Higher Education Studies in the Sociology of Education

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  • 教育社会学における高等教育研究
  • キョウイク シャカイガク ニ オケル コウトウ キョウイク ケンキュウ

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Abstract

<p>　 In Japan, the most amount of research on higher education is conducted in terms of the sociology of education. In the field, research on higher education is conducted by associating it with such important topics in sociology as educational opportunity, proceeding to higher education, educational background, hierarchy, social mobility, and social inequality. The Japanese economy remained stagnant for 20 years after the economic bubble burst, and Japan relies on research and development and human resource development in universities as measures to overcome the sluggish economy. The neoliberal policy and development of information technology also affected the functioning of universities and induced them to gradually reform after 1990. The necessity of research on higher education was recognized in the reform process, and many universities established centers for the research, operation, and implementation of the university. Consequently, studies concerning sociological research on higher education increased qualitatively and quantitatively, and sociological research on higher education entered a new stage.</p><p>　 Examining The Journal of Educational Sociology published by the Japan Society of Educational Sociology, I found that the suggestions of 57 papers on higher education were adopted between 1983 and 2012, accounting for 20％ of a total of 285 papers whose suggestions were adopted in this period. This shows that research on higher education is given considerable weight in the sociology of education. Studying the contents, I learned that the journal published papers on “educational opportunity” and “university entrance” in the past 10 years, and the keyword “disparity” was popularly used. For example, some papers discuss the university entrance rate that varies greatly with prefecture and explain reasons for the difference between prefectures. The Journal of Educational Sociology reviewed a total of 580 books between 1983 and 2012, of which 86 (14.8％) books are on higher education. The 86 books include many studies from the viewpoints of historical sociology and comparative sociology. The number of books on university reform is currently increasing, indicating the growing interest in policy science.　 Research on higher education is being stimulated by university reform, but the focus seems to be on policy science and technological knowledge, reflecting the trend in government policies. Research perspectives should thus be separate from government policies to avoid the parochialism of the former.</p>

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