Columns that reveal the world
- Getting up close and personal with the researchers -

My field of expertise is labor economics, and my research topic is the accumulation of human capital ^*1. In recent years, I have also been working on research on family as a related topic. In 2021, I published a paper titled "Living Environments and Child Development: Comparing Two Groups of Out-of-Home Children," which summarized the results of a survey and analysis of developmental differences between Korean children living in environments other than their birth families, namely traditional large orphanage-type facilities and smaller, more homely group homes ^*2. The survey found that children living in group homes tend to be more altruistic (putting others first), emotionally stable, and futuristic (thinking about the future) than children living in orphanage-type facilities. This suggests that a living environment where a small number of people can build closer relationships similar to a "family" has a positive effect on children's development.

In Japan, the Child Welfare Act, revised in 2008, stipulates that group homes are places to care for children who cannot live with their parents in their birth homes. Group homes are places where several children are raised in a home-like environment, and a similar initiative was started in Korea at around the same time. Meanwhile, adoption is common in Western cultures, especially in the United States. Considering the development of children, adoption seems more desirable, but in Asian countries where blood ties are emphasized, the idea of welcoming someone else's child into one's family is difficult to establish. Group homes provide a home-like living environment that can serve as an alternative to adoption, and can be said to be a system suited to Asian countries.

As the next step in our research, we plan to conduct a similar survey in Japan that targets not only children who live outside their birth families, but also children who live with their biological parents at home. In addition to the developmental effects of differences in living environments, we hope to uncover the factors necessary for better development. As we expand the scope of our research, we aim to obtain research results that can be returned to society.

Number of children in large orphanage-type facilities (▲) and group homes (●)

*1 Human capital: A concept that regards the knowledge and abilities accumulated by individual workers through education and training as capital.

*2 Group homes: In Japan, the revised Child Welfare Act defines group homes as small-scale residential child care businesses and they are also called family homes.

They take care of five to six children who cannot live at home.

By the way, how do children acquire altruism and a future-oriented mindset during the developmental process? Our research team speculated as follows: For a while after birth, babies do not pay attention to their surroundings and live according to their desires. However, as they grow, they become aware of their own bodies and eventually become aware of the existence of family members, peers, and other people outside of themselves, and their range of thought expands. From there, they become considerate of others, control their desires, have positive thoughts, and start thinking about their own future.

In this way, what is necessary for children to behave altruistically and grow up with a future-oriented mindset is an emotionally stable living environment and the support of caregivers who encourage their goals. In that sense, group homes are an appropriate size, and are a place where children can develop compassion and a positive outlook while building family-like relationships with the adults around them. Even after leaving the group home, many children want to maintain strong ties with their caregivers and the peers they grew up with. They call their caregivers "Daddy" and "Mummy" and are keen to attend family-like gatherings.

On the other hand, orphanage-type facilities are large, and children call their caregivers "teachers." It is difficult to build family-like relationships, and very few children actively try to interact with their caregivers or peers after leaving the facility. Comparing the two, group homes can be said to be a better living environment in that it is easier for children to build family-like relationships with their caregivers and the peers they grew up with.

Proportion of people who call their caregivers "family (daddy) (mom)" (male/female ratio)

Proportion of people who call their caregivers "family (Dad) (Mom)" (age ratio)

Looking back on my graduate school days in the United States and the 10 years I've spent interacting with students as a teacher, I have the impression that Japanese and Korean students are more uniform than American students. American students have their own dreams, tend to think and act proactively to achieve their goals, and can be said to live their own lives. On the other hand, Japanese and Korean students seem to try to be "the same as everyone else." They tend to want to live as a standard person, not a unique person. I want them to have dreams, work enthusiastically to make those dreams come true, and spend their time enthusiastically. If they do that, they will be able to live their own lives, different from anyone else's.

In my seminar, I create an environment where students can plan their own goals and try anything they want to do. Other than the rule that "all activities must be conducted in English," there are no other restrictions. I encourage students to engage in activities of their own volition, such as discussions, debates, and presentations.

On one occasion, at the suggestion of a student, after watching the Korean film "Parasite," we considered the various issues and themes that the film appeals to, such as social inequality, and discussed what the director wanted to convey to the audience. Later, another student suggested watching a Hollywood film, and we discussed again. By watching two films from different countries and cultures, the discussion became heated and touched on themes such as inequality and gender discrimination in Japan, making for a deeper and more meaningful time. By expanding the scope of discussion and consideration according to the students' will, their horizons will steadily broaden. I hope that they will approach anything positively, following their intellectual curiosity, and get one step closer to realizing their dreams.

I have previously conducted a survey on children's future orientation. The survey consists of two questions. The first is, "Is there anyone you want to emulate?" and the answer to this question will show whether they have a specific image of what they want to do in the future. The other is, "Would you choose to receive 200 yen today or wait a week and receive 300 yen?", which is used to measure persistence and perseverance. The answers to these two questions are then correlated to evaluate the child's future orientation. I would like to conduct a survey targeting university students in the future. I am very interested in their answers, which are different from those of children, as well as their generational characteristics and trends.

Throughout human history, people's desires have been a powerful driving force behind economic growth, but they have also been the cause of many problems. To resolve this dilemma, it is essential to strike a balance between economic growth and sustainability, in other words, to control people's desires. I believe that education has a crucial role to play here. People live in relationships with others. If we can convey through education that "respect others and be people who are respected by others" and show the way to live together with others, we can cultivate people who are considerate of society and can lead the way to solving problems.

Regarding environmental issues, if solutions are not implemented immediately, the situation will become even more critical in the future. Education has a duty to inform people of the seriousness of the current situation and teach them that they must take concrete action now for the sake of the planet they live on. Education fosters ways of looking at things, attitudes, and behavior. If education strives to develop human resources who can take various issues personally and act with consideration for the environment, it will be able to contribute even more to achieving the SDGs.

On the other hand, research has the role of deepening human knowledge and expanding the realm of knowledge. If we compare research to light, it can be said that it finds the seeds of light in a dark world that has not yet been illuminated, and cultivates those seeds to expand the area that the light shines on. Even in areas that are already illuminated, there may be small dark spots lurking here and there. If we can shine light on that darkness, the brightness will increase even more. We must open up unexplored areas and fulfill our mission as researchers. We will continue to pursue themes such as the accumulation of human capital and human resource education more broadly and deeply, and strive to give back the results of our research to society.