Both Symposiums I and II were introduced by T. Miyagaw a, Organizer.
One of the various purposes of educational psychology aims at studying educational and social conditions by which problems of adolescents and youth, such as many acting-outs (violence and other ddinquent behaviors) would help its decrease. As a part of educational psychology, the psychology of adolescence has something to do with these problems, at least in coping with the concerned problem of students' violence in high schools; no doubt, such a trend calls for not only a psychological but an historical and practical examination in a frank discussion on ways to deal with such an actual problem.
Noju pointed out that the history of recent school violence could be divided into four stages; three of them could be summarized as follows: a) School administration interference oppressing students' freedom; b) Teachers miscontrolling students' repulsion; and c) Students' misconducts as such.
Students' violence escalated from varbal to concrete physical attacks towards teachers reaching its present alarming situation. Noju emphasized that an agreement on educational principles was becoming compulsory among teachers regarding confrontation with students; an awareness of the problem by teachers and a feeling of responsibility facing it were badly needed dispositions to cope with the actual trend toward the use of violence by high school students.
Kikuchi pointed out his personal shocking experience in a junior high school where he had just been transferred to. He found there no possible permissive and empathetic atmosphere for students making even minor mistakes; besides, the local educational administration was under strains: frank and adequate communication among educational leaders, teachers and students were completely lacking.
Komiyama mentionned a police survey showing seven characteristics of students' violence: 1) Its aggressiveness is aggravating; 2) apprcNcimately 58% of junior students using violence are members of some local delinquent groups (bancho); 3) 85% of the 592 studied cases are considered as students below average in their school achievement; 4) The frequency of crime and misbehavior committed by such students are considered higher than general delinquent adolescents; 5) Most of their family condition is either considered as “left-alone” or “broken” 6) The so-called “educational consideration”, i. e. a peaceful treatment, by their school authorities contributed negatively to improve the situation; 7) Violence is not limited only to local schools but widely spreading and aggravating: it even occurs inside a class session.
“Violence at school and athome” by Osaka. The speaker's personal experience at a treatment center for emotionally disturbed adolescents was reported. These adolescents seemed to be victims rather than genuine aggressors if one looked at their living background and environments. Fujita added that a historical review of the violence was made in a social and educational context, pointing a dysfunction of family and school in terms of developing the whole personality of an individual.
Ending the session, appropriate comments by two discussants and six participants were made at length and could be summarized as follows: 1) Needs and feelings of violent students were to de better examined rather than a study of their occurence or phenomenal characteristics by adolescent psychologists. 2) Developmental process of internalization of behavioral cords (self-discipline) and its degree in present violent students was to be studied by psychologists.
