Paper Title
A Comparative Analysis of the Teaching and Learning Process of Undergraduate Students in Korea and Japan – Based on the Cases of Seoul National University and Hokkaido University
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the teaching and learning process experienced by university students
in Korea and Japan, and compare and analyze the higher education system between the two countries. For this purpose,
surveys were conducted in Seoul National University (SNU) and Hokkaido University (HU), based on questionnaires
developed by the Korea Educational Development Institute and the Universities Institutional Research Consortium
respectively, in which approximately 800 students participated from each university. Each of the surveys contained questions
of six categories, each of which was known to affect academic achievement: level of class participation, extracurricular
activities, active learning, cooperative learning, interaction with professors and academic competencies. After the surveys
were concluded, the common questions in the two surveys were identified and the results of such questions were compared
and analyzed. As a result, students from HU relatively higher in their level of interaction with the faculties, collaborative
learning experiences and study hours, but students in SNU scored relatively higher in their attitude in class, satisfaction of
university support and demonstrated an overall higher score in terms of the average of the learning outcomes than HU. The
results of this study will contribute to the analysis of the status of students’ learning process in each university in South
Korea and Japan, and provide insight into areas that require improvement. They will also help develop concrete measures
that may help improve the quality of higher education in both countries.