Regional Studies and Rural Settlement: The Effects of Fieldwork Studies in Regional Area on Graduates’ Workplace.

Abstract

In order to control the excessive concentration of young people in the Tokyo metropolitan area, a rural revitalization project was developed by a local university to promote students’ learning about the region and to encourage them to find employment in the region after graduation. This study used logistic regression analysis to examine the impact of fieldwork studies on students’ post-graduation workplaces. The results suggest that students who take fieldwork studies are not more likely to work in the same region after graduation. They are however more likely to work in their home region or in local areas other than Tokyo metropolitan area. The paper discusses the impact of fieldwork studies on the attitudes and behaviors of students and graduates.