Clues for my final project by chats in Week 5

After my first supervision last Friday, I had several opportunities to talk/brainstorm ideas for my final project. 

Premise: I am now curious why people sometimes choose what they are NOT interested in, especially in higher education.
More detail >>>  The last blog post on October  9

No.1 Talk with Josua

Soon after I shared a rough idea for my final project, he gave a surprising comment, “What you described is my life!” Coincidentally, I found the best person for my first interview. Until a while ago, I assumed the situation in which people chose their learning path without their interest was common only in my country. However, I realised it was also familiar in other areas.

(I’m a big fan of physical sticky notes, while I’m getting used to Miro 😂)

Through the interview with Josua, I found the following points were common in Indonesia and Japan.  

• Difference between city and countryside
  • Students living in the city are more externally influenced than people in the countryside(e.g., High expectations to go to a good school). 
• High expectations from parents
  • Some of them want to brag about their children to others.
• Inevitability of thinking about money
  • Josua decided to join business school because of a scholarship. 
• Don’t stop and go straight!
  • While some Western countries adopt the system of apprenticeship or allow people to take a break and think about their learning/career path, it is much rare in Indonesia and Japan. People are expected to go to university soon after graduating high school. Repeating the same grade or taking a rest while they are at the age supposed to be students could be a sign of “failure.” 
• Scarce chance for students to consider their futures
  • They can’t even come up with ideas to take a break. 
  • They tend to follow what others do.

Josua also explained to me there were distinctions between ethnic groups, such as Chinese and Javanese culture in Indonesia. Although I found lots in common between Josua(Chinese-Indonesian) and me(Japanese) this time, there would also be differences between cultural and ethnic backgrounds. 

No.2 Talk with Jen

I talked with Jen in the drop-in session on Wednesday. I wanted to ask her about what happens in European countries. In the session, she told me the controversial news about “low-value degrees” in the U.K. 

The press release from the government
The article of The Guadian

Simply put, the prime minister announced that the government would cap the number of students when a faculty doesn’t produce graduate outcomes that support the economy. I got worried that it would encourage people to learn for money, sometimes not allowing them to pursue their pure interest. Considering it is discussed in the U.K., I may be able to ask my question to European(at least the U.K.) countries. 

Throughout exploring this week, I have been convinced that the issue I want to dig into is universal, not just a problem in Japan. Next week, I will continue to have interviews/brainstorming with my classmates who grew up in different cultures, and read more about what Jen and Yuemiao told me.