Regional Attitudes of Industrial High School Students: Differences by Career Path in Local Resource-Based Educational Programs

Author : Hanae Kasai , Koji Ichimura

Abstract : In regional cities in Japan, population outflow associated with higher education and employment has become a serious issue. In response, high schools have implemented local resource-based educational programs that address community issues through the use of regional facilities and collaboration with local stakeholders. In Hokkaido, high school placement policies also consider the maintenance of local industries, suggesting that educational programs should similarly incorporate this perspective. This study focuses on an industrial high school in Muroran City, Hokkaido, where population decline is significant, and aims to clarify the relationships among students’ career decision-making factors, evaluations of program content, evaluations of human and physical resources, and attitudinal changes. A questionnaire survey was conducted with students at Muroran Technical High School, and the data were analyzed in terms of program evaluation, attitudinal changes, and students’ career decision-making factors. The results suggest that the program does not directly influence students’ career decision-making; rather, it is associated with attitudinal changes such as self-understanding, understanding of the local area, future perspectives, and interest in the local area. These changes were related to ease of participation and learning, opportunities for career understanding through external collaboration, the quality of human resources, and the usability of physical resources. Furthermore, students intending to seek employment showed significantly higher evaluations of practical learning and a significantly stronger tendency to perceive the local area as personally relevant than those intending to pursue higher education

Keywords : Local resource-based education, Career pathways, Regional attachment, Experiential learning, Industrial high schools.

Conference Name : International Conference on Urban Economy and Regional Development (ICUERD-26)

Conference Place : Nagoya, Japan

Conference Date : 5th Aug 2026