How do EFL textbooks evaluate countries? Discursive and production perspectives

Using Bayesian network analysis to analyze datasets from Japan’s National Assessment of Academic Ability, we examined how academic performance in junior high school students (aged 14 and 15) in Japan is predicted by students’ everyday and study behaviors. Academic performance is associated with study behaviors. Weekend study time, followed by study planning and weekday study time, had the greatest effect on academic performance. Multiple linear regression indicated that the effect of a standard weekend study on academic performance was 1.6 times greater than that of study planning and 3.4 times greater than that of weekday study time. Interventions to improve academic performance should adopt the following priorities. First, we should encourage students to spend time studying on weekends; this can be achieved by attending weekend private tuition and controlling weekend screen time. Second, we should encourage students to engage in study planning, which can be achieved by controlling weekday screen time, following a regular sleep schedule, and achieving their future ambitions and goals. Third, we should encourage students to spend weekdays studying out-of-school; this can be achieved by attending weekday private tuition and controlling social media time. The Bayesian network model suggests that improved sleep time may be associated with reduced screen time.

This study undertakes a comparative analysis of the consistency between phonology and orthography as well as the absence of vowel phonemes in the first language in English language textbooks used by third-year junior high school students in Japan and South Korea. The analysis was conducted using six textbooks: three of the most widely adopted English language textbooks in Japan and South Korea. The results revealed that the English language textbooks in South Korea contained a significantly higher number of words and sentences. Contrary to the initial hypothesis, no substantial differences were observed in the lexical difficulty or frequency of the 44 English phonemes. Furthermore, the English language textbooks in Japan were found to contain a significantly greater proportion of phonemes absent from the first language, as well as a higher incidence of irregular phoneme-grapheme correspondences. These findings indicate that Japanese junior high school students are exposed to English language textbooks with a considerably higher level of phonemic and graphemic complexity compared to South Korean junior high school students. These insights are valuable for English language learners, educators, policymakers, and textbook developers, particularly in contexts where the first language has a limited phonemic inventory or regular phoneme-grapheme correspondences.

BackgroundModal shifts in transport may reduce overall road injuries. Cyclist junior high school students are at a high risk of road injuries while commuting in Japan, and injuries among junior high school students could be reduced if the cyclists switch to other transport modes.MethodsWe estimated the change in the incidence of road deaths and serious injuries while commuting in months with heavy snowfall, when cyclists are likely to switch to other transport modes. Using police data on the monthly number of road injuries while commuting among junior high school students in Japan between 2004 and 2013 and corresponding population statistics and snowfall data, we calculated the monthly injury rate (number of deaths and serious injuries divided by population) at the prefecture level. We conducted Poisson regression analysis to estimate the change in the rate in months with a snowfall of ≥100 cm, compared to months without snowfall.ResultsA total of 3,164 deaths and serious injuries occurred during 2004 to 2013. The injury rate among cyclists was almost zero in months with a snowfall of ≥100 cm. That among cyclists and pedestrians in these months was reduced by 68% (95% confidence interval, 43–82%).ConclusionIn months with heavy snowfall, road injuries while commuting were reduced due to the near-elimination of cycling injuries among junior high school students in Japan. Switching from cycling to other transport modes would reduce overall road injuries among this population, and inducing modal shifts can be an important tool for road safety.

In order to estimate the prevalence of volatile solvent inhalation among junior high school students in Japan and to assess certain characteristics of the lifestyle of these users, the authors surveyed 5240 students 12-15 years of age. This was the first major survey of the prevalence of volatile solvent inhalation among junior high school students in Japan, from the point of view of the number of subjects and schools. 1.5% of subjects were students who had inhaled solvents. The regularity of life style rhythm was more significantly disturbed in Lifetime Users than in Non-Users. School life and family life were significantly less relaxed for Lifetime Users than for Non-Users. Drinking alcohol and smoking had a strong relationship with inhaling volatile solvents. The authors suggest that greatly increasing education on the harmful effects of volatile solvents inhalation and increasing the frequency with which the entire family eats dinner together will be an effective prevention strategy in Japan.

Adolescent depression is a significant public health concern. Although skipping breakfast is associated with depressive symptoms in adolescents, the effects of dietary patterns on their depressive symptoms remain unknown. Therefore, this study aims to determine whether dietary patterns are associated with depressive symptoms among junior and senior high school students in Japan. A total of 441 junior high school students and 417 senior high school students participated in this study. The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale (CES-D) was used to measure the participants’ depressive symptoms. We surveyed the participants’ breakfast consumption pattern, as well as their general dietary patterns (meat, fish, green and yellow vegetables, milk and dairy products, and fruits), using a self-report questionnaire. The results indicated that the senior high school students had a significantly higher CES-D score than the junior high school students. We found negative and significant partial correlations between regular consumption of breakfast and depressive symptoms, and between regular consumption of green and yellow vegetables and depressive symptoms in both junior and senior high school students, after controlling for age, sex, and sleep duration. Furthermore, a one-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) revealed that adolescents who consumed green and yellow vegetables every day (one or more times per day) had significantly lower depressive symptoms than those from the “Never/1–2 times a week” group. The findings of this study reveal that the regular consumption of green and yellow vegetables is associated with lower depressive symptoms in adolescents, that is, the consumption of green and yellow vegetables may be vital in the context of adolescents’ mental health.

This study compares the attitudes toward breastfeeding of high-school students in Japan and the United States. The study was conducted as a cross-sectional survey with a convenience sample (N = 329). Data were collected in 1989 and 1990 at two private, girls-only high schools (Tokyo, Japan and Farmington, Michigan). Retrieval rates were 100 percent (Tokyo) and 78 percent (Michigan) respectively. Responses were compared by the chi-square (chi 2) test with Yate's correction and factor analyses. Tokyo students perceived that their mothers talked positively about breastfeeding (54 percent), while only 17 percent of Michigan students reported that their mothers did so (< .001). Less than five percent of the Tokyo students felt that breastfeeding disturbs family life, whereas nearly 98 percent of the Michigan students felt so (p < .001). Tokyo students scored significantly higher on the 'family' factor, while the Michigan students scored significantly higher on the 'self' factor. Overall, this study indicates that high school students in Japan have more positive attitudes toward breastfeeding than students in the United States; however, teenagers in the United States are more interested than their Japanese age-mates in gaining information about breastfeeding.

Cigarette smoking among junior and senior high school students in Japan

Early intervention in schizophrenia is important for patient prognosis and quality of life. At the time of the first episode, quality of life is influenced by identification of symptoms and by medical help-seeking behavior. In this prospective cohort study, we investigated help-seeking among 2690 parents of junior and senior high school students before and after the parents viewed a newly developed web-based education program aimed at improving knowledge of schizophrenia. Our web-based education program aimed to improve understanding of schizophrenia, including promotion of help-seeking. Many parents (33.1%-50.0%) consulted a physician in a department of psychosomatic medicine when their child experienced symptoms. Characteristics that predicted a decision not to seek psychiatric medical help were having child with all symptoms, younger parent age, and lower family income (p<0.05). After the education program, the rate of parents who sought medical help within 1 week was significantly higher for all symptom categories except sleeplessness (p=0.001). These findings suggest that the present web-based education program was useful in promoting medical help-seeking behavior among parents of junior and senior high school students in Japan.

BackgroundStigma toward schizophrenia is a substantial barrier to accessing care and adhering to treatment. Provisions to combat stigma are important, but in Japan and other developed countries there are few such provisions in place that target parents of adolescents. The attitudes of parents are important to address as first schizophrenic episodes typically occur in adolescence. In overall efforts to develop an education program and provisions against stigma, here we examined the relationship between stigma toward schizophrenia and demographic characteristics of parents of junior and senior high school students in Japan. The specific hypothesis tested was that contact and communication with a person with schizophrenia would be important to reducing stigma. A questionnaire inquiring about respondent characteristics and which included a survey on stigma toward schizophrenia was completed by 2690 parents.ResultsThe demographic characteristics significantly associated with the Devaluation- Discrimination Measure were family income, occupation, presence of a neighbor with schizophrenia, and participation in welfare activities for people with mental illness (p < 0.05). The mean ± SD score was 32.74 ± 5.66 out of a maximum of 48 points on the Link Devaluation-Discrimination Measure.ConclusionsStigma toward schizophrenia among parents of junior and senior high school students was in fact significantly stronger among members of the general public who had had contact with individuals with schizophrenia. In addition, stigma was associated with family income.

In order to estimate the prevalence of tobacco smoking among junior high school students in Japan and to assess certain characteristics of smokers, the authors surveyed 5240 students aged between 12 and 15 years. In terms of both the number of subjects and of schools, this was the first major survey of Japanese junior high schools on the relationship between tobacco smoking and the background life styles of smokers. Of all students, 30.5% of males, 13.3% of females and 22.2% of the total were lifetime smokers; 3.3%, 0.8% and 2.2%, respectively, were daily smokers. As the frequency of tobacco smoking increased, the regularity of the life style routine was significantly more disturbed, and school and family life were significantly less relaxed. The authors suggest that the strengthening of family cohesion would be an effective preventive strategy in Japan.

BackgroundEarly detection and intervention in schizophrenia are important in improving quality of life after treatment and are major issues in psychiatric care. Therefore, it is necessary to increase knowledge of schizophrenia among the general public. Among parents of junior and senior high school students in Japan, we compared rates of correct answers for items on knowledge of schizophrenia and ability to discriminate this psychosis from other disorders on questionnaires given before and after viewing a web-based education program.MethodsQuestionnaires were distributed to 2,690 parents. The program was developed to help parents obtain a basic understanding of schizophrenia and to emphasize the necessity of early detection.ResultsBefore the program, the rate of correct answers was 77% for items concerning basic knowledge of schizophrenia, 47% for "discrimination of schizophrenia symptoms," and 30% for "discrimination of prodromal symptoms." The program resulted in an improvement in basic knowledge of schizophrenia, discrimination of schizophrenia symptoms, and discrimination of prodromal symptoms (P < 0.001 for all).ConclusionsOur web-based education program was useful in helping parents acquire a basic knowledge of schizophrenia and discriminate correctly the symptoms of schizophrenia.

To prevent gastric cancer, a Helicobacter pylori test-and-treat strategy has been proposed. In Japan, routine urine examinations are performed to screen for kidney diseases; it is therefore convenient to screen for H.pylori infection via urine antibody (u-Ab) testing. To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of u-Ab testing in students using 13 C-urea breath testing (UBT) as a standard. The study population included 806 junior or senior high school students in Japan who provided urine samples and/or underwent UBT. Students with a positive u-Ab test or discrepant results between the u-Ab test and UBT were asked to provide additional stool and/or blood samples or to repeat the UBT. Urinary protein was detected using a urine test strip. The positive rates for the u-Ab test and UBT were 8.9% (71/795) and 5.5% (44/801), respectively. The u-Ab test showed 88.4% sensitivity and 95.7% specificity using UBT as a standard. In the final diagnoses, the u-Ab test showed 97.6% sensitivity, 96.5% specificity, 61.2% positive predictive value (PPV), and 99.9% negative predictive value (NPV). Of the 508 samples tested using a urine test strip, negative results were obtained for 450 subjects with a sensitivity of 90%, specificity of 97.9%, PPV of 66.7%, and NPV of 99.5%. Proteinuria was detected in 58 samples, with a sensitivity of 100%, specificity of 88.9%, PPV of 40%, and NPV of 100%. The u-Ab test is highly accurate and suitable for detecting H.pylori infection. However, the occurrence of proteinuria may yield false-positive results.

Although 7-day triple therapy, consisting of vonoprazan, amoxicillin (AMO), and clarithromycin (CLA), is recommended for Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) eradication in adults. However, the importance of reducing antibiotic use in pediatric patients is well recognized. Therefore, our aim was to compare the effectiveness and safety of vonoprazan and AMO (VA) dual therapy to vonoprazan-based (VAC) triple therapy for H. pylori eradication in a cohort of treatment-naïve junior high school students in Japan. This was a prospective observational study of second-year junior high-school students in Yurihonjo and Nikaho Cities, Japan. Between 2015 and 2017, 161 students were treated with VAC-triple therapy (20mg vonoprazan, 750mg AMO, and 200mg CLA, twice a day for 7days), while 60 students were treated with VA-dual therapy (20mg vonoprazan and 750mg AMO, twice a day for 7days) since 2018. The success rate of H. pylori eradication and drug-related adverse events were compared between the two therapy groups. Intention-to-treat (ITT) and per-protocol (PP) analyses were performed. Groups were comparable at baseline. The ITT and PP eradication rates were 85.0% (95% confidence interval [CI] 75.8-94.2%) and 86.4% (95% CI 77.4-95.5%), respectively, with VA-dual therapy and 82.0% (95% CI 76.0%-87.9%) and 84.1% (95% CI 78.3-89.8%), respectively, with VAC-triple therapy. VA-dual therapy was non-inferior to VAC-triple therapy (ITT, p = 0.018; PP, p = 0.020). The adverse event rate was 10.0% with VA-dual therapy and 19.8% with VAC-triple therapy (p = 0.108). The effectiveness of VA-dual therapy was comparable to that of VAC-triple therapy in H. pylori treatment-naïve junior high school students, while reducing the use of antibiotics.

School absenteeism, particularly among junior high school students, has increased annually in Japan. This study demonstrates the relationship between subjective adjustment to school life and students’ absenteeism. Data were collected from 17,378 junior high school students in Japan. A longitudinal design was used for the study. Teachers were asked to distribute the Adaptation Scale for School Environments on Six Spheres (ASSESS) questionnaire to junior high school students and ask the students to fill out the questionnaire at the beginning of the 2014 academic year in April 2014, and the relationship between their subjective adjustment and absenteeism as measured by the total number of absent days during the 2014 academic year was evaluated by logistic regression and a survival analysis model. Low life satisfaction was associated with absences. The corresponding odds ratio (OR) was higher for seventh graders (OR 3.29, confidence interval (CI): 2.41–4.48, hazard ratio (HR) 5.57, CI: 3.51–8.84) than for students in other grades. Interpersonal relationships were significantly related to absenteeism for seventh and eighth graders in the group with scores less than 39 points. Lower adjustment to learning seemed to be related to absenteeism for seventh and eighth graders. For effective interventions, a well-designed study that uses detailed information regarding life-related covariates is necessary.

The purpose of this study was to estimate daily energy expenditure (EE) and daily activity factor (DAF: EE/basal metabolism - 1) of junior high school students in Japan using heart rate (HR) monitoring method. Daily activity recording and 24 hour HR monitoring were measured in all the subjects. The relational formulas between HR and oxygen consumption were obtained from bicycle ergometer test. Subjects were 112 junior high school students (68 male and 44 female) from the 1st to the 3rd year. The averages of EE (kcal/kg) of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd year students were 54.3, 46.7, and 44.5 (kcal/kg) for males and 50.1, 44.4, and 40.5 (kcal/kg) for females respectively. In the same way DAF were 0.80, 0.61, and 0.59 for males and 0.77, 0.65, and 0.51 for females. It was shown that EE (kcal/kg) and DAF have a tendency to decrease as school year increases in both male and female students.