There is a wide variety of research.

There are survey studies that investigate how ICT is utilized for education in educational settings and companies, development research that develops e-learning, digital teaching materials, and CSCL environments, or develops methods for improving classroom instruction, and practical research that utilizes existing systems to conduct new practices and verify their effects. Research methods include quantitative research using questionnaires, tests, and logs if ICT is utilized, as well as qualitative research such as free descriptions, interviews, and observations. These research methods can also be blended. For those who want to know more specifically, you can read the “Japan Journal of Educational Technology” for free by searching on CiNii, which is operated by the National Institute of Informatics, so please use it as a reference.

Yamada Laboratory focuses on learning environment design, particularly research on collaborative learning environment design using information and communication technology (ICT) based on a social constructivist view of learning (CSCL), and learning analytics research that analyzes logs from eBooks, concept map tools, etc., to improve educational and learning environments. We conduct research and practice related to themes such as how ICT should be introduced to conduct collaborative learning in educational and learning settings, the development and evaluation of systems to support collaborative learning, and their dissemination. We also conducted research on FD for a period, so that is also within our scope. We are a laboratory that mainly conducts “creation-oriented” research, such as the design, development, and evaluation of educational methods and educational/learning support systems utilizing ICT. Specific research keywords include:

・Development and evaluation of teaching materials utilizing ICT
・Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL)
・TELL (Technology-Enhanced Language Learning), CALL (Computer-Assisted Language Learning)
・Utilization of social media in education and learning
・Effect measurement of learning commons and active learning spaces, as well as development and evaluation of learning support methods and programs in them
・Informal learning utilizing ICT
・Learning using games, development and evaluation of educational/learning game materials
・Flipped learning utilizing ICT
・FD based on ICT utilization
・Development and evaluation of learning systems utilizing theories such as self-regulated learning
・Mobile learning

and so on. While we conduct various development and evaluation-based Educational Technology research, what they all have in common is that we perform “Learning Analytics,” which utilizes learning logs accumulated in learning support systems for analysis.

For specific details and projects, please refer to our Profile and Projects pages.

I have written about this in a blog entry in the past, so I will repurpose it here.

1: Students who genuinely want to do research
Graduate school is not a place to acquire skills, but a place to conduct research. Furthermore, research on education and learning is conducted not only domestically but also extensively overseas, and understanding overseas research findings such as international academic journals is indispensable for research on education and learning. Many people may feel that they are not good at English, but even if you are not good at it now, the willingness to overcome it is important. The option of “I’m not good at it, so I won’t read it or do it” is not possible in this field. The cycle of researching things you don’t understand on your own, coming to understand them, critiquing them, and applying them to your own research is required in master’s programs, doctoral programs, and in general society.

It is also no problem if you are a student who has never done Educational Technology research before. There are four seminars at Yamada Laboratory where you can acquire basic knowledge for conducting Educational Technology. If you are admitted, you will be asked to participate in those seminars, where you can acquire research skills and connect them to your own research. The knowledge and skills gained through seminars can be applied not only to research but also to various other areas.

2: Active students
Graduate school is a place where you won’t get any opportunities if you just wait (this may be the same for undergraduate studies). Naturally, this is the same in society, such as in companies. Through challenges such as presenting at academic conferences domestically and internationally, and presenting at international conferences, I want you to increase your circle of colleagues, which relates to the fourth point. Also, you cannot do research with only the knowledge gained in class. Please study and acquire knowledge and skills related to research on your own. You cannot complete graduate school with the mindset that everything will be “taught to you.” This is the same not only at Kyushu University but also at other universities.

3: Energetic students
Not only physical strength but also enthusiasm and sincerity are necessary. If you have enthusiasm and sincerity, things can be conveyed. This is the same in research and in society, such as in companies. However, passion alone is not enough. It is meaningless to spin your wheels with just feelings without scientific evidence. Let’s be careful about that.

4: Students who like collaboration
Helping each other with everyone’s research and projects conducted in the laboratory, and making them successful, and through that, growing yourself as well. This is also necessary when you go out into society.

To answer your question, yes, we do. However, I want working professionals to calmly think about the meaning and burden of “researching” at graduate school before choosing the path of entering graduate school. To think about the meaning and significance of “researching” for yourself, first, please ask yourself why it is not enough to take classes as a “non-degree student.” It is possible to take classes, acquire knowledge, take it back to your own field of practice, and solve problems. What is the meaning of taking two years for a master’s degree or three or more years for a doctoral degree to “research” beyond that? If you cannot think about that meaning, unfortunately, it will be difficult to survive in the current Japanese graduate school system.

The desire to enter graduate school and conduct research while working is wonderful. However, that choice, unless it is a work order, is something you made yourself, and it is physically and mentally demanding, so the decision to enter is a heavy one. “Work is busy” is not a reason for “research not progressing.” That is the same as saying “I can’t proceed because other work is busy” in your own work, which is not an excuse, right? As for the quality of research, there is no such thing as lowering standards because you are a working professional. Accessing domestic and international, especially overseas, research literature and conducting unique research has nothing to do with whether you are a working professional or a student who came straight from undergraduate studies. Working professionals who are prepared to face the difficulty of making time, managing, and conducting research are very welcome, and I will provide proper research guidance. It is certain that you will see yourself having grown significantly after completing it. Yamada Laboratory values fostering human resources who can play an active role on the front lines both domestically and internationally as researchers and practitioners. This is also the teaching of my mentor, Professor Kanji Akahori, and as someone who has received that guidance, it is the direction I recognize the importance of and want to practice. Seminar participation is also mandatory. Those who agree with that purpose and really want to do their best are very welcome. However, I must add that it is a very difficult thing. There were working professionals in the Akahori Laboratory who were my seniors. Naturally, seminar participation was mandatory. The seniors who were working professionals participated no matter how busy they were. You cannot do it without that kind of strong feeling. I think it’s a matter of resolve. It’s not a culture school.

Note that the Department of Educational Systems, Graduate School of Human-Environment Studies, Kyushu University is a graduate school for “fostering researchers.” It does not have the primary purpose of fostering practitioners. However, even if you do not become a researcher after completion, thinking about the originality of your own research logically based on research methodologies, ways of thinking, and literature reviews is useful for various jobs, so I feel that immersing yourself in research for two years in a master’s program is also good. It will surely be useful for your career.

I think you should consider your wishes for graduate school and the laboratory while taking this point into account. There are also graduate schools and professional graduate schools that mainly conduct practitioner training. Please consider that option as well, in relation to what you want to do and the career you are aiming for.

Those who wish to apply must contact me by email first. Since the entrance examination is usually from the end of August to the beginning of September (the spring entrance examination is at the beginning of February), I would like you to contact me by June at the latest (November for the spring entrance examination). If it is July, there is not much time, and I think it will become too busy with application procedures and exam preparation. Especially for students who are not from the Faculty of Education, or students who have never studied Educational Technology, contact in July is late. Honestly, it is difficult.

After you contact me, we will talk in person to have you think about whether you really want to take the graduate school entrance exam. I want to share what we are both thinking, and I want you to decide after understanding my guidance policy. Also, for those who want to do research themes that I cannot handle, I will introduce recommended graduate schools and laboratories.

Please request an application form from the office of the Graduate School of Human-Environment Studies at our Ito Campus and follow the procedures.

There are various things, from general ones to those specialized in the field you want to specialize in. There are also textbooks that contain things you should know when taking the graduate school entrance exam. I have listed quite a few below, but this is still only a part of them. Please read according to your interests and what you don’t know. The items listed below are what I think are necessary for “researching” and what I want you to read at a minimum when applying to Yamada Laboratory.

I also introduce translated books. This page is viewed not only by those who are researching but also by those who want to make use of it in practice such as work, so I am also introducing them for those people. When it comes to research, Yamada Laboratory does not recommend reading translated books, so I have limited the introduction to very good ones among translated books that are useful for thinking about research.

As a general theory, translated books have the great merit of being able to be read in your native language, making understanding easier, and making it easier to grasp the whole as a general overview. However, since the translator is often not the person who conducted the research (although there is no doubt that they are professionals in that field), the translator’s filter sometimes enters the interpretation of the original text, and there are things that cannot be expressed in the native language no matter what (for example, there are systems, laws, and business situations unique to a certain country, but things that are not familiar to Japanese people), so there are cases where liberal translation is included, or it is unclear due to Japanese expression. After all, in cases where they are not the person who conducted the research, the fact that they are not the person involved is significant. I think it is good to read while keeping such characteristics in mind. When conducting research, it is essential to read the original text and deepen your understanding of the content. Also, when writing a paper, if you cite it, please note that if you only read the translated book, you must write the translated book as a cited reference. Note that Yamada Laboratory does not recommend reading translated books for the above reasons. Furthermore, since it is a laboratory that actively presents at overseas academic journals and international conferences, you cannot cite translated books, so I will have you read the original text without fail (if you do not own it, of course, you will purchase it).