Research Trends in Social Studies Education from 2012 to 2022 in Japan: Reflections of Social Change, Educational Reform and Classroom Practice

This paper presents a thorough examination of the trends in social studies education research in Japan by analyzing presentations at the Japanese Association for the Social Studies (JASS) annual conferences spanning from 2012 to 2022. Utilizing KH Coder for content analysis, the paper scrutinizes 1,590 presentations, exploring presenter affiliations, prevalent words in titles, and overarching trends. Correspondence analysis further illuminated the intricate relationship between frequently used words in presentation titles and the affiliations of presenters. It was observed that university faculty and graduate students tend to present more theoretical and normative research, while school teachers often focus on practical research that is specialized to their respective school levels. Presentations from elementary school teachers are characterized by their focus on integrated learning organized by grade level. In contrast, presentations from secondary education teachers often concentrate on subject learning as a discipline-based approach. The paper identifies notable thematic trends, such as ESD in 2014/2015, sovereign education in 2016/2017, and the introduction of the new subject “Modern and Contemporary History” in 2018/2022. These trends reflect the responsive nature of social studies education to social changes and educational reforms, indicating a dynamic interplay between educational policy and classroom practice.