AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF TRIAL AND ERROR IN THE DESIGN AND PRACTICE OF UNDERGRADUATE SEMINARS IN JAPAN

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the solutions that faculty members resort to by trial and error in certain challenges presented to them in undergraduate seminars for second, third, and fourth year students. The research questions used were as follows: (1) What kind of problems do faculty members face, and (2) How faculty members try to improve their undergraduate seminars in order to provide an effective learning environment for students. Using a questionnaire, we conducted a survey on 157 faculty members and constructed the variables by factor analysis. The results indicated that faculty members usually try to set goals and activities with respect to the students’ current situation or interests because they believe that the students do not have the basic knowledge and skills needed in specialized fields.