and addressing real-world problems, little research exists on the state of doctoral education in Japan, including the image of doctoral programs in society and subsequently, decisions around supporting Ph.D. programs and Ph.D. student training. Even less research has examined the structure of Ph.D. programs and the experiences of the students who participate in them. This research will contribute to this gap in the literature, offering policy recommendations for doctoral training aimed at improving Ph.D. graduates’ skillsets and ability to find work inside and outside academia. Further, it will also contribute to an understanding of why students decide to do a Ph.D. in Japan, with possible implications for how the doctorate is viewed and valued in the Japanese context.
Therefore, this study aims to explore students’ perceptions of the social value of doctoral degrees and their experiences during the degree programs. This study involved 15 semi-structured interviews of approximately 60 minutes each. Interviews were placed online via Zoom, and participants had the choice of doing the interview in either Japanese or English. In the case that interviews were done in Japanese, an interpreter was present, and the interview files were translated into English through professional translators. The interview data has been coded and analyzed using narrative analysis (Riessman, 2008) and qualitative coding (Saldana, 2009) to identify major themes and patterns. The results will have implications for training in Japanese Ph.D. programs by identifying the discipline, the types of training, and the types of the university that recent graduates need for their future careers in various sectors, including academia, industry, and if relevant, government, as well as provide a better understanding of how the value of doctorate is perceived by Japanese doctoral students. Because very little is known about the experiences of PhD students in Japan, this research contributes valuable insight into the Japanese doctorate and how the national context interacts with perceptions of the PhD.

Author

• Yangson Kim, Hiroshima University