Purpose: This study aims to search for fitting lenses to view and interpret teacher learning in a Japanese secondary school teacher staffroom and capture the reconstituting of researcher subjectivities in this process. Design/Approach/Methods: A narrative approach chronically documents the findings and use of the lenses in analyzing the staffroom…

This study investigated the relationships between professional learning communities (PLCs), teacher self-efficacy, and experiential learning. A conceptual model that connects PLC components, including shared vision, interactive reflection, and collegiality, to teacher self-efficacy was proposed, as mediated by experiential learning. The data…

This study examines practices relating to four dimensions of leadership development (recruitment and selection, professional learning, autonomy, and evaluation) in Japan. Initial information was drawn from prior literature and websites of the national government (e.g., national legislation, policy documents, and national statistics) and BOEs at…

In this research, structural equation modeling and TIMSS data were employed to examine the impact of school belonging on math achievement among secondary students in Japan, Korea, and the United States, with a focus on the roles of math attitude and disorderly behavior. Utilizing SmartPLS 4.0, the study delved into the reliability and validity of…

This article reports on how mathematics teachers connect face-to-face and virtual professional learning communities by expanding the notion of lurker and broker within both environments. Through an analysis of 18 interviews with K-12 mathematics teachers, categories of participation are presented to describe the nuances between the ways…

Recently a team of third- and fourth-grade teachers tested instructional ideas on the topic of division with remainders (DWR) using lesson study. The Common Core State Standards for Mathematics give little attention to the concept of the remainder, specifying only that students are to solve problems for which remainders must be interpreted (NGA…

Since 1995, the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) implemented the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) as an international comparative study. This article aims at identifying the correlations of science classroom instructions with TIMSS science achievement of eighth graders among…

This volume highlights unique features of L2 teachers' motivation, autonomy and career development in Far East counties (including Japan, South Korea and China), using diverse methodological research approaches incorporating both quantitative and qualitative paradigms. While much of current research focuses on students' psychology, this volume…

Is it actually certain that our students are changing during our social studies classes? This paper aims to reveal structural development and evaluation in social studies education which is related to national curriculum requirements and focused on particular students in order to test the effectiveness of the lesson. In order to increase students'…

This study investigated anxiety symptoms of Japanese adolescents in community high schools. Japanese high school students (N = 1500) from diverse types of schools including general, vocational, and part-time schools completed the Spence Children's Anxiety Scale (SCAS). First, confirmatory factor analysis supported the 6-factor structure with…

The purpose of this paper is to describe the historical development of science teacher education in pre-service and in-service education in Japan with a focus on the systemic changes and teachers' professional learning culture. The characteristics of science teacher education generally are elucidated through an analysis of the system and…

This study makes a comparison between what literature on Japanese Lesson Study suggests are key elements of a good mathematics lesson and what junior high school mathematics teachers in Japan value in planning their lessons. The teachers' strong consensus in their endorsements of these key elements explains why Japanese teachers strongly support…

The dichotomy between content knowledge and 21st-century skills ("zest for life" in the Japanese context) has been an issue since the early 2000s in Japan. Recently it has been evident in the demand for a high school-university connection. In spite of such a division, involving apparently incompatible or opposite principles, Japan can…

Under neo-liberal policies in many countries, there has been an extensive trend of educational reform which intensifies competition. Such educational reform is underpinned by direct government control, seen in centre to periphery forms of policy administration and implementation with strong emphasis on managerialism and test-oriented…

Japanese lesson study has attracted many international educators who have been impressed by its capacity to foster student learning and sustained professional growth of teachers. This paper reports a study on its cultural orientations that may explain why lesson study works seamlessly in Japan. Hofstede's dimensions of national culture are…