Abstract
In clothing construction practice in elementary, junior high, and high schools in Japan, bamboo
rulers are often used. In contrast, most rulers that students carry in their pencil cases and are accustomed
to using in daily life are plastic. With the spread of ready-made clothing, students today have limited
experience in clothing construction, and some feel anxiety or difficulty in handling tools. The purpose of
this study was to enhance learning outcomes by comparing the usability of bamboo and plastic rulers
and reconsider the significance of bamboo rulers. Specifically, the presence of bamboo rulers in “Home
Economics” textbooks at the elementary and some junior high school levels was confirmed. Additionary,
a survey of junior high school teachers identified usage rates and reasons, and an experiment compared
the usability of bamboo and plastic rulers in drawing straight lines. The survey revealed that about 80%
of teachers used bamboo rulers, but few regarded it as strictly necessary and their use appeared to be
based mainly on tradition. The experiment showed that plastic rulers enabled students to draw accurate
straight lines more quickly compared to bamboo rulers. These results suggest that the significance of
bamboo rulers should be reconsidered and that selecting production tools suited to students’ experience
and learning objectives is important for effective instruction.
https://ror.org/00wejpz79 
