Graduate School of International Cooperation Studies (GSICS), Kobe University
We are delighted to announce that Dr. Kexin Wang, Project Assistant Professor at the Graduate School of International Cooperation Studies (GSICS), has received the Reiwa 8 Maenosono Memorial Award for Young Researchers from Kobe University. The award ceremony was held on July 7th, 2026 at the Kobe University headquarters.
Dr. Wang was recognised for her paper, “Exploring the Trajectory of Home Learning Environment for Preschoolers in Bangladesh,” co-authored with Professor Keiichi Ogawa and published in Child & Youth Care Forum. This research was funded by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) through KAKENHI Grant Number JP22KK0030. The study examines how preschoolers’ home learning environments evolve over time and how these changes influence early childhood development. It speaks directly to questions of educational opportunity and equity at the earliest stages of a child’s life, an area of growing importance for education policy in developing countries.
Established in 2011 as the Maenosono Prize by the Keiai Machizukuri Foundation, the award was created in accordance with the wishes of Dr. Maenosono to foster outstanding early-career researchers. Initially awarded to researchers in the Graduate School of Medicine, the prize was expanded during its tenth cycle to encompass all graduate schools at Kobe University. Today, it recognises young researchers whose published work demonstrates academic excellence and strong potential for future research leadership.
For this cycle, seventeen researchers were selected on the recommendation from the heads of the university’s academic divisions. Each recipient received a certificate and a monetary prize. The ceremony was attended by President Fujisawa, Executive Directors Kawabata, Kido, and Kita, Vice Presidents Mukai and Kuroda, together with Chairman Hori, Mrs. Hori, and Councillor Hori of the Keiai Machizukuri Foundation. During the ceremony, recipients presented their research and outlined their future plans. Kobe University reaffirmed its commitment to supporting outstanding early-career researchers through continued research initiatives.
Dr. Wang’s research sits at the intersection of early childhood development, home learning environments, and the well-being of vulnerable learners, connecting children’s developmental contexts with broader questions of educational access and equity. Her work contributes to our group’s broader research agenda on equitable education and advances comparative research on early childhood education across Asia.
We warmly congratulate Dr. Wang on this well-deserved achievement and look forward to her continued research contributions. Further details of the award ceremony are available on the Kobe University website.
Authored by Md Efrat Jahan Bhuiyan Shafin (Master’s Student)
