Abstract
In June 2014, when the results of the second round of the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) were published, some Japanese papers gave significant publicity to the long work hours and low levels of self-efficacy and occupational satisfaction of Japanese teachers (Asahi Shimbun2014b; Mainichi Shimbun 2014). On average, Japanese teachers work 53.9 h per week. This is the longest average work week of the nations and regions participating in the international survey conducted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Japanese teachers also reported extremely low levels of confidence in their pedagogical competence, such as developing student interest and positive attitudes toward learning, classroom management, and effective use of different teaching and assessment methods. A paper cited Professor Yuki Honda’s comment that more teachers and other professional staff are definitely needed to alleviate the intensity of teaching and to improve the quality of teaching (Asahi Shimbun 2014a).
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Katsuno, M. (2019). The Relationship Between Teachers’ Working Conditions and Teacher Quality. In: Kitamura, Y., Omomo, T., Katsuno, M. (eds) Education in Japan. Education in the Asia-Pacific Region: Issues, Concerns and Prospects, vol 47. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-2632-5_6
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