Japanese High School Students Research Articles

Relationship between Youth Risk Behaviors and Small Screen Time among Japanese High School Students

Relationship between Youth Risk Behaviors and Small Screen Time among Japanese High School Students

Grade and Gender Difference in Over-adaptation between Japanese and Chinese Junior High School Students

Grade and Gender Difference in Over-adaptation between Japanese and Chinese Junior High School Students

Correlations between Changes in Study Habits and Academic Results in Junior High School Students—A Longitudinal Survey at a Private Junior High School

Correlations between changes in study habits and academic results in Japanese junior high school students were investigated through a longitudinal survey. Participants were students enrolled in a private junior high school (N = 170). A questionnaire was conducted twice a year for three years. Moreover, results of regular exams and mock exams were collected. The results indicated a high correlation between scores of subject study habits and academic results. Furthermore, the results of cluster analysis indicated that patterns of changes in learning motivation were classified into four types, and academic records were low in the declining type and considerably declining type. Based on the results above, it is considered effective to detect changes in study habits of each student in early stages through regularly evaluating study habits quantitatively, for improving students’ academic skills.

中学生における抑うつの1年間の変化パターン

中学生における抑うつの1年間の変化パターン

A Preliminary Study of the Process by Which Japanese High School Students Choose an Overseas University (Cases in Which Overseas Exchange Program Alumni Go to an English-Speaking-Country)

A Preliminary Study of the Process by Which Japanese High School Students Choose an Overseas University (Cases in Which Overseas Exchange Program Alumni Go to an English-Speaking-Country)

The Japanese Version of the Adolescent Time Inventory-Time Attitudes (ATI-TA) Scale: Internal Consistency, Structural Validity, and Convergent Validity.

In this study, we translated the Adolescent Time Inventory-Time Attitudes (ATI-TA) scale into Japanese and examined the internal consistency and structural and convergent validity of ATI-TA scores in a sample of 383 Japanese high school students aged 15 to 18 years. The ATI-TA consists of six subscales assessing two valences (positive and negative) for each of three time periods (past, present, and future). Internal consistency estimates for scores on the ATI-TA were over .79. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that a six-factor model yielded the best fit to scores. Correlations among ATI-TA scores, time attitudes assessed by the semantic differential method, educational career planning, and self-esteem were consistent with our hypotheses. Our results provide evidence that scores on the Japanese version of the ATI-TA are reliable and valid, and thus potentially useful for research in this cultural context.

Longitudinal changes in academic motivation in Japan: Self-determination theory and East Asian cultures

This study examined changes in the academic motivation of Japanese junior high school students through a two-year longitudinal survey, based on self-determination theory. Japanese students (N=410; 215 boys and 195 girls aged 12–13years at the time of the first survey) completed the Japanese short-version of the Self-Regulation Questionnaire once each year during three consecutive grades (seventh, eighth, and ninth). The results of a latent curve model indicated that intrinsic and identified regulation (i.e., autonomous motivation) decreased and extrinsic and introjected regulation (i.e., controlled motivation) increased during junior high school. The results of ANOVA revealed the specific period during which academic motivation changed. In addition, a growth mixture model detected two characteristic profiles concerning motivational change: some students showed only decreases in autonomous motivation and others showed only increases in controlled motivation. Japanese junior high school students' motivation shifted from autonomous to controlled, but they did not become less motivated overall.

The interaction effect of time beliefs and interests in learning on academic performance among Japanese junior high school students

The present study investigated the interaction effect of time beliefs and interests in learning on the academic performance among Japanese junior high school students. We conducted a secondary analysis of a social science study whose data was provided by the Social Science Japan Data Archive. A total of 1672 junior high school students took an achievement test and responded to questionnaires that included items about time beliefs and interest in learning. The results of hierarchical multiple regression analysis showed that hedonists’ academic performance was worse than ascetics’. However, the results also showed that interests in learning had a positive influence on academic performance, and this effect was stronger for hedonists than for ascetics. These results indicate additional positive aspects of concentrating on the present time in the field of learning, and these findings may be helpful for students who do not have a future perspective.

The Contrastive Study of Speech Act of Gratitude between Korean and Japanese Highschool Students

The Contrastive Study of Speech Act of Gratitude between Korean and Japanese Highschool Students

The Contrastive Study of Speech Act of Apology between Korean and Japanese Highschool Students

The Contrastive Study of Speech Act of Apology between Korean and Japanese Highschool Students

Acoustic analysis on before- and after-training English speeches by a male Japanese high-school student

Two sets of a 7-minute English speech by a 15-year-old Japanese male speaker, one made before two-month intensive training (approx. 2 hours per day, 3 to 4 days per week) and the other made after the training, were recorded and acoustically analyzed. The speech manuscript was constructed for a national English speech competition for students of the National Institutes of Technology in Japan, with ages ranging from 15 to 22 years. The intelligibility ratings of the two speeches evaluated by native speakers of American English (AE) indicated that the post-training speech was much more intelligible than the pre-training speech. Preliminary acoustic analysis focusing on the most frequently occurring words “traffic accidents” indicated that the temporal alignments of the consonant-vowel sequences of the words, along with the intensity and the duration of the stressed and unstressed vowels, were evidently different between the two speeches, with the tokens in the post-training speech closer to those in the spee...

Internet escapism and addiction among Japanese senior high school students

ABSTRACTA person’s use of Web services for escapist purposes is thought to split his or her world into online and real versions, which differ greatly, increasing potential addiction tendencies and eventually leading to harmful consequences for the individual in his or her daily life. In this study, we conducted a questionnaire survey targeting Tokyo metropolitan high school students (n = 15,191), and used path analysis to clarify the structure of the model wherein psychological distress leads to harmful consequences through Internet escapism and potential Internet addiction tendencies, each serve as intermediary factors mediating the effect of psychological distress on harmful consequences. As a result, we derived the Psychological Distress-Escapism-Addiction-Harmful Consequences (Escapism-Addiction) model. Psychological distress influenced Internet escapism (0.42), Internet escapism influenced potential Internet addiction tendencies (0.61) and potential Internet addiction tendencies influenced harmful co...

Importance of cystatin C and uric acid levels in the association of cardiometabolic risk factors in Japanese junior high school students

BackgroundSerum cystatin C (CysC), a novel marker of renal function, is associated with the components of metabolic syndrome in adults. Little is known about the utility of CysC and its association with cardiometabolic risks in young subjects. Methods and resultsIn a cohort of 454 Japanese junior high school students, the distribution of serum CysC levels and associated variables were analyzed. CysC levels were significantly higher in boys than in girls (0.92±0.10mg/L vs. 0.77±0.08mg/L, p<0.001). CysC was significantly correlated with serum creatinine (r=0.473, p<0.001), and serum uric acid (SUA) (r=0.546, p<0.001). Multivariable regression analysis revealed significant associations between CysC and SUA in all subjects (β=0.241, p<0.001), and in boys and girls separately (β=0.264 and 0.240, respectively, both p<0.001). Importantly, subjects with elevation of both serum CysC and SUA levels had the highest ratio of triglyceride to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. ConclusionsCysC had significant associations with both creatinine and SUA in Japanese junior high school students. The concomitant elevation of serum CysC and SUA levels was associated with subclinical lipid metabolism dysregulation, and suggested the presence of cardiometabolic risk accumulation.

The prevalence and risk factors of school absenteeism due to premenstrual disorders in Japanese high school students-a school-based cross-sectional study.

BackgroundPremenstrual disorders such as premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) interfere with the daily lives of adolescents. The causes of PMS and PMDD are unknown, but lifestyle habits, such as regular exercise and taste preference are known to be associated. This study was conducted to investigate how premenstrual symptoms affect the school life in Japanese high school students and whether there was a risk factor for school absenteeism that is dependent on the types of premenstrual symptoms or lifestyle habits.MethodsA school-based survey was conducted in Sendai, an industrial city in Japan. A total of 901 girls aged 15–19 with regular menstrual cycles were assessed using the self-reporting premenstrual symptoms questionnaire (PSQ) and questions regarding school absence, taste preference, and exercise. We classified the girls into ‘no/mild PMS’, ‘moderate-to-severe PMS’ and ‘PMDD’ according to the PSQ. The girls were classified into the ‘absent’ group if they were absent for more than 1 day per month. We used multivariate logistic analysis to examine the risk factors for school absenteeism.ResultsThe rates of ‘moderate-to-severe PMS’ and ‘PMDD’ were 9.9 and 3.1 %, respectively. A total of 107 girls (11.9 %) were classified into the ‘absent’ group. Significant differences were observed in the prevalence of all premenstrual symptoms (p < 0.001), ‘age’ (p < 0.001), ‘a preference for salty food’ (p = 0.001), and ‘lack of regular exercise’ (p = 0.03) between the ‘absent’ and ‘non-absent’ groups. Multivariate analysis revealed that premenstrual symptoms such as ‘insomnia or hypersomnia’ (odds ratio [OR] 2.27, 95 % confidence interval [CI]: 1.46–4.17) and ‘physical symptoms’ (OR 2.24, 95 % CI: 1.37–3.66), ‘reduced social life activities’ (OR 2.71, 95 % CI 1.31–5.59), and ‘a preference for salty food’ (OR 1.89, 95 % CI: 1.20–2.98) were risk factors for school absenteeism.ConclusionsOne in nine Japanese female high school students were absent from school due to premenstrual symptoms. Physical premenstrual symptoms and lifestyles, such as a preference for salty food and a lack of regular exercise, were identified as risk factors for school absenteeism.

Cross-sectional observation of the relationship of depressive symptoms with lifestyles and parents' status among Japanese junior high school students.

Students' depressive symptoms might be related to their own risk factors and to their parents' status. The objective of this cross-sectional study was to examine the relationship of depressive symptoms with lifestyle variables and parents' psychological and socio-demographic status among Japanese junior high school students. Of 477 students and their parents, 409 (85.7%) students and 314 (65.8%) parents participated in the study. Students answered self-reported questionnaire on depressive symptoms, their heights and weights, subjective stress, body dissatisfaction, lifestyles including sleep duration and extracurricular physical activity in school and other physical activity outside the school, and nutritional intake. Parents responded to questionnaire on depressive symptoms and socio-demographic status. The prevalence of depressive symptoms was 24.9%. Students with depressive symptoms were more likely to have stress. Students in shorter and longer sleep duration groups were more likely to have depressive symptoms. The students with depressive symptoms had smaller amount of energy intake than did those without depressive symptoms. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed significant relationships between students' depressive symptoms and some independent variables. Sex, subjective stress, "almost-never"-categorized extracurricular physical activity in school and other physical activity outside the school, and having a parent with depressive symptoms were significantly associated with students' depressive symptoms. Reducing mental stress and taking care of lifestyles, especially, "almost-everyday"-categorized extracurricular physical activity in school and other physical activity outside the school, may have benefits for students' mental health, and having a parent with depressive symptoms may be associated with students' depressive symptoms.

Developing a Scale to Measure Total Impression Of Synthetic House-tree-person Drawings

We developed a scoring scale for the method of total impression of projective drawing. We focused especially on the Synthetic House-Tree-Person (S-HTP) projective drawing technique. First, we asked 7 clinical psychology graduate students to write down key words that they associated with total impressions of S-HTP drawings. Second, we selected 35 items based on these words and developed the Scale for Total Impression of Drawings (STID). Using the STID, 6 clinical psychologists rated 30 S-HTP pictures drawn by Japanese junior high school students. Finally, we selected 12 descriptive words as items and results of confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the STID was divided into 4 subscales we labeled as vitality, reality, themes, and gentleness. These converged with 2 higher factors of emotional stability and context consistency. Fit indexes of the model were sufficient.

The effect of topic selection on writing fluency among Japanese high school students

Written fluency and fluency building activities have been shown to promote linguistic choice and student voice development, increased ability to express ideas using complex grammatical structures and greater intrinsic motivation in English language learners. Since the 1970’s, process-oriented writing has been emphasized, yielding an amplified focus on meaning of student content over linguistic form precision. Current research of writing fluency must delve deeper into questions of student ownership of topic and the outcomes for low-risk activities that support fluency practice and encourage confidence building in students. The purpose of this replication study is to further explore previous findings on the effects of topic selection on writing fluency for high school English as foreign language learners. Building off of the work of Bonzo (2008), this study focused on a timed, non-graded writing activity administered to groups of Japanese engineering students in three departments: mechanical, electrical, and global engineering. The six subsequent samples for each participating student were analyzed using online text-analysis for total and unique word counts, providing data used to perform a t-test. Responses to bi-lingual student questionnaires, with prompts on self-perceived written English ability, self-efficacy and strategies for success while writing, provided additional insight into the facets of fluency. The results of these writing sessions offer both confirmation of and contrast to Bonzo’s original work, demonstrate increased student meaning making, and support the use of free writing activities in English language classrooms as a means by which student written fluency may be improved.

Relationship between type A behavior patterns and risk of temporomandibular disorder in Japanese undergraduate students.

Objective: Several studies have demonstrated the relationship between temporomandibular disorder (TMD) and emotional stress. Nonetheless, few surveys have examined the relationship between type A behavior patterns and TMD. The aim of this study was to clarify the relationships among TMD, type A behavior patterns, bruxism, and emotional stress in Japanese undergraduate students.Methods: This study was undertaken in Nayoro City, Japan, in 2015, among students of Nayoro City University. The survey was conducted through an anonymous, self-administered, multiple-choice questionnaire. Information was gathered on items evaluating the extent of TMD symptoms, bruxism, type A behavior patterns, and proneness and sensitivity to emotional stress.Results: The questionnaire recovery rate was 31.8% (175/551). There was a high likelihood of TMD in 16.1% of respondents, which is comparable to the findings of previous surveys on Japanese high school students. In keeping with previous studies, we confirmed significant relationships between TMD and both emotional stress and bruxism. A weak but statistically significant association was found between TMD and type A behavior patterns.Conclusion: We propose that TMD may be one of the diseases related to the type A behavior pattern.

日本人健康男子中学生における身長, 除脂肪量, 骨量の最大増加時期

日本人健康男子中学生における身長, 除脂肪量, 骨量の最大増加時期

日本人中高生における静的な姿勢アラインメントの発育変化

日本人中高生における静的な姿勢アラインメントの発育変化