The authorship of teachers: jissen kiroku as the core of professionalism in Japanese jugyo kenkyu

Abstract

PurposeThis paper aims to discuss the significance of teacher authorship (jissen kiroku) developed during jugyo kenkyu. Specifically, it explores the structural conditions of jugyo kenkyu that enabled the flourishing of jissen kiroku.Design/methodology/approachTo find how jissen kiroku developed in jugyo kenkyu, this paper settled triad of authors-text-readers as the analytical perspective. Disputes through 1960s–1980s are adequate to inquire because it can elucidate how readers read jissen kiroku, which is typically challenging to observe.FindingsJissen kiroku is a powerful tool for semantically preserving, reconstructing and consolidating professional values and knowledge in jugyo kenkyu with deepening connoisseurship. Voluntary educational research associations (VERAs) encourage teachers to write and read jissen kiroku to develop their professionalism, which also helped develop exclusive semantics within the field. These developments were possible due to the public nature of jissen kiroku, disseminated to lesson study (LS) actors, thereby strengthening discussions both inside and outside VERAs.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper proposes shift in views on educational science and emphasizes authorship as authority in that professionalism of teaching can be protected and elevated through authoring.Originality/valueThe significant roles of writing practice have not been explored enough. This paper finds the value of authorship in terms of public nature and openness to all teachers which enable the enhancement of professionalism of the LS field.