A Research Design for Examining What Induces Community Residents’ Aid for Free Schools in Japan

This paper attempts to present a research design that can identify what motivates community residents to aid to free schools in Japan.Free schools, also known as alternative schools in Japan, differ from conventional schools in that they do not receive financial assistance from national, prefectural, and municipal governments.The financial conditions at many free schools are restricted and thus they must strive to devise methods to effectively manage the insufficient funding they receive and find supplemental resources for education, such as enlisting support from residents in the communities in which these schools are located.How can free schools obtain aid from community residents?What conditions foster community residents' intentions to aid free schools?This paper designs a research project that seeks answers to these questions.