Foreign Female English Teachers in Japanese Higher Education: Narratives From Our Quarter.

10.47908/11 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Maternity Leave ◽  
Geographical Location ◽  
Leadership Responsibilities ◽  
Legal Information ◽  
University Teachers ◽  
Japanese Higher Education ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Hiring Policies

The goal of this book is to provide information, inspiration, and mentorship to teachers (namely foreign women, but not restricted to such) as they navigate the gendered waters of teaching English in Japanese higher education. Such a book is timely because foreign female university teachers are outnumbered by their foreign male colleagues by nearly three to one. This imbalance, however, is likely to change as reforms in hiring policies (which have until recently generally favored male applicants) have been widely implemented to encourage more female teachers and researchers. The narratives by the contributors to this book offer a kaleidoscope of experiences that transverse several loosely connected and overlapping themes. This book is, in a sense, a “girlfriend’s guide to teaching in a Japanese university” in that it provides much practical information from those who are already in the field. It covers areas such as gaining entry into Japanese higher education teaching, searching for and obtaining tenure, managing a long-term professorial career, and taking on leadership responsibilities. The personal side of teaching is examined, with authors describing how individual interests have shaped their teaching practices. Family matters, such as negotiating maternity leave, reentering the workforce, and difficulties in balancing family and work are discussed by those who have “been there and done that”. The darker issues of the job, such as harassment, racism, and native-speakerism are introduced, and several chapters with practical and legal information about how to combat them are included, as well as a list of valuable resources. The contributors to this volume have drawn upon their own unique experiences and have situated their stories in areas that are of great personal importance. The individual narratives, when taken together, highlight not only the complexity of the professional identity of EFL teachers but also the myriad of issues that shape the careers of women in Japanese higher education. These issues will resonate with all female EFL faculty, regardless of their geographical location.

scholarly journals Digital higher education: a divider or bridge builder? Leadership perspectives on edtech in a COVID-19 reality

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa Laufer ◽  
Anne Leiser ◽  
Bronwen Deacon ◽  
Paola Perrin de Brichambaut ◽  
Benedikt Fecher ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
System Level ◽  
Teaching Online ◽  
Digital Education ◽  
Digital Divides ◽  
Education Leaders ◽  
Higher Education Leaders ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Learning And Collaboration

AbstractThe edtech community has promoted claims that digital education enhances access, learning, and collaboration. The COVID-19 pandemic tested these claims like never before, as higher education systems seemingly overnight had to move teaching online. Through a sequential mixed-method approach, we investigated how 85 higher education leaders in 24 countries experienced this rapid digital transformation. Through their experiences, we identified the multiple and overlapping factors that contribute to an institution’s ability to realize the potential of digital education, in terms of access, learning and collaboration, whilst highlighting deeply rooted inequalities at the individual, institutional and system level. Drawing on these empirics, we put forth recommendations for closing the digital divides and pathways forward. Higher education leaders are uniquely positioned to move beyond the emergency adoption of online learning towards inclusive, long-term visions for digital education, which emphasize collaboration over individual gain.

scholarly journals Communication and didactics, the difficult but needful symbiosis in higher education systems

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Stefano Mustica
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
European Commission ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Practical Knowledge ◽  
University Teaching ◽  
University Teachers ◽  
Equal Importance ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Teaching Learning ◽  
The University

Abstract The first purpose of the university system is to deliver qualitative education through solid didactics/educational, but not many university structures seem really interested in the subject. Sets of laws, measures, rules, and prescriptions of all kinds are in fact relegating it to a corner, making it less and less central and effective while also increasing the difficult to decipher, update and innovate it. As a matter of fact, the issue of modernization of teaching methods has been tackled decisively by the European Commission, which has placed it among the priorities of its agenda. By acting in this way, EU is manifesting the conviction that a better quality for higher education will determine a growth in development and competitiveness not only for the Union itself but also for the individual universities that will define a strategy to improve the level of their teaching and learning and to give equal importance to research and teaching. In its report on the theme of modernization and quality of teaching and learning, the European Commission summarizes its conclusions in 16 recommendations, including: - the need for adequate teaching training for teachers; - the need for the merits of teachers who make a significant contribution to improving teaching and learning methods to be recognized and rewarded. But in order to achieve such quality prospects, it is necessary for university teachers to combine the knowledge of their discipline with specific communicative, cognitive and, more generally, relational skills. All this must become a principle of the university teaching of the future. However, on a practical level, it is not uncommon to meet teachers who are not sufficiently attentive to these dimensions of the teaching-learning dynamic, failing to identify the “language” capable of transferring their theoretical/practical knowledge in the function of real learning of the student.

scholarly journals Rethinking Privilege in Teaching English in Japanese Higher Education

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (10) ◽  
pp. 100-114
Author(s):  
Khatereh Hosseininasab
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Teaching English ◽  
Japanese Higher Education ◽  
Qualitative Thematic Analysis ◽  
Raising Awareness ◽  
Native Speakers Of English ◽  
Hiring Policies

This article addresses the issue of native-speakerism in teaching English in the context of Japanese higher education and the privilege arising from it. Previous research has shown that native speakers are often regarded as highly skilled and qualified teachers in teaching their mother tongue. This has often led to the marginalization of teachers who speak the language they teach as an additional language. In the case of Japan, however, there is doubt about the existence of such a privilege for native-speaker teachers and some studies have shown that native speakers of English do not receive preferential treatment in this context as they are often perceived as replaceable and temporary. The present study aimed to further explore this issue by focusing on the varieties of English Japanese universities expect their teachers to speak. In so doing, the study has investigated hiring policies of Japanese universities with reference to the job advertisements they post on a designated portal. The results of the qualitative thematic analysis indicated that the majority of the advertisements demanded prospective candidates to be native speakers of English, which also meant that this subgroup of teachers has a privilege in landing academic jobs by token of the variety of English they speak. The article suggests that the critical pedagogical approach of teaching English as an international language (TEIL) can mitigate such privilege by raising awareness towards the validity and appropriateness of different varieties of English spoken in the world.

scholarly journals Empirical Evaluation of the Education Expenditure Impact on Economic Growth

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 48-71
Author(s):  
Olena Vorhach
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Regression Analysis ◽  
General Trend ◽  
Empirical Evaluation ◽  
Highly Qualified ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Education Expenditure ◽  
Foreign Countries ◽  
The Individual

This study expounds empirical evaluation of (a) the interrelation between higher education expenditure and the share of highly qualified employed population of Ukraine, (b) the dependence of the population qualification level on the higher education expenditure in foreign countries and (c) the dependence of these countries’ GDP on the qualification of people. It has been hypothesized that an increase in funding for higher education contributes to the growth of the share of highly qualified population and the GDP volume per capita. The regression analysis results indicate inverse dependence of the population's qualification on real expenditure on higher education in Ukraine, that is, as the expenditure decreases, the share of population with high qualification increases, while the number of higher school teachers goes down. This situation is inconsistent with economic theory and is fraught with long-term adverse consequences for the national economy. The analysis of the average figures in 24 foreign countries has not revealed a pronounced dependence of the population qualification on expenditure on higher education and that of GDP on qualification. Nevertheless, the general trend is observed, i.e., in the countries with heavier expenditure on higher education there is a higher percentage of qualified population and higher GDP. The same trend, but in a more explicit form, has been established based on the results of regression analysis for the individual EU countries, confirming the research hypothesis.

Improve Job Satisfaction With Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

2021 ◽  
pp. 26-42
Author(s):  
Katherine Jones
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy ◽  
Work Environment ◽  
Behavioral Therapy ◽  
Cognitive Behavioral ◽  
Career Goals ◽  
Workplace Satisfaction ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Direct Results

This chapter explains the process of using cognitive behavioral therapy to improve workplace satisfaction via the reframing of employees' internal perspectives regarding their work environment. The author details common points of dissatisfaction among employees in higher education and explains how these issues might be handled via the use of CBT techniques. Applied CBT interventions in workplace and higher education environments are discussed in order to provide suggestions of how these techniques can be used at the individual and institutional level. Finally, the direct results of CBT application are discussed, including general day-to-day satisfaction, improved work ethic, and a more comprehensive and obtainable approach to long-term career goals.

scholarly journals Permanent education of administrative staff and develop their capacity - a worthwhile investment in the functioning of higher education institutions

2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 215
Author(s):  
MSc. Aleksandar Todorovski ◽  
MSc. Elizabeta Atanasoska
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Administrative Staff ◽  
Institutions Of Higher Education ◽  
Knowledge And Skills ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Personal Skills ◽  
The Individual

Each institution of higher education in order to achieve their goals and to address problems that arise as obstacles to its development has a regular need for trained, an accurate and educated administrative staff. On the other hand, an individual through their knowledge, skills and experience running a particular job, faced with new requirements and new things felt need for new expertise and new knowledge and skills. Rational behavior of a particular higher education institution means the alignment of these two types of needs, mutual benefit. Systematically develop staff in the institution is essentially a long-term strategy that maximizes the institution's human capital through investment of time, money and ideas to enrich the knowledge and skills of the employees. When the very institutions of higher education (University units) will create conditions for all or at least most of the administrative staff to be involved in all administrative and technical processes, when you enable permanent education administrative staff, then they feel that that work is part of them, then creates a sense of commitment to the work and responsibility of the same sense of pride and only then success will be guaranteed. Permanent education and lifelong learning in the area of capacity development (personal skills and professional competencies) is a key factor for increasing level knowledge and skills, but also to improve the quality of life of the individual.

Evaluation of the Academic Setting in Spain 1This study was financed by the University of Oviedo.

1995 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 133-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Fernández ◽  
Miguel A. Mateo ◽  
José Muñiz
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Social Climate ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Academic Setting ◽  
Teaching And Research ◽  
Evaluation Questionnaire ◽  
University Teachers ◽  
The University

The conditions are investigated in which Spanish university teachers carry out their teaching and research functions. 655 teachers from the University of Oviedo took part in this study by completing the Academic Setting Evaluation Questionnaire (ASEQ). Of the three dimensions assessed in the ASEQ, Satisfaction received the lowest ratings, Social Climate was rated higher, and Relations with students was rated the highest. These results are similar to those found in two studies carried out in the academic years 1986/87 and 1989/90. Their relevance for higher education is twofold because these data can be used as a complement of those obtained by means of students' opinions, and the crossing of both types of data can facilitate decision making in order to improve the quality of the work (teaching and research) of the university institutions.

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