Department of Research Planning and Development
The Department of Research Planning and Development is responsible for the overall planning and coordination of NIER's research and project activities. It manages the setting of research topics, progress administration, and results reporting such that "project research" can be conducted effectively and efficiently. "Project research" is pursued by cross-organizational teams in response to education policy issues and social demands. The department also works to disseminate the results of NIER's research by organizing symposiums as well as by publishing the NIER bulletin and NIER News.
Office for Educational Resources Research Promotion
The Office for Educational Resources Research Promotion publishes and broadly distributes NIER's research findings and various data pertaining to educational practices and research via its database and website. In addition, it houses the Library of Education, which contains approximately 540,000 books including educational literature and materials that serve to support research activities within and outside of NIER. The Office also maintains and manages an information system that is the basis for the entirety of research activities at NIER.
Department for Educational Policy and Evaluation Research
Taking into account historical developments and the outlook for educational policy, the Department for Educational Policy and Evaluation Research carries out empirical and comparative research on issues that form the basis for planning, implementing, and evaluating Japan's national educational policies. In recent years, this Department has conducted research primarily in the following areas: the elementary and secondary school systems, diversity and expertise of local educational administration, evidence-based education policies, roles of public sector workers in school education, etc.
Department for Lifelong Learning Policy Research
The Department for Lifelong Learning Policy Research carries out fundamental research relating to awareness and learning needs, the levels and content of knowledge and skills of adults, as well as evaluation of diverse learning activities. In addition, the department conducts studies and analyses contributing to the promotion of coordination and cooperation which provide a synergy effect in the lifelong learning environment of schools and the local communities. Furthermore, the division also participate in the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) by the OECD.
Department for Elementary and Secondary Education Research
The Department for Elementary and Secondary Education Research studies basic issues relating to elementary and secondary education policies in Japan by integrating educational management research, learning sciences, and social policy research. In recent years, we have been conducting research and surveys on the issues and feasibility of data-driven education, which has been proposed in the field of education in response to the digitization of society, from the perspective of realizing equitable, quality education. The department contributes to educational policymaking. It facilitates the vigorous communication of research results by hosting symposia, necessary to forge strong research networks.
Department for Higher Education Research
The Department for Higher Education Research carries out studies and research that contribute to planning of higher education policies, and improvement of university education. The department also holds workshops that cover building networks among universities, research institutions, and administrative bodies.
Department for International Research and Co-operation
The Department for International Research and Co-operation conducts various studies related to MEXT's policy issues and collects and analyzes basic information regarding the educational policies and reform trends of other countries. The department is committed to disseminating, in English, basic information about the Japanese education system and its policies to researchers abroad. Furthermore, the department is responsible for implementing joint research projects, such as OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) and international collaborative research with UNESCO.
Department for Education Data Science Center
With the aim of realizing data-driven education and improved education quality, the Center ensures effective education data collection and analysis and requests environmental changes and reinforcements to facilitate the active utilization of analysis results. Additionally, the Center serves as the hub for the analysis of education-related data and for sharing these results. It is engaged in (1) infrastructure creation for the sharing of education data and engagements that utilize this data, (2) promotion of research on and analysis of education data, and (3) support for research on and analysis of education data on a national government level and in local governments and other interested organizations, etc.
Curriculum Research Center
The Curriculum Research Center is responsible for (1) surveys and research on basic matters concerning national policies for elementary and secondary school curricula; (2) liaison and cooperation with research institutions, universities, and other related organizations in Japan regarding (1); and (3) consultation and support for educational institutions and other parties in Japan that handle elementary and secondary school curricula. For example, the center conducts the National Assessment of Academic Ability in collaboration with MEXT, the Courses of Study Implementation Survey (formerly known as the Curriculum Implementation Survey), the Surveys on Specific Issues, the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) assessment and the study on curriculum design and development for realization of new ways of learning. Additionally, the center also works on research and development for evaluation standards and methods, the Designated Experimental School Project, the Curriculum Implementation Verification Collaborative School Project, and the production of teaching materials and case study collections. Furthermore, the center provides support in the areas of curriculum design and teaching methods for the boards of education, schools, educators, and others engaged in education.
Guidance and Counseling Research Center
The Guidance and Counseling Research Center carries out studies and research that contribute to the planning and formulation of guidance and counseling policies, and provides expert support and consultation for schools, boards of education, and other entities. The goals of such activities are to enhance student guidance, which improves social skills and the ability to act while respecting each student's personality and endeavoring to increase their individuality, and academic and career guidance, which cultivates a student's capacity to consider their own way of life and their ability to autonomously choose their own future career paths. Specifically, the center conducts research and studies that contribute to the prevention of bullying and school non-attendance, promotion of careers education, and the development of social and emotional skills, and summarize the results in reports, leaflets, etc. to disseminate and utilize them.
Early Childhood Education Research Center
As a national early childhood education and care (ECEC) study hub the center has three primary responsibilities: (1) promoting research and survey on ECEC; (2) building a research network with domestic and international institutes, the local governments, ECEC centers, and ECEC facilities; and (3) disseminating our research findings to the ECEC actors, including local governments and stakeholders of ECEC provisions. The center is also in charge of implementing and analyzing the OECD Starting Strong Teaching and Learning International Survey in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and Children and Families Agency.
Practical Social Education Research Center
The Center aims to support social education in regional public bodies. To do so, it conducts practical surveys and research, including "basic surveys on the actual state of social education activities," "the development of programs that aim at strengthening and improving social education projects," "research that contributes to the education and improved quality of leaders and teachers in social education," etc. The Center also hosts research exchange meetings and research seminars on a variety of contemporary issues in social education, which are attended by social education practitioners and researchers from throughout Japan. Together with MEXT and the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the Center also offers training programs, etc., to improve the quality of social education leaders and teachers.
Educational Facilities Research Center
The Educational Facilities Research Center carries out basic and specialized research the diverse range of issues confronting educational facilities based on changes in the social circumstances that surround educational facilities and recommendations for enhancing and improving curricula. Specifically, the center is responsible for researching methods that will make educational facilities eco-friendly, creating safe and secure schools and responding to diverse learning activities, in addition to collecting, organizing, and disseminating information on educational facilities. In addition, the center carries out exchange programs with foreign research institutes, invites lecturers from abroad, and holds lecture meetings; thus conducts international research exchange.