Comparative Evaluation of Geographical Knowledges between Japanese and Americans

Abstract

Certainly the necessity for every citizen to possess basic geographical knowledges today can not be over emphasized.
The study conducted by R. E. Cramer and C. F. Gritzner and reported in the January, 1963 issue of THE JOURNAL OF GEOGRAPHY under the title, “Let's Sell Goegraphy, ” included a test the two professors had administered to 500 freshmen at East Carolina College. The article in THE JOURNAL OF GEOGRAPHY (Nov., 1963) entitled “We are Selling Geography” by J. W. Logsdon, discussed a current program of geography that was being “sold” in the Grossmont Union High School District located in San Diego County, California and reported the program.
This paper also reports the results of a comparative evaluation of the basic geographical knowledges between Japanese university students and upper secondary school pupils and American students and pupils.
Our test was administered to 191 university students and 105 eleventh grade pupils. The significant level of the difference between sample means was tested statistically.
While it is necessary to exercise caution in interpreting the comparisons of these test results, it appears evident that the difference between Japanese students and American students was not recognized, but the Grossmont District tenth grade pupile showed a little superiority to our eleventh grade pupils on many items that could be compared. The superiority seems to be the result of their efforts to improve thir geography instruction.
The test results showed that there was no difference between the university students who had been enrolled in Human Geography course in upper secondary schools and those who had not been, and between university students and upper secondary school pupils also. Therefore, it may be concluded that most of the basic geographical knowledges are fixed to pupils before their upper secondary school periods.