Research on school sizes and consolidation of Korean schools in Japan

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K04385
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Sociology of education
• Research Institution: Kyoto Human Rights Research Institute (2018); Poole Gakuin University (2015-2017)
• Principal Investigator: NAKAJIMA tomoko 公益財団法人世界人権問題研究センター, その他部局等, 嘱託研究員 (80227793)
• Research Collaborator: O Yongho
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 朝鮮学校 / 学校統廃合 / 小規模校 / 学校と地域 / 学校の立地場所

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The purposes of this study were: 1) to analyze the process of consolidation in Korean schools in Japan; 2) to make brief school history charts of these schools by each prefecture, and 3) to identify the issues and strategies for the small Korean schools to survive.
Provided are: school history charts of Korean schools as well as the maps to locate them. These will allow people to grasp the commuting distance for students in Fukuoka, Aichi, and Hyogo prefectures. The findings suggest that among three levels of schools, i.e., elementary, lower secondary and upper secondary, the lower secondary schools play the most important role in the process of school mergers. Also, unique to Korean schools, the schools frequently plan and hold large-scale sleepover events with several small schools altogether in order to conduct school events such as extra-curricular activities and sports festivals. These events otherwise are difficult to continue by small schools alone.

Free Research Field

異文化間教育学　教育社会学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

日本における朝鮮学校は、旧植民地宗主国において70年にも及び全国規模で民族教育を提供する教育機関が存続してきたという点で世界に類をみないと言われる。その間に行われた統廃合の履歴を確定して把握しやすい形に整理する作業は、朝鮮学校数が急激に減少している今日、喫緊の課題である。
また、公立学校の統廃合過程や小規模校存続の工夫と比較することで、朝鮮学校が在日朝鮮人社会に有する「公的」性格のあり方を検証し、その独自性とともに、学校設置形態の別を超えた課題や工夫の共通性を確認したことは、公立学校の「地域」概念のあり方の再検討に資すると考えられる。