Japanese Elementary School Students Research Articles

Time-Use Data and Japanese Elementary School Students' Learning of Gender Differences

Time-Use Data and Japanese Elementary School Students' Learning of Gender Differences

Relationship between the experience of being a bully/victim and mental health in preadolescence and adolescence: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundSeveral studies have proven that the experiences of being bullied or bullying others are associated with poor mental health among adolescent youths. Our study aims to investigate the relationship between the experience of the bully/victim and mental health among preadolescents and adolescents.MethodsSubjects were the Japanese fifth and sixth grade elementary school students (preadolescents: mean age = 11.3 years; n = 338) and junior high school students (adolescents: mean age = 13.8 years; n = 486). A self-report questionnaire was administered containing items concerning the experience of being a bully/victim and the Youth Self Report (YSR).ResultsFour groups relating to the experience of being a bully/victim were formed: “Victim Only,” “Bully Only,” “Victim and Bully,” and “Neither.” Approximately 65% of preadolescents and approximately 25% of adolescents engaged in bullying behaviors. Of these, the rate of participants in the “Bully Only” group was low, and that in the “Victim and Bully” group was high. Regarding the relationship between the experience of being a bully/victim and mental health, both preadolescents and adolescents of the “Victim Only” group had significantly higher scores on the YSR’s internalizing problems compared with the “Neither” group. Moreover, both preadolescents and adolescents of the “Bully Only” group had significantly higher scores on the YSR’s externalizing problems compared with the “Neither” group. Regarding the relationship between the experience of being a bully/victim and suicidal ideation for both preadolescent and adolescent girls, the relative risks of suicidal ideation were significantly higher in the “Victim and Bully” group than in the “Neither” group.ConclusionsPreadolescents indicated a higher rate of bullying behaviors than adolescents. In both preadolescents and adolescents, different effect patterns on mental health were found for the “Victim Only,” “Bully Only,” and “Victim and Bully” groups. The prevention and intervention methods for mental health should be tailored according to the type of experience associated with being a bully/victim and according to the developmental stages of preadolescence or adolescence.

Relative Age Effect in Physical Fitness Among Elementary and Junior High School Students.

The present study investigated characteristics of the relative age effect (RAE) among a general sample of Japanese elementary and junior high school students. Japan applies a unique annual age-grouping by birthdates between April 1 and March 31 of the following year for sport and education. Anthropometric and physical fitness data were obtained from 3,610 Japanese students, including height, weight, the 50-m sprint, standing long jump, grip strength, bent-leg sit-ups, sit and reach, side steps, 20-m shuttle run, and ball throw. We examined RAE-related differences in these data using a one-way analysis of variance by comparing students with birthdates in the first (April-September) versus second (October-March of the following year) semesters. We observed a significant RAE for boys aged 7 to 15 years on both anthropometric and fitness data, but a significant RAE for girls was only evident for physical fitness tests among elementary school and not junior high school students. Thus, a significant RAE in anthropometry and physical fitness was evident in a general sample of school children, and there were RAE gender differences among adolescents.

Intervention study to improve meal habit, sleep habit, circadian typology and school marks in Japanese elementary school students

Intervention study to improve meal habit, sleep habit, circadian typology and school marks in Japanese elementary school students

Characteristics of headaches in Japanese elementary and junior high school students: A school-based questionnaire survey

PurposeFew studies have investigated pediatric headaches in Japan. Thus, we examined the lifetime prevalence and characteristics of headaches among elementary and junior high school students in Japan. MethodsIn this school-based study, children aged 6–15years completed a questionnaire based on the diagnostic criteria of the International Classification of Headache Disorders-3β to assess headache characteristics and related disability. ResultsOf the 3285 respondents, 1623 (49.4%) experienced headaches. Migraine and tension-type headaches (TTH) were reported by 3.5% and 5.4% of elementary school students, respectively, and by 5.0% and 11.2% of junior high school students. Primary headaches increased with age. Compared with TTH sufferers, the dominant triggers in migraine sufferers were hunger (odds ratio=4.7), sunny weather (3.3), and katakori (neck and shoulder pain) (2.5). Compared with TTH, migraine caused higher headache-related frustration (P=0.010) as well as difficulty concentrating (P=0.017). Migraine-related disability was greater among junior high school students (feeling fed up or irritated, P=0.028; difficulty concentrating, P=0.016). TTH-related disability was also greater among junior high school students (feeling fed up or irritated, P=0.035). Approximately half of the students who complained of headache-related disability were not receiving medical treatment. ConclusionThis is the first detailed study of headaches in Japanese children to include elementary school students. Nearly 50% of the school children reported headaches and the disruption of daily activities caused by migraine was higher among junior high students than elementary school students.

Attending to Phonological Information and Orthographic Information in English Vocabulary Learning by Japanese Elementary School Students

Attending to Phonological Information and Orthographic Information in English Vocabulary Learning by Japanese Elementary School Students

Do not overlook lonely children

The present article investigated the longitudinal influence of loneliness on peer acceptance in school through two longitudinal studies; specifically, we hypothesized a bidirectional view on the relationship between loneliness and peer acceptance. In Study 1, a total of 383 Japanese elementary school students in fourth and fifth grades (207 boys and 176 girls, aged 9–11) at three public schools in Japan participated in an 18-month longitudinal study. Through a comparison of hypothetical models, the accepted model showed a ripple effect of loneliness on peer acceptance. Subsequently, in Study 2, a total of 506 Japanese elementary school students in fourth to sixth grades (253 boys and 253 girls, aged 9–12) at two public schools in Japan participated in a 6-month longitudinal study. The statistically accepted cross-lagged model indicated a bidirectional influence between loneliness and peer acceptance. These findings indicate a strong link between loneliness and peer acceptance from a longitudinal bidirectional perspective and suggest the importance of early educational practices for lonely children to prevent them from entering this vicious cycle.

Sleep Duration, Snoring Prevalence, Obesity, and Behavioral Problems in a Large Cohort of Primary School Students in Japan.

Poor or short sleep and the presence of snoring indicative of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) have been associated with behavioral problems in school-aged children. We examined the relationship between SDB, sleep duration, obesity risk, and behavioral characteristics in Japanese elementary school students using a large-scale survey. We conducted a cross-sectional study of children enrolled in all 46 public primary schools in Matsuyama city, Japan. The children's parents or guardians completed a questionnaire that covered sleep habits, presence of SDB risk, and behavioral characteristics. In total, 24 296 responses were received (90% response rate). After excluding incomplete responses, we analyzed complete datasets for 17 769 children. Mean sleep duration decreased with age, as did the prevalence of pediatric SDB. We found an increased risk for the presence of SDB and short sleep among overweight/obese children. With SDB or short sleep, we observed significantly increased odds of restless behaviors, fidgety behaviors, and poor concentration in school. Shorter sleep duration was associated with increased risk of obesity, and in turn, obesity increased SDB risk. Both short sleep duration and SDB risk were significantly associated with behavioral problems in school.

Effects of the cognitive-behavioral You Can Do It! Education program on the resilience of Japanese elementary school students: A preliminary investigation

The effect of a mental health promotion program based on cognitive behavioral therapy and social-emotional learning called “You Can Do It! Education” on the resilience of elementary school students was evaluated. Participants were fourth grade students at elementary schools in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area, who were assigned to the intervention (n=78) or control (n=47) group. The intervention group was taught eight program lessons by a visiting counselor, which covered topics related to resilience and the relationships of thinking, feeling, and behaving. The intervention group showed significant improvements in resilience and social support, whereas the control group did not. We discuss the program’s feasibility for enhancing resilience and its limitations in Japanese school settings.

한국과 일본에 거주하는 일부 초등학생들의 전통음식 섭취실태와 인식

한국과 일본에 거주하는 일부 초등학생들의 전통음식 섭취실태와 인식

Comparison of Digital Materials Attached to English Textbooks for Korean and Japanese Elementary School Students

Comparison of Digital Materials Attached to English Textbooks for Korean and Japanese Elementary School Students

体育授業に対する劣等コンプレックスの因子的概念と児童生徒の主体的要因との関連

We investigated the factorial concept and features of Japanese elementary and junior high school students' inferiority complexes in relation to physical education. Fifth and sixth graders (n=341) and junior high school students (n=336) completed 3 questionnaires: one created for this study and consisting of questions regarding inferiority complexes in relation to physical education; another made up of stress cognitive appraisal questions (Suzuki and Sakano, 1998); and a third relating to perceived competence in school life and self-esteem (Sakurai, 1992; Sakurai and Matsui, 2007). Factor analysis revealed 2 inferiority complex concepts, namely “complex focused on motor skills” (C-MS) and “complex focused on psychosocial and physical factors causing feelings of inferiority to develop into an inferiority complex” (C-PPF). Two-way analysis of variance revealed that female elementary and junior high school students were more likely than males to have a C-MS, and that male junior high school students were more likely than male elementary students to have a C-PPF. Correlation analysis revealed that hating to participate in physical activities, play sports, and attend physical education classes was strongly correlated with having an inferiority complex in relation to physical education. Multiple regression analysis showed that psychosocial development around the time of puberty influenced the relationship between self-competence and the presence of an inferiority complex. It also influenced the relationship between cognitive appraisal of the perceived threat or impact of inability to fulfill physical education assignments and the presence of an inferiority complex. These results suggest that in order to recognize inferiority complexes in relation to physical education, it is important to consider the diversity of students' focuses on their inferiority complexes and to make allowances for their states of psychosocial development.

Mental health and sleep of Japanese elementary school students

Many studies have suggested that Japanese children are tired, because they are busy and sleep deprived. Children do not establish their lifestyle on their own, but are influenced by schools, family and the society. The present article reviews the Japanese education system and education at home, in terms of their effects on sleep and mental health of elementary school students, and discusses sleep education at school.

Parent-Child Relationship and the Child’s Inner Feelings Regarding Dependency - Japan

Abstract A physiological boundary relationship between Japanese mothers and children encountered with the socio-cultural system has rooted a feeling of dependency and reliance on the society, which deny self-identity and independency. This system raises hate between the individual and the family and society. The current study investigates the parents and children's attitude toward treatment, focusing on the children's attitude toward treating their parents and the children's inner feelings toward family. Fifty-nine Japanese elementary school students have been given the Father/Mother-Child Relationship Inventory (FMCI) and the Kinetic Family Drawing Test (K.F.D). Children have shown a dependent common attitude; and aggressive inner feelings toward parents. Children have had such double-injured, tendency of dependency and lack of family warm relations. Hence, those children who have shown rebellious, strange and refusal attitudes toward their parents are considered to be normally reacting in a healthy way.

Comparison of Korean and Japanese Elementary School Students' Achievement on Inquiry-based Science Assessment Items

This study looked at Korean elementary school students' performance in inquiry-based science by subjecting Korean sixth graders to Japanese national standard science assessment items. The purpose of this study was to assess the Korean science curricula and to compare the two groups' level of inquiry. Also this study not only compared the science achievement of Korean and Japanese students, but it also Received(June 24, 2014), Review request(June 25, 2014), Review Result(1st: July 07, 2014) Accepted(December 10, 2014) Publish(December 31, 2014) 660-759 Dept. Science Education, Chinju National University of Eduction, Shinan-dong, Jinju, Gyeongnam, Korea email: ytkong@cue.ac.kr * This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea Grant funded by the Korean Government (NRF-2013R1A1A2004851). Comparison of Korean and Japanese elementary school students' achievement on inquiry-based science assessment items Copyright c 2014 SERSC 202 compared the two nations' assessment of academic achievement in science. The results are as follows: (1) Science curricula in both Korea and Japan stress the importance of inquisition; moreover, Japanese science curriculum tends more to emphasize scientific-inquiry aptitude that is progressively connected within in grade level hierarchy. (2) Much like their science curricula, the two nations' assessment both stress importance of retention and conceptualization of inquiry-based science to strengthen future competence. (3) Students' inquiry-based science capabilities were evaluated by contrasting at the accuracy rates of responses across different types of items. (4) Both Korean and Japanese students had a difficulty for applying and describing the concepts and terminology used in science. Students of both nations also had problems organizing and assessing experimental results. This study has implications for managements in both Korean national-standard study achievement and the recent science education curriculum.

Training effect on the second language learning for young learners using computer-assisted language learning system: Quantitative consideration on relationship among speech perception of the second language, learning experience and amounts of learning

Longitudinal training experiment was conducted in order to examine the relation between the perceptual ability of English as a foreign language and amount of learning experiences beyond schools targeting Japanese elementary school students. Over four hundred students among the 3rd grade through 6th grade participated in this study. Three hundred and thirty-two students of them had learning experience beyond school, and the other, 134 students, did not. Students spent approximately 10 h of individualized computer-based training that focused on intensive auditory input. The result of t-test showed that the scores of the group of students who have previous learning experience exceeded the scores of the students in the other group at the beginning; however, at the end of the period, it revealed from the result of ANOVA that students without learning experience before starting learning English at school improved their sensitivity on perception of English syllable and some phonemes much more than the experienced. These results suggest that the appropriate perception training utilizing the auditory input is effective in cultivation of aural comprehension. Implications for foreign language education for young learners will be discussed. [Work supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B) 23730832, Japan.]

A Multilevel Analysis of Classroom Goal Structures’ Effects on Intrinsic Motivation and Peer Modeling: Teachers’ Promoting Interaction as a Classroom Level Mediator

This study investigated how classroom goal structures (mastery and performance goal structures) related to intrinsic motivation and peer modeling focusing on teachers’ promoting interaction as a classroom level mediator. Authors tested multilevel mediational models with a sample of 1212 Japanese elementary and junior high school students from 43 classrooms. Results provided support for classroom level mediational process in mastery goal structures. Specifically, mastery goal structures related to promoting interaction, and promoting interactions related to both intrinsic motivation and peer modeling. Limitations and future directions of the study were discussed.

Motivational orienations and psychological needs in EFL learning among elementary school students in Japan

This study examined Japanese elementary school students’ motivational orientations for learning English as a foreign language (EFL) and fundamental psychological needs from a self-determination theory perspective, exploring the relations between motivational orientations (e.g., intrinsic motivation, identified regulation, introjected regulation, and external regulation) and basic psychological needs (e.g., autonomy , competence, and relatedness). An exploratory factor analysis of the motivational orientations of 505 fifth and sixth grade students of Japanese public elementary schools showed that this is composed by three factors: intrinsic motivation, introjected-and-identified regulation, and external regulation. Results showed a pattern of correlations reflecting a continuum of increasing self-determination from less self-determined forms of motivation to more self-determined forms of motivation. This study also assessed whether different types of basic psychological needs are linked to motivational orientations. Results show that psychological needs are more strongly related to intrinsic motivation than to less self-determined forms of motivation.

Mean Hemoglobin Levels in Venous Blood Samples and Prevalence of Anemia in Japanese Elementary and Junior High School Students

Screening for anemia has been performed in schools in Japan for over 30 years. The long-term effect of the nuclear power plant disaster on the prevalence of anemia in school age children is unknown. This research was performed to evaluate the prevalence of anemia in school age children and to determine grade-level and gender-related reference hemoglobin (Hb) levels prior to the nuclear disaster. Data for this research were obtained from results of screening for anemia obtained by venous blood sampling in schools in 2002. Mean Hb levels were calculated for each grade level (elementary school grades 1-6 and junior high school years 1-3) and according to gender, and the prevalence of anemia was determined. In our research, Tokyo Health Service Association guidelines were used to determine reference Hb levels for anemia. We demonstrated that Hb levels in boys increased with age during childhood and adolescence (from 13.1 ± 0.7 g/dL in 7 year olds to 14.9 ± 1.1 g/dL in 15 year olds); in girls, Hb levels peaked at menarche (13.7 ± 0.8 g/dL in 12 year olds), decreasing slightly thereafter (13.4 ± 1.1 g/dL in 15 year olds). The prevalence of anemia was 0.26% in elementary school boys, 0.27% in elementary school girls, and 1.21% in junior high school boys. The prevalence of anemia in second- and third-year junior high school girls was lower than that in first-year junior high school girls. Among all junior high school girls, 5.73% had mild anemia. Iron-deficiency anemia is the commonest type of anemia in high school girls, secondary to the relative lack of iron due to menstruation, the growth spurt and exercise. Appropriate dietary therapy and treatment of anemia, together with education about the dietary prevention of anemia, are important to reduce the prevalence of anemia in high school students. When complete blood counts are performed in regions thought to be affected by the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster, our report can serve as a reference during evaluation of Hb levels.

Relationship between motivation for learning EFL and intrinsic motivation for learning in general among Japanese elementary school students

Abstract This study investigated children’s motivation for learning English as a foreign language (EFL) and intrinsic motivation for learning in general. The participants were 268 third-sixth graders in a public school in Japan. Data were collected using two questionnaires, one measuring motivation for learning EFL and the other investigating intrinsic motivation for studying in general. Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA）indicated that intrinsic motivation for studying in general as well as motivation for learning EFL of the participating students generally decline from third through sixth grades. The results of a multiple-regression analysis indicate that curiosity is a predictor of intrinsic motivation for learning EFL, interest in foreign countries, and instrumental motivation; enjoyment is a positive predictor of intrinsic motivation for learning EFL and interest in foreign countries; endogenous attribution is a negative predictor of instrumental motivation,; and internal causality is a positive predictor of instrumental motivation. It can be suggested that a developmental decline in intrinsic motivation for studying in general might influence English lessons.