HOMEChild Research in Japan & AsiaRecent Research on Japanese Children
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Education Policy Summer Homework (08/29/2003)The Five-day School Week (08/22/2003)Ideal English Abilities (08/08/2003)School League Table in Japan (07/10/2003) |
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Surveys and ResearchDwindling Birth Rate (07/03/2003)Expenditure for Education (06/13/2003)What Do You Want to Be? (06/04/2003)Hikikomori (05/29/2003) |
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HealthDental Caries and Child Abuse (07/18/2003) |
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Social IssuesMissing Girls (08/01/2003)The Murder Rate Dropped (06/06/2003) |
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EventsThe Mathematical Olympiad (07/25/2003) |
| Education Policy Summer Homework (08/29/2003) Japanese Kids outsource their summer homework. August 31 is the last day of the summer school holidays in Japan. Many Japanese school kids might worry about uncompleted summer homework. Especially "independent research" has been one of the most headache tasks in all ages. According to Mainichi Shimbun (August 26,2003), many "homework businesses" are popping up across Japan. -------------------------- In a bid to help students who have been ordered by their schools to carry out "independent research" without any clue as to how to go about it, a number of businesses have started up special holiday courses for kids, giving them the edge they need to say ahead. Manual training classes in which students get to make something are popular. The Seiseki Sakuragaoka branch of Keio Atman, a large store selling tools and everyday items, uses corners of its shop to teach classes during the summer holidays. Kids get to make papier-mache moneyboxes, folk instruments, bead accessories and even remote-control robots. Prices for the courses range between 200 yen and 3,800 yen. Since all the materials are provided in the kits, all the kids have to do is take them to the counter. One mother whose 5th-year elementary school son took part said: "They're making the things by following the instructions on the package, so it's not really independent research. But there are a lot of varieties, and the kids pounce on them." The Shibuya branch of Tokyu Hands, which carries out similar classes, said it had about 950 inquiries about the courses this year. "That's about double last year's figure," a store official said. Do-it-yourself book kits are another source of learning for curious kids. Gakken, a publisher that has put out learning kits like "Collecting fingerprints" and "Making paper using vegetables" says summer is the busiest time for sales. ------------------------- I don't think all the students outsource their homework, but wonder how teachers feel about "homework business". What does "independent research" mean? We should think it over again. The Five-day School Week (08/22/2003) Introduction of the Five-day School Week in Japan The public school system instituted the five-day school week last April. Benesse Advanced Education Research Center, the organization under which Child Research Net operates in Benesse Corporation, conducted and presented the results of a survey of elementary school children and their parents, junior high school students and high school students concerning the five-day school week in November 2002. According to this survey, 77 percent of elementary school children showed their support for making every Saturday a non-school day whereas their parents' attitudes were divided, with 49 percent in favor and 51 percent against. The survey data also suggests that the way that parents spend Saturday influences how children make use of this day. The center noted the importance of this correlation and recommended that parents give more thought to their way of spending days off. As for junior high school students, although 76 percent answered they were glad about every Saturday becoming a holiday, their feelings were more complicated than those of younger students as they weighed both the positive and negative aspects of this change. Sixty nine percent of high school students as a whole supported the five-day school week. However, older students tended to be less in favor of the change, with support among high-school seniors dropping to 63 percent, probably due to pressure from college entrance examinations. The results of survey highlight the fact that the students are polarized into two groups over this change: those who can make the best use of the day off and those who cannot. Ideal English Abilities (08/08/2003) Last month Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) released its plan to improve English abilities-Developing a strategic plan to cultivate "Japanese With English Abilities", in which MEXT set up concrete numerical goals concerning school studies for the first time. The objectives of the plan: With the progress of globalization in the economy and in society, acquiring communication skills in English has become an extremely important issue both in terms of the future of our children and the future development of Japan as a nation. Japanese are required to raise the English-speaking level so as not to suffer the disadvantage of expressing the idea or opinions. Accordingly the Ministry has formulated a strategy to cultivate "Japanese with English abilities " in a concrete action plan with the aim of drastically improving the English education of Japanese people MEXT set the Strategic plan attainment targets as following On graduation from junior high school: Ability to hold simple conversations and a similar level of reading and writing comprising greetings and responses. English-language ability of graduates should be the third level of the STEP (The Society for Testing English Proficiency) test, approximately equivalent to TOEIC 300 points on average. On graduation from senior high school: Ability to hold normal conversations and a similar level of reading and writing on everyday topics. English-language ability of graduates should be the second level or semi-second level of the STEP test, approximately equivalent to TOEIC 450 points on average. Improving teachers' English language level must be one of the most urgent needs. The Ministry recommends teachers reach a benchmark of at least TOEFL 550 points or TOEIC 730 points. School League Table in Japan (07/10/2003) The Board of Education in Arakawa ward in Tokyo conducted a survey of all elementary and junior high school students on February 19, 2003 as a means of improving teaching methods and learning. The survey consisted of two sections. The first studied scholastic ability in Japanese language and arithmetic among elementary school students and Japanese language, mathematics, and English among junior high schools, and tested basic knowledge and application. Students correctly answering 70% or higher in basic knowledge and 40% or higher in application were regarded as having attained scholastic performance goals. The second section that studied student's attitudes toward learning and satisfaction with performance consisted of questions on the amount of time spent reading books and studying, favorite subjects, etc. (Source: Arakawa ward Homepage (Only in Japanese) http://www.city.arakawa.tokyo.jp/9/STUDY/shidoshitsu/index.htm) Other local governments have conducted similar surveys, but Arakawa ward has garnered considerable attention for disclosing the results of these surveys for each school. The results indicate sharp differences in scholastic achievement by school based on the percentage of students meeting the stated performance targets. Opposition to this disclosure fears that it will encourage students to gravitate to schools posting high test scores and cause students at low-scoring schools to be labeled poor students, a development that will lead to school ranking and intensified competition. The Japanese education system has sought to ensure that all schools would provide the same education. Because children were assigned to an elementary or junior high school within the school district of their residence, providing access to same education in the same environment at all schools was considered an important task of the education system. In the past several years, however, a number of local governments have introduced school choice plans that allow parents to select schools for their children. Partly as a way of coping with the declining number of school age students due to the falling birth rate, schools are now trying to differentiate themselves from other local schools and emphasize a distinctive appeal. They print pamphlets, conduct open classes, set their own educational goals, and carry out various public relations efforts. When School League Tables that publish school performance data were introduced in the UK in the 1980s, did they cause discord of the kind that we see today? According to statements by the Board of Education in Arakawa ward, the survey results are not meant to be used to select a school on their own, but are one part of a broader information disclosure effort. Nevertheless, the question is how parents and children will actually view the results. |
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| Surveys and Research Dwindling Birth Rate (07/03/2003) According to the figure based on "Population Census of Japan" and "Population Estimates", Japan's population in total is gradually increasing, with some reasons such as rising longevity. However the population of children under age 15 in Japan declined for the 22nd straight year. The figure stood at a little more than 18 million as of April 1, down 170,000 from last year, according to statistics released by the Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications Ministry. The percentage of children in the overall population was the lowest ever at 14.1 percent, dropping 0.2 percentage point from a year earlier.In all, 9.23 million boys and 8.78 million girls were counted. Japan is among the countries with the smallest percentage of children according to data recorded recently worldwide. The ratio of the under-15 population(percent)
The government is trying to find the measures to raise the dwindling birth rate such as improvement of working conditions, support to parents in local communities and younger generations in terms of social security and so forth. (Source:The Japan Times) We continue to focus on the issue. So please keep your eyes on Ed-Info Japan. Expenditure for Education (06/13/2003) According to recent survey in Tokyo-area, half of mothers whose children in the lower elementary school grades expressed the view that the education expenses are an economic burden on the household. The mothers surveyed had an average age of 36.1 and an average 2.1 children. Full-time housewives accounted for 40 percent of the respondents; 40 percent had part time-job. The mothers spend an average of 14,800 yen (about $115) per month on their kid's education, with the majority uncertain this is money well-spent. Education aside, they said that they spend 9,100 yen ($75) a month on average on their children. For your information, the monthly lesson fee for piano is about 5,000 yen, English conversation (native teacher, group lesson) is 10,000 yen, and for cram school is 5,000 yen~10,000 when child takes one lesson once a week. Most of children take several lessons in a week. Asked when they started saving up for their children's education, 57 percent of them said that they started immediately after their child was born. (Source: The Japan Times) Do you think they spend too much money for children? Let us know about your country. What Do You Want to Be? (06/04/2003) Becoming a professor is the dream job for Japanese boys, while running a restaurant is the most popular career choice for girls, which has almost unchanged for 10 years, according to the results of the nationwide poll of about 1,000 elementary school students by Dai-Ichi Mutual Life Insurance Co. Syrvey Results of 1991 and 2002 Boys <1991>
Girls <1991>
Japan received Nobel prizes in science in 2000, 2001 and 2002, and media coverage of the awards apparently encouraged more Japanese children to dream of a career in academia, Dai-Ichi said. Last year, Masatoshi Koshiba, a professor emeritus at Japan's top university, won the prize in physics, while Koichi Tanaka, an engineer at precision equipment maker Shimadzu Corp., won the prize in chemistry. (source: The Japan Times) Related article in CRN http://www.childresearch.net/cgi-bin/topics/column.pl?no=00188&page=1 Let us know about your country's children, too! Hikikomori (05/29/2003) "Hikikomori" is a Japanese word to describe the withdrawal from contact with the rest of the society and living like hermits in their bedrooms. Over a 12-month period, 6,151 cases of "hikikomori" (defined as withdrawal from society for six months or more) were registered at 697 public health centers across the country. Almost a third of the sufferers had been withdrawn for over three years and, in a final blow to the lingering impression that withdrawal is a childhood condition, half of the total were over 21 years old. The trigger is usually an event at school, such as bulling, an exam failure of a broken romance. However some in "hikikomori" said that there is no specific reason. Many in the fields of psychiatry, education and so on have been trying to find the cause of the problem. And some of them said it lies within Japanese history and society. If it is a specific condition in Japan, one can say at least it may originate from problems in society, uncomfortable to live. Source: asahi.com, BBC News We would certainly welcome the chance to speak with you about your thought regarding "Hikikomori" ! |
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| Health Dental Caries and Child Abuse (07/18/2003) Incidence of child abuse in Japan has been rising every year. Child abuse cases handled by Child Guidance Centers have jumped from 1,101 cases in 1990 when statistics were first taken to 5,352 cases in 1997, 17,725 cases in 2000, and 24,792 in 2001. In a study on the correlation between dental caries and child abuse, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Bureau of Social Welfare recently noted children suffering from child abuse were more likely to have dental caries and less likely to be treated. In particular, 46.6% of children under the age of six who had been abused had tooth decay compared with 21% of the children who had not, a greater than twofold difference. Abused children had an average of 2.7 decayed teeth in need of treatment, more than six times the number for children who had not been abused, and this difference was particularly evident in children over the age of two. These statistics indicate that abused children do not receive proper instruction in oral hygiene or dental care from their parents or guardians. This correlation implies that it may be possible to detect child abuse at an early stage when children receive dental checkups. For this reason, dentists should be encouraged to participate in local government networks on child abuse and to contribute information on this problem from their perspective. Regular communication and coordination between nursery schools and child care centers and community dentists will also be an effective way to spot child abuse. (Source: Tokyo Metropolitan Government Homepage; Japanese Only) http://www.metro.tokyo.jp/INET/BOSHU/2003/06/22d6h301.htm Japan is witnessing a consistent rise in child abuse, and last year, the Children's Rainbow Center (http://www.crc-japan.net/english/index.html) was established in response to this growing problem. The Center trains highly qualified and capable professionals to deal with child abuse issues in the community, and gathers and makes available expert information on child abuse, juvenile delinquency, violence, and other adolescent problems. It also provides counseling and consultation in the area of welfare, psychology, medicine and the law on child abuse problems. Noboru Kobayashi, M.D., Director of CRN, also serves as Center Director of the Children's Rainbow Center. |
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| Social Issues Missing Girls (08/01/2003) Four missing girls - two 11 year-olds and two 12 year-olds - were found unharmed on 7/17 at a condominium in Tokyo's Akasaka district, police said. A man who was later identified as 29-year-old Kotaro Yoshisato of Yokohama was found dead in the condo, they said. According to investigators, one of the girls escaped from the condo and sought help at a nearby flower shop. She was barefoot and her right wrist was red and swollen. Shop attendants let her use the phone to alert police. Officers dispatched to the condo found the other three girls in separate rooms with their arms and legs handcuffed to iron dumbbells and plastic tanks filled with water, apparently to prevent them from escaping. The girls, who attend a school in Inagi, western Tokyo, disappeared after telling their families that they were going to the Shibuya shopping district on 7/13. Dozens of police officers were mobilized and to comb the Shibuya area after they vanished. Yoshisato had approached one of the girls in Shibuya in early July while handing out leaflets advertising part-time jobs, and offered her a "good-paying" part-time job, police said. He maintained frequent contact with the girl by mobile phone after they became acquainted, police said. The girl, who received 10,000 yen (approx. 80USD) for some cleaning work given to her by Yoshisato, passed the information on to her friends at school. Yoshisato would often stand on a Shibuya street, tempting young girls with money and often offering them more money if they would come with him together with friends. Police said they believe he approached the four girls in the same manner. (source: Japan Times) We cannot hide our surprise at the lowering trend in the age of children who are involved in sexual business. What do you think of? The Murder Rate Dropped (06/06/2003) According to the most recent statistics from the World Health Organization, the murder victim rate in Japan was 0.6 per 100,000 people in 1999, the lowest mark among the world's major nations. That figure is lower than the rates in France, Britain and Germany, and about half that in the Netherlands and Sweden. The murder rate in the United States, meanwhile, is about 10 times as high. The number of homicidal individuals within the populace is also lowest in Japan. In 2002, there were 1.1 murderers or attempted murderers per 100,000 people, dropped from around 3 or 4 people per 100,000 for a long time before and after World War II (excluding the war itself). Regardless of place and time, statistics in general show that males in their early 20s are most likely to commit murder. That is believed to be the period when men's blood runs hottest for acts of violence. Japan might be the only country whose graph for the rate of murderers does not peak at the younger generations. Takeshi Koyanagi, who works at the Research and Training Institute of the Justice Ministry said "Murder is a crime that requires a lot of energy," implying that today's youth either don't have enough or are channeling it in different ways. "One reason is they have come in possession of too many things that they don't want to lose," said Mariko Hasegawa, a professor of evolutionary biology at Waseda University who has done extensive research on murder case. Jinsuke Kageyama, a professor of crime psychiatry at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, believes there are also conditions at work that are uniquely Japanese. "There is no other advanced industrialized nation that has gone for close to 60 years without fighting a war and with no military draft system," he said. An American researcher also said the reason may lie in the long period of anti-war and pacifism movements in Japan. (Source: asahi.com) Let us know your country's situation. |
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| Events The Mathematical Olympiad (07/25/2003) About 460 mathematically gifted young people from 82 countries and regions competed at the 44th International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO 2003) held recently in Tokyo, with the Japanese team coming in 9th. At the event, where participants' resourcefulness was tested, one of the six high school students on the Japanese team won a gold medal, awarded to students who ranked 37th or higher based on their marks. The remaining five Japanese students won either silver or bronze medals, and their efforts deserve our praise. Nevertheless, it is indeed difficult to be ranked as the world's highest in this field. In this year's competition, Bulgaria was ranked No. 1, followed by China, the United States and Vietnam. These are all nations that usually rank high in this international competition. Japanese teams, which have been participating in this event since IMO 1990, held in Beijing, can hardly be called high ranking, since the highest they have ever placed is 8th. (Source: The Yomiuri Shimbun) What do you think of the International Mathematical Olympiad? |