On Wednesday 14 October, Kyoto University's Tokyo Office hosted the first installment of the lecture series, "Families: Where Are They Headed?". The series was the 19th of those presented under the program, Tokyo de Manabu Kyoto no Chi ("Learning in Tokyo about the Latest from Kyoto"), which is aimed at introducing general audiences in the Tokyo area to the latest research being carried out at Kyoto University.
Delivered by Professor Shizuko Koyama of the Institute for Liberal Arts and Sciences (ILAS), the lecture focused on "'Educational Families' -- Children Growing up Protected and Educated by their Parents". An "educational family" -- " kyoiku kazoku " in Japanese -- is defined as one where parents are obsessed with their children's academic success. Speaking from a historical perspective, Professor Koyama traced the origins of kyoiku kazoku , which is now recognized as a common phenomenon in Japan, and went on to discuss the issues of both excessive emphasis on educational achievement and inability of some families to meet educational goals.
The attendees listened to the talk with rapt attention, and actively participated in the subsequent Q&A session.
Professor Koyama delivering her lecture
Capacity audience listening to the lecture
