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Practice and Research of the National Institution for Youth Education (NIYE) in Japan
Introduction: The National Institution for Youth Education (NIYE)
Japan’s National Institution for Youth Education (NIYE) has 28 youth education facilities. As the national center for youth education, it provides opportunities and venues for comprehensive, systematic, and consistent experiential activities; trains youth education leaders; and enhances their qualifications to address various youth-related issues. In addition, NIYE aims to promote youth education and healthy development by conducting surveys and research on youth education, fostering cooperation with related institutions and organizations, and providing various grants for activities conducted by youth education organizations.
For research, NIYE established the Research Center for Youth Education in Tokyo, where its headquarters are located. As a national think tank on youth education, the center conducts extensive research on youth education and development, including basic nationwide research on youth education, such as experiential activities, the effects of experiential activities, and international comparative research on youth education policies. NIYE’s research on youth education is essential for evidence-based education policies. The results of NIYE’s research and surveys have been included in many national educational policy reports. The institution’s efforts can be considered one of the leading initiatives to approach youth education from the perspectives of both practice and research.
The author had the opportunity to analyze a large data set from the “Survey on Experiential Activities of Youth (FY2022 Survey)” conducted by NIYE and had the chance to serve as a member of NIYE’s Governing Advisory Committee for 13 years until 2023. Based on these experiences, I would like to share in this blog the results of the characteristic analysis of the changes in the way children and youth spend their after-school and vacation time. Additionally, I will present the findings on the analysis of the relationship between children’s experiences and their attitudes toward independence in NIYE’s “Survey on Experiential Activities of Youth (2022 Survey).” The results of the survey were announced at a press conference held at the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology on May 15th (ii).
Overview and Methods of the “Survey on Experiential Activities of Youth (FY2022 Survey)”
Since 2006, NIYE has conducted a nationwide longitudinal survey on children and youth’s experiences of nature and daily life, lifestyle, and attitudes toward independence. The latest survey was conducted between January and March 2023. Through a questionnaire survey using the random sampling method, 15,698 valid responses were received from 900 elementary, junior high, and senior high schools nationwide and 14,037 from parents of elementary school students (i). The effective collection rates were 80.9% and 80.3% for the students and parents, respectively.
Some Characteristic Results
1. Since 2012, a gradual decrease in the amount of hands-on experiential activities children and youth engage in during their after-school and holiday time has been observed.
Figure 1 shows the results of the survey on changes in the frequency of participation in nature experience activities over time. Responses to the nine items asking about nature experiences were scored as follows: “often” = 1 point, “some” = 2 points, and “almost never” = 3 points, and the total score was divided into five levels based on the mean score. The figure shows the changes over time in the participation frequency of grade 4–6th, 8th, and 11th students. Since 2012, there has been a gradual decline in the percentage of children participating in “a lot” or “some” nature experiences. The decline in participation in natural experiences was particularly significant after the pandemic. Experiential activities during after-school and holiday time here include both those conducted as programs and those that take place at home or with family.
This survey also examined children’s and youth’s daily life experiences and cultural or artistic experiences after school and during holidays. Figure 2 shows that their daily experiences of “peeling fruits or cutting vegetables with a knife or chopper” have continued to decline since the pandemic. Figure 3 shows changes in the frequency of experiences of “directly seen, heard, or performed works or activities related to culture and the arts at a movie theater, art museum, museum, theater, etc.” Elementary and 8th and 11th grade students’ answers of “many times” on experiences related to culture and the arts showed a downward trend since the pandemic.
In contrast to the decrease in various hands-on experiential activities, the time spent by youth watching television, playing games, watching and posting internet videos, and using social networking sites has increased. However, when the relationship between these activities and youth satisfaction was analyzed, youth who engaged in these activities were more frequently less satisfied with how they spent their after-school and vacation time (ii).
2. Relationship Between Youth After-School and Holidays Experiential Activities and Their Attitudes Autonomous Behavior Habits
How do children’s diverse after-school and holiday experiences relate to their autonomous behavior? Using the data from this study and hierarchical multiple regression analysis, the author analyzed the relationship between the types of experiences and children’s autonomous behavioral habits. This study collected 16 items regarding children’s engagement in activities they consider desirable to participate in after school and during holidays. Then, classified the 16 items into five categories and examined the relationship between these activities and the children’s independence, positivity, and cooperativeness. We used a scale developed in previous NIYE studies to measure the autonomous behaviors of children and adolescents. This scale has three factors: “independence,” “positivity,” and “cooperativeness.” The five types of experiential activities were “nature experience,” “social experience,” “cultural and artistic experience,” “exchange experience,” and “inquiry learning experience.”
The analysis revealed that for elementary and junior high school students, all five types of after-school and holiday experiential activities had a strong positive effect on the development of autonomous behavioral habits such as “independence,” “positivity,” and “cooperativeness.” In the case of high school students, social and exchange experiences in particular have a strong positive effect on the development of autonomy, positivity, and cooperation (iii).
Implications of the NIYE Research for Practice and Policy in Extended Learning and Youth Development
Based on the analyses, the author drew the following suggestions for NIYE’s research on current practices and policies to support extended learning for youth:
-First, since the pandemic, the frequency of youth participation in after-school and holiday experiential activities has decreased at all age levels: elementary, middle, and high school students. Therefore, enthusiastic efforts should be made to provide more opportunities for children and youth to participate in diverse experiences.
-Second, hands-on activities have a strong impact on the development of autonomous behavioral habits in youth. Natural experiences in familiar places; social experiences, such as participation in local events and volunteer activities; cultural and artistic experiences; exchanges with people of different ages and nationalities; and inquiry-based learning experiences, such as experiments and field trips, are all highly effective.
These experiential activities can be made more feasible by working with different stakeholders within local communities. Collaboration between schools, families, and relevant local groups, organizations, and institutions in the local community is one of the important keys to promoting various experiential activities for children and youth. As GELYDA’s philosophy shows, if researchers, practitioners, and policymakers form strong bonds and partnerships, the possibility of providing various extended learning experiences for children and youth must be enhanced.
References
(i) The National Institution for Youth Education (2024,a), Summary of Findings of Survey on Experiential Activities of Youth (2022 Survey), Press Conference Report on May 15th 2024URL
(ii) The National Institution for Youth Education (2024,b), Report on Survey on Experiential Activities of Youth (2022 Survey), [Seishonen no Taiken Katsudo tou ni kansuru Ishiki Chosa Houkokusho]
(iii) Kanefuji, F. (2024). The role of the community as seen through children's after-school and vacation experiences. NIYE(Ed.), Survey on Experiential Activities of Youth (Survey conducted in 2022); pp. 135–146.
Acknowledgements
The author thanks the National Institution for Youth Education in Japan for their permission to present the results of the 2022 survey on this blog.
About the author: Fuyuko Kanefji is a professor in the Department of Human Sciences, Bunkyo University, Japan. She is currently a member of the Policy Evaluation Committee of the Ministry of Education. Her research interests include educational policy and the effects of extended learning on youth. She is a founding member of the GELYDA.
The Global Extended Learning and Youth Development Association(GELYDA)
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