Introduction

Akiko Hayashi is a researcher focusing on culturally responsive social-emotional learning (SEL) and early childhood education. Her work explores the development of teaching expertise in comparative education, emphasizing culturally specific approaches in Japan, China, and the US.

■Culturally Responsive and Relevant Social Emotional Learning (SEL)
・Research Objective: To explore culturally responsive, situated, and embodied Social Emotional Learning (SEL) across North American, Japanese, and South African contexts.
- Title: Embodied and Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) in Early Childhood: Situating Culturally Relevant SEL in Asian, African, and North American Contexts, Hayashi Akiko, Liew Jeffrey, Aguilar Samantha Dyanne, Nyanamba Juliet M., Zhao Yingying （Early Education and Development） 33 （ 5 ） 746-763 Jul. 2022
・Research Objective: To explore the development of teaching expertise in preschool education across Japan, China, and the United States using video-cued multivocal ethnography.
- Title: Teaching Expertise in Three Countries: findings and policy implications from an international comparative study in early childhood education, Hayashi Akiko （Comparative Education） 58 （ 3 ） 315-327 Jul. 2022
■International and Comparative Education Research
Research Objective: To compare how preschool children in Japan and the United States approach the group marshmallow test to determine the existence of collective-regulation.

Areas of Research

・Sociology of Education
・Social Psychology
・Cultural Anthropology・Early Childhood Education ・Developmental Psychology

Social Contributions

・Culturally relevant SEL programs enhance educational practices by addressing diverse cultural contexts, improving learning outcomes in regions like North America, Japan, and South Africa.
・Understanding teaching expertise across cultures informs global early childhood education policies, fostering international collaboration to enhance educational practices and policies.
・Research on cross-cultural differences in children's self-regulation can influence educational practices by highlighting cultural variations in behavior and self-control, aiding in the support of children's social and emotional development.