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Sachiko Morita, Utsunomiya University, JapanAbstract
This study examined transformations experienced by working professionals in a university-led Community of Practice (CoP), triggering factors, and the university's facilitation role. Participants were 109 working professionals who responded to an end-of-program survey conducted between 2019 and 2024 as part of a leadership development program operated by a national university in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. Each cohort ran two months with weekly hybrid sessions involving cross-sector professionals learning from regional role models. Text mining analysis using KH Coder examined participants' responses to “What changes have you experienced before and after the program?” through frequency analysis and co-occurrence network analysis. Six clusters emerged representing transformation across five dimensions: cognitive (expanded perspectives and worldviews), behavioral (reflection to action), social (cross-industry networks), professional (workplace application), and personal (increased confidence). Five triggering factors were identified: social learning through diverse interaction, cross-industry exposure, role models, community support, and local contextual relevance. The university’s role manifested as neutral convener, knowledge broker, learning designer, and local anchor. Findings demonstrate universities’ unique capacity to facilitate cross-sector professional development while serving as regional development hubs.
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Conference: ACE2025Stream: Higher education
This paper is part of the ACE2025 Conference Proceedings (View)
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To cite this article:
Morita S. (2026) Transformative Impact of University-Led Communities of Practice on Working Professionals in Japan: A Text Mining Analysis of Self-Reported Changes ISSN: 2186-5892 – The Asian Conference on Education 2025: Official Conference Proceedings (pp. 1761-1771) https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2186-5892.2026.135
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2186-5892.2026.135
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