Social Science Japan Journal Advance Access originally published online on May 20, 2008
Social Science Japan Journal 2008 11(1):69-82; doi:10.1093/ssjj/jyn021
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Social Science Japan Journal 11:69-82 (2008)
© 2008 Oxford University Press
Quality Assessment and Assurance in Japanese Universities: The Plight of the Social Sciences
YONEZAWA Akiyoshi is an Associate Professor of the Center for the Advancement of Higher Education (CAHE) at Tohoku University. His main research focus is comparative sociology and policy analysis in higher education. He has actively published on various issues related to Japanese and East Asian higher education both in English and Japanese; detailed publication information is available at http://www.she.he.tohoku.ac.jp/yonezawa/. He can be reached by e-mail at yonezawa{at}he.tohoku.ac.jp
Japanese universities are currently experiencing rapid development in quality assessment and assurance activities. In 2004, the national government introduced corporate-style governance into national universities, accompanied by a new evaluation scheme to be carried out by both a governmental committee and a national agency called the National Institution for Academic Degrees and University Evaluation. Most local public universities operated by prefectures and cities have also adopted corporate-style governance and face pressure from local assemblies to engage in formal performance assessment. Furthermore, since 2004 the Japanese government has required seven-year, cyclical ‘certified evaluations’ (accreditation) for all national, local public and private universities and colleges. This certified evaluation is implemented at the institutional level and applies to new and evolving forms of professional post-graduate education programmes. Project-based funding schemes, such as ‘Centres of Excellence (COEs)’ in research and ‘Good Practices’ in various other education programmes are regarded as indirect forms of performance assessment. Despite the implementation of these initiatives, however, the means by which the quality of university education and research is best assessed remains the subject of hot debate, especially within the humanities and social sciences. This article considers the latest initiatives in quality assessment and assurance of education and research activities in Japan, focusing on policy and administrative reform and the particular challenges faced by the social sciences.