Survey Study on the Problems among First-year Students in a Junior High School

Abstract

The purpose of this study was the following two points: (1) to confirm the present conditions about the feeling of class adaptability to influence on problems found among the first-year students in a junior high school. (2) To understand the key points that teachers in those schools should be aware of. In this study, 1,310 sixth graders in the elementary school and 1,198 first graders of the junior high school participated and were asked to answer a questionnaire, which measured their feelings about class adaptability. Results showed: (1) the first graders of the junior high school had a lower score in “integrative perception of adjustment”, “friendship relations”, and “attitudes toward study” than the sixth graders of the elementary school. (2) The first graders of the Junior high school had a higher score in “mental and physical well-being” than the sixth graders of the elementary school. (3) Girls had a higher score in “integrative perception of adjustment”, “friendship relations”, and “mental and physical well-being” than boys. From these results, two points became clear. (1) The first graders of the Junior high school had lower feelings of class adaptability than the sixth graders of the elementary school. (2) The teachers in charge of these students should note the developmental stages of the relationships with friends and the gender gap or difference.