柴崎　雄介 210036

Why Coaches Don't Come: A Socio-Ecological Study of Rural Coaching Shortages and Youth Athletic Access in Toyooka and the Tajima Region, Japan

Started Apr. 27, 2026

Abstract or project description

Yusuke is investigating why qualified sports coaches are reluctant to work in rural Japan, focusing on his home community of Toyooka City and the wider Tajima region of Hyogo Prefecture. Drawing on his own background as a runner and athlete in the area, he examines how structural forces—rather than individual choice—create a coaching shortage and limit young people's access to athletics. The project applies Bronfenbrenner's socio-ecological model to analyze how factors at the macro, exo, and meso levels (national policy, demographic decline, funding and institutional design, and community–school–family connections) interact to produce this gap. Methodologically, it is a qualitative study combining semi-structured interviews with coaches, PE teachers, city/board-of-education officials, and parents with a review of recent literature and national data. The intended outcome is a research paper that can inform concrete policy proposals to improve youth sport access in rural Hyogo, contributing to broader discussions of regional inequality in Japan's sports system. In Session 3, Yusuke finalized his research question, project description, and abstract, giving the project a clear and well-grounded foundation.