Japan+educational+culture

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**Educational culture in the Japanese tertiary education sector**
The predominant eLearning techniques that are currently evident in tertiary and higher education use technology, but learning is still presented through a correspondence style of delivery with printed material that is delivered by post. Only 6 of the current 34 higher education institutions offer Internet-based learning. These courses do not enhance student to student, and student to teacher interaction. They are more to supplement classroom teaching (Aoki & Bray, 2006). The underlying tenet of Japanese education is a Confucian value system. The teachers are regarded as the absolute authority. Knowledge is transferred from the teacher to the students in large, ordered, quiet classes of 40-50 students and students are trained to memorise information in preparation for tests. According to Aoki (2010) 82% of classes at Japanese Universities are lecture based and most students are passive learners rather than active. They rarely ask their teachers questions or study independently. Individual responsibility is valued although individual thought is not encouraged and as such the students are less likely to question if they are uncertain or if they disagree with the teacher. The power relationship that exists between the teacher and the student is highly respected. The teacher is expected to ‘give’ the knowledge to the passive learner rather than allow the students to actively construct it (Brown, Hartman, Aoki & Yamada, 2009).

Hofstede (2004) described the Japanese culture as being moderately collectivist. This is supported by Jandt (2007) who elaborates on the importance of this by describing a sense of obligation and duty to the group. This becomes an important aspect of education as the learners will be more willing to work within a group than as individuals, however they are less autonomous with their learning. Japanese students prefer face to face interactions with the teacher for direction and support of their learning. Another predominant aspect of Japanese educational culture is a high level of uncertainty avoidance. As such students may feel uncomfortable in answering questions. This is more so if the individual is older or in a socially higher position than the rest of the class. If the student answers incorrectly they may feel embarrassed and as a result they could be less willing to attempt subsequent answers. High uncertainty avoidance becomes an issue with distance learning as Japanese students prefer a more structured style of learning that is teacher focused.

We invite you to join in our discussion on the Confucian value system of teaching and to have you share your personal experiences so together we can learn.

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