JSSEA Journal of Social Studies Education in Asia

Important Notice (29th August, 2025): Revised Submission Deadlines

 

Promoting Well-being in Social Studies Education

 

Editors:

Hyunjin Kim (University of Tsukuba, Japan) 

and Naoyuki Ito (Naruto University of Education, Japan)

 

The Journal of Social Studies Education in Asia is proud to announce a Special Issue on Promoting Well-being in Social Studies Education (JSSEA Volume 15). We invite our esteemed readers to contribute to this Special Issue through this Call for Papers．

 

Well-being is a shared global goal today. The world aspires to “promote well-being for all at all ages” (United Nations, Sustainable Development Goal #3). The OECD (2019, p. ９) also emphasizes the education goal for 2030, “even though there may be different visions of the future we want, the well-being of society is a shared destination.”

 

The emphasis on well-being in education directly challenges to the human capital theory of educational aims (Curren et al., 2024). The human capital perspective on education focuses on enhancing students’ ability to engage in economic production, while the well-being perspective seeks to enhance students’ ability to live well or flourish. For example, as an alternative to the human capital approach, Amartya Sen(1992) and Martha Nussbaum’s capability approach（2000）emphasizes equality, context, and opportunities for individuals to develop essential capabilities for living well．

 

Social studies education plays a crucial role in promoting well-being (Ida, 2024).  It is essential to acquire the knowledge needed to understand and analyze contemporary global issues, and to develop the ability to utilize this knowledge to build a sustainable society for the future. A sustainable society, in this context, is also a well-being society—one where not only individuals but all people can thrive．

 

This Special Issue invites educators and researchers to examine the shifting landscape of social studies education in response to these social changes. We aim to explore the following central questions:

－　Why and how can Social Studies Education promote well-being?

　　①　What are the opportunities and challenges in each country in promoting well-being through social studies education?

　　②　How can teachers promote students’ present and future well-being　in their lessons? What pedagogical approaches are teachers using to promote student well-being?

We encourage submissions that engage with these themes through empirical research, theoretical analysis, case studies, and good practice. We also welcome submissions from countries where ‘social studies’ is not a distinct subject. Educators and researchers in related disciplines—such as history, geography, and citizenship—are encouraged to contribute. Submissions should adhere to the following guidelines:

 

･ September 14, 2025: Submit proposals for the manuscript – title, abstract (300-500 words), and keywords (3-5).

・ September 29, 2025: Editors will review and share the proposals with the authors.

・ December 29, 2025: Submit full manuscripts (5,000-8,000 words).

・January 30, 2026: Manuscript reviews completed; feedback shared with authors

・March 14, 2026: Deadline for authors to resubmit revised manuscripts.

・March 31, 2026: Final decision.

 

All submissions must use the designated JSSEA template and be formatted following APA 7th edition guidelines for the main text and references. Submissions not meeting these requirements will be returned for correction before proceeding with the review process.

All submissions will undergo a double-anonymized peer review process.

For further inquiries, please contact　kim.hyunjin.gt@u.tsukuba.ac.jp

 

We look forward to your contributions to this critical and timely dialogue on the future of social studies education in Asia. Please consider submitting your work to our Special Issue. Your insights are crucial to advancing our understanding in this field.  

 

References

Ida Y. (2024).Preface. In K. Karagi, M. Kokubu, & H. Kim (Eds), Social studies education in promoting well-being(pp. i-iii). Kokon Shoin. 

Curren, R. et al. (2000). Finding consensus on well-being in education. Theory and Research in Education、22(2), 117–157

Nussbaum, M. (2000). Women and human development. Cambridge University Press．

OECD (2019). OECD future of education and skill 2023：Conceptual learning framework．OECD Publishing

Sen, A. (1992). Inequality reexamined. Oxford University Press. 

 

2nd ver. call for Promoting Well-being