Research Design for Elucidating the Mechanisms of Stagnating Girls’ Education in Laos: An Integrated Approach Combining Mixed Methods, Industry, and Mathematical Sciences

Reference No.	2026c002
Type/Category	Openings at any time-Workshop (II)
Title of Research Project	Research Design for Elucidating the Mechanisms of Stagnating Girls’ Education in Laos: An Integrated Approach Combining Mixed Methods, Industry, and Mathematical Sciences
Principal Investigator	Wakako Satomura（Kyushu University Institute for Asian and Oceanian Studies (Q-AOS)・Associate Professor）
Research Period	August 25,2026. - August 25,2026.
Keyword(s) of Research Fields	Mathematical statistics, Mixed-effects models, Statistical modeling, Mixed methods research, Girls' education, Laos, Gender
Abstract for Research Report	In Laos, female university enrollment dropped sharply in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. While neighboring ASEAN countries demonstrated resilience and recovered their enrollment rates during the same period, Laos alone has failed to reverse this downward trend. This contrast suggests that structural factors specific to Laos are at work. This research meeting will be held as the kick-off symposium of a research project that confronts this question directly. The factors preventing girls from continuing their studies cannot be captured from any single perspective. By bringing together participants from three distinct standpoints—shifts in individual and family attitudes (sociology and gender studies), the measurement and verification of structural variables (statistical mathematics), and the realities of the labor market (industry)—the aim of this meeting is to jointly reformulate the question "why are girls unable to continue their education?" as a set of measurable variables and a mathematical structure. Implementing a mixed-methods approach that combines qualitative and quantitative research to address this objective requires bridging substantially different disciplines. In this research meeting, participants from diverse fields sharing a common goal will introduce their respective areas of expertise, and are expected to contribute to the concretization of the future research plan. In particular, quantitative research already possesses a foundation in statistical mathematics and holds the potential to contribute important insights to this project from a mathematical-statistical perspective. Furthermore, this meeting will serve as an opportunity to explore new mathematical challenges that cannot be solved by social science alone, and will also provide a valuable occasion to present real social-scientific problems to mathematical researchers and students—yielding bidirectional academic value. These outcomes will serve as a case demonstrating the effectiveness of mathematical approaches in other fields of social science as well, contributing to the development of interdisciplinary research that bridges the humanities/social sciences and the mathematical/natural sciences. The significance of hosting this meeting at IMI—an institute dedicated to applied mathematical research—is therefore considerable.
Organizing Committee Members (Workshop) Participants (Short-term Joint Usage)	Wakako Satomura（Kyushu University Institute for Asian and Oceanian Studies (Q-AOS)・Associate Professor） Toshihiro Mochizuki（Nishimatsu Construction Co., Ltd., International Division / Pakse-Japan SME SEZ, Laos・General Manager, Commercial Affairs / Co-President） Naoko Kato-Nitta（College of Global Communication, J.F. Oberlin University・Associate Professor） Masayo Y. Hirose（Institute of Mathematics for Industry (IMI), Kyushu University・Associate Professor） Yu Ajishi（Kyushu University Institute for Asian and Oceanian Studies (Q-AOS)・Assistant Professor） Yuko Tokuyasu（Kyushu University Institute for Asian and Oceanian Studies (Q-AOS)・Academic Researcher） Toshihiro Kai（Fukuoka-Laos Friendship Association・Director and Secretary-General）