To investigate the role of language teacher associations (LTAs) vis-à-vis their members, the case of Japan is notable for the apparent disparateness among the more than 50 associations that have formed over the past 90 years. An historical overview reveals that LTAs in Japan have emerged in four distinct waves, and a survey of representative…

The new Australian Curriculum includes among its three cross-curriculum priorities a focus on Asia and Australia's engagement with Asia. The Australian Science Teachers Association (ASTA)'s Science Teachers Exchange--JAPAN program provides teachers with direct, personal insight into one of Australia's key Asian neighbours.

"The Wiley International Handbook of Educational Foundations" features international scholars uniquely qualified to examine issues specific to their regions of the world. The Handbook provides readers with an alternative to the traditional texts in the foundations of education by taking aim at the status quo, and by offering frameworks…

Discusses the annual conference of the Japan Association of Language Teachers (JALT) held at Doshisha University (November 1979). Conference activities included language experience sessions, presentations, and observation of English instruction in local schools. Briefly describes JALT. (BK)

Teachers have been understood in their functional role and collective agency in sociology. In this article, the author rethinks the structure and agency dimension of teaching in the context of Japanese school education in transition. The new curriculum in Japan puts emphasis on children's subjective experience of learning. This article explores…

Representatives of teacher associations in 17 countries address four basic questions concerning educational change in their countries: (1) What are the most significant pressures for educational change in your country at this time? (2) What are some of the reactions of your members to these pressures? (3) What have been some of the major pressures…

Emphasizes the role of the teachers union in the move from decentralization to centralization of educational administration in Japan. (Editor/RK)

The main components of Japan's educational system are the Ministry of Education, an active teachers' union, and a national college-entrance examination underwritten by education-conscious parents. These components create stability and efficiency in Japan's schools, which play a key role in today's high-tech age just as they did in postwar…

Discusses origins, structure, objectives, and implications for U.S. schools of ZEMPOREN, the All Japan Teachers' Federation Studying the Use of Radio and Television in Education, which promotes effective use of classroom broadcasting through a published journal, research, conventions, and by acting as liaison between the educational network and…

In the debate on educational reform in Japan, the government's version of free choice would lead to commercialism and privatisation of education and an even more competitive system creating technocratic elites. In contrast, the Japan Teachers' Union has proposed reforms based on the people's right to justice in education. (JHZ)

The relation between secondary and higher education is considered by 10 different authors in 10 country/area profiles: United States, England and Wales, France, West Germany, Sweden, Japan, the People's Republic of China, Latin America, and Africa. The systems of secondary and higher education are detailed for each country. The question of how the…