2017 Volume 13 Issue 1 Pages 69-84
As part of efforts aimed at examining the ability of Japan’s national universities to provide achievement tests used for admissions, the present study classified items executed in the individual scholastic achievement tests of every national university ( except graduate university ) during the general admission process of the 2015 academic year. Specifically, we collected approximately 24,000 test items that covered practically all of the items provided by each of the 82 national universities. The result showed that all but one national university executed writing-based test items and that half of the universities provided more than 150 writing-based test items excluding simple items such as fill-in-the-blank or short-answer type items. Writing-based test items dominated the objective items in all subjects, thereby accounting for approximately 80% of all subjects except for “English language” studies. On the other hand, we also found some objective items in the “Japanese language”, “Essay”, and “Compound” subjects, which indicates it would be misleading to discuss this issue based on the coverage rate of those three subjects alone. The results obtained thus far have again reminded us of the continuing importance of evidenced-based discussion in educational issues.
