Hopes and challenges for progressive educators in Japan: assessment of the ‘progressive turn’ in the 2002 educational reform

A variety of perspectives exist on the evaluation of Japan’s educational reform of 2002, which has evolved since the 1980s. However, thus far, little attention has been paid to the emerging influence of civil society on educational policies and practices. This paper shows that the origin of the current educational reforms can be traced to reports prepared by various neo‐liberal/conservative business leaders and politicians. Further, it shows their privatization and decentralization principles happen to coincide with the increasing interest of progressive citizens’ groups and educators. Their impact on the Japanese education system remains latent, especially as more scepticism grows towards progressivism as a philosophy behind the current educational reform. However, the expanding civil society and new progressive education movements in Japan are trends worth exploring in the context of globalization at the grass‐roots level.     

Effect of a marathon run on serum lipoproteins, creatine kinase, and lactate dehydrogenase in recreational runners

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of a marathon run on serum lipid and lipoprotein concentrations and serum muscle enzyme activities and follow their recovery after the run. These blood concentrations were measured before, immediately after, and serially after a marathon run in 15 male recreational runners. The triglyceride level was significantly elevated postrace, then fell 30% below baseline 1 day after the run, and returned to baseline after 1 week. Total cholesterol responded less dramatically but with a similar pattern. High-density lipoprotein cholesterol remained significantly elevated and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol was transiently reduced for 3 days after the run. The total cholesterol/high-density cholesterol ratio was significantly lowered for 3 days. Serum lactate dehydrogenase activity significantly doubled postrace and then declined but remained elevated for 2 weeks. Serum creatine kinase activity peaked 24 hr after the run, with a 15-fold rise, and returned to baseline after 1 week. The rise of these enzymes reflects mechanically damaged muscle cells leaking contents into the interstitial fluid. It is concluded that a prolonged strenuous exercise bout in recreational runners, such as a marathon, produces beneficial changes in lipid blood profiles that are significant for only 3 days. However, muscle damage is also evident for 1 week or more from the dramatic and long-lasting effect on enzyme levels. Laboratory values for these runners were outside normal ranges for some days after the race.     

E-learning courseware for language education in Japan: its application and student perceptions

Abstract

Commercial e-learning courseware for English education has been widely used in Japanese universities as an effective tool to assist students in improving their overall English skills. The courseware that is described in this paper is believed to be useful for teachers to assess students’ progress and evaluate their dedication to English study. Despite the fact that various remarkable technical features have been discussed, not much research has been done to investigate student evaluation of courseware. This paper outlines a study carried out to investigate how Japanese undergraduate students rate commercial online courseware for their English study and what the relationship is between their appreciation of courseware and their educational background. The findings suggest that although different students exhibit different preferences there is a close relationship between the benefits of courseware and their previous language-learning experiences.     

The university and the technical revolution in Japan: A model for developing countries?

This article discusses the role of the university in Japan's technological and industrial development. In the first part the historical development of the university in terms of technological and industrial development is treated in four sections, as follows:

1. 1868–1886 - higher education and Westernization;
2. 1886–1914 - Japan's industrial revolution and the university;
3. 1914–1945 - industrial development between the wars and the expansion of the university;
4. 1945-the present - the new university system and post-war industrial progress.

In the second part of the article some of the problems observed in the above historical treatment are discussed under the following headings: Westernization of a non-Western society, coordination between education and industry, the government and freedom of the university, and nationalism and internationalism. Throughout the whole period of development, the university in Japan has played a crucial role in introducing Western science and technology into Japan and in training the personnel necessary for technological and industrial progress. While the university has to be given credit for this important contribution it has to be noted that the state itself made an equally important contribution by ensuring that industry was coordinated with the university. Such initiatives on the part of the state did, however, raise questions about the academic freedom of the university. The Japanese university thus played an important part in terms of the development of the national interest; it has, however, been criticised recently for being less ready to develop that spirit of internationalism which the modern world requires.     

Learning by teaching face-to-face: the contributions of preparing-to-teach,initial-explanation,and interaction phases

Teaching other students in a face-to-face manner has been shown to effectively foster both one’s own and their learning. This study experimentally investigated whether and how tutors and tutees academically benefit from three phases of face-to-face teaching: preparing-to-teach, initial-explanation, and interaction phases. Japanese undergraduates (n = 80) acted as tutors or tutees in peer tutoring. After studying with the expectation of teaching face-to-face or taking a test (the preparing-to-teach phase), tutor participants provided tutee participants with initial instructional explanations, without asking or answering questions (the initial-explanation phase), and then engaged in a question-and-answer period (the interaction phase). Tutor and tutee participants learned better by providing and receiving higher-quality explanations in the initial-explanation and interaction phases. Face-to-face teaching vs. test expectancy had no effects on the quality of tutor participants’ explanations or their learning outcomes. The results suggest that both the initial-explanation and interaction phases contribute to learning by teaching face-to-face, whereas the preparing-to-teach phase does not.

     

Co‐evolution of mobile language learning: Going global with games consoles in higher education

Game consoles have been adopted as a learning platform in school education. However, there is a scarcity of studies examining the utility of games consoles with built‐in WiFi as affordable learning platforms in universities. This paper contributes to knowledge about the capacity of the Nintendo DSi to create new learning spaces mediated and supported by DSi consoles, free Flipnote Studio software for DS and a dedicated course website. An application of the DSi is described for remote supplemental language tutorial activities linking a dispersed body of students on a year‐abroad programme. It was found that the use of DSi as a mobile learning platform has great potential if it is used in combination with shared webspace, such as Hatena, by increasing students' learning motivation and eliminating fears/uncertainty about their progress.     

The Selectivity of Motion-Driven Visual Attention in Infants

The onset of motion was used to study stimulus-driven visual attention in 14-week-olds. The movement of an object did not capture attention reflexively at 14 weeks of age. The attention-getting properties of a moving stimulus depended significantly on its color in combination with the colors of other objects in the visual field. Specifically, detection of a green moving target was masked in the presence of mixed red and green static objects. No such masking was observed when the moving target was red or when the green target moved in a visual field that was populated only with green objects. The same effect was observed to a lesser extent when the green bars were replaced with gray bars. The number of distractors in the visual field exerted an effect on the accuracy of detection only when their appearance in the visual field was coincident with the onset of target motion. Attention to motion at this age is not independent of the structure of the visual field; chromatic preferences play a role in how readily infants attend to a moving object. These effects may be mediated by a difficulty in disengaging attention (from distractors) or in suppressing attention to competing objects once attention is engaged on a target.     

Effects of mora deletion,nonword repetition,rapid naming,and visual search performance on beginning reading in Japanese

This study examined the extent to which mora deletion (phonological analysis), nonword repetition (phonological memory), rapid automatized naming (RAN), and visual search abilities predict reading in Japanese kindergartners and first graders. Analogous abilities have been identified as important predictors of reading skills in alphabetic languages like English. In contrast to English, which is based on grapheme-phoneme relationships, the primary components of Japanese orthography are two syllabaries—hiragana and katakana (collectively termed “kana”)—and a system of morphosyllabic symbols (kanji). Three RAN tasks (numbers, objects, syllabary symbols [hiragana]) were used with kindergartners, with an additional kanji RAN task included for first graders. Reading measures included accuracy and speed of passage reading for kindergartners and first graders, and reading comprehension for first graders. In kindergartners, hiragana RAN and number RAN were the only significant predictors of reading accuracy and speed. In first graders, kanji RAN and hiragana RAN predicted reading speed, whereas accuracy was predicted by mora deletion. Reading comprehension was predicted by kanji RAN, mora deletion, and nonword repetition. Although number RAN did not contribute unique variance to any reading measure, it correlated highly with kanji RAN. Implications of these findings for research and practice are discussed.     

How can PhD supervisors play a role in bridging academic cultures?

ABSTRACT

PhD supervision is generally deemed a rewarding experience as supervisors and students embark on an academic journey together. Pursuing a PhD in a ‘foreign’ context inevitably brings forth distinct opportunities and challenges for students and their supervisors. Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, this qualitative study of supervisors and PhD students examines the cross-cultural facets of doctoral supervision in the light of Urie Bronfenbrenner’s bio-ecological theory of human development and its underpinning explanation for supervisory processes and learning orientations. Undertaken in the Danish context, our paper highlights exemplars of contrasting supervisors’ and PhD students’ experience in relation to academic and psychosocial adaptations. This research strongly endorses that supervisors’ appreciation of the intertwined link between academia and society combined with a positive view of their role in bridging academic cultures can powerfully complement students’ adjustments and subsequently make a qualitative difference towards a more fulfilling and meaningful academic journey together.