This study aims to investigate how teachers transform instructional practices to align with the unique characteristics of children and acquire proficiency to achieve student-centered teaching. The study hypothesized the underlying process of this transformation by drawing upon previous research on how teachers develop understanding of individual children and become reflective practitioners. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with three university faculty members with prior elementary school teaching experiences. The analysis of the Trajectory Equifinality Model (TEM) has led to findings that highlight two key points. First, a critical evaluation of previous teaching strategies based on prior experience as homeroom teachers for learning-challenged students, identifying those strategies which resulted in positive outcomes, as well as those with doubtful outcomes, is considered as the necessary starting point for ongoing research. Secondly, teachers develop a deeper understanding of the children includingtheir backgrounds, and actively explore different teaching methods tailored to the children. Concurrently, teachers discover their own limitations in understanding individual children, which prompts their self-reflections and explorations of the reasons behind the difficulties of their teaching. The attitude to actively pursue relationship-building with children who pose challenges becomes a key condition for these processes to occur. The study suggests that teachers' personal experiences serve as an important factor for facilitating an empathetic understanding of children.

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This study investigated how teachers’ daily support for children’s small-group learning activities relate to their behaviors and recognitions in those activities in the Japanese language classes. The survey designed for 4th, 5th, and 6th grade elementary school students and their teachers. A total of 500 students’ responses and 19 classroom teachers’ responses were analyzed. Students were asked about their cognitive and emotional empathy, self-evaluation of small-group learning, self-evaluation of the Japanese language class, their behavior during small-group learning, and their positive recognitions of small-group learning activities. The classroom teachers were asked about their support strategies during small group learning. The result of the hierarchical linear model analysis showed that, for children’s behaviors during small-group learning, teacher’s support strategies to encourage to take on challenges and praise their efforts moderated the relationship between “negative reactions” of children such as quarreling, and their cognitive empathy. Regarding the recognition of group learning, teachers’ support strategy to assess the situations moderated the relationship between “promoting their peers’ understanding and thinking through encouraging them to speak up”, that is, the recognition that one’s comments can facilitate the group’s thinking, and self-evaluations in Japanese language classes.

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The purpose of this paper is to clarify the difference between "progressive discipline" and "zero-tolerance" as underlying principles for student guidance and counseling. This paper also aims to identify the unique characteristics of "progressive discipline" in Japan. The literature review revealed that the "progressive discipline" principle has been introduced together with the "zero-tolerance" principle in Japan, and thus is perceived to be a similar kind of principle to "zero-tolerance". However, after reviewing examples of "progressive discipline" in Japan, it was confirmed that this type practice is characterized by "clarification of instructional standards" and "systematic guidance," which have not been emphasized in the U.S. Since these characteristics are considered to be highly essential in today's student guidance and counseling in Japan, it can be inferred that "progressive discipline" is a meaningful principle of student guidance and counseling suitable for the future. Since "zero-tolerance" in the U.S. has a history of leading to increased suspensions and expulsions of students, this paper suggests the importance of considering how to ensure that "progressive discipline" does not function as an exclusive principle for children in Japan.

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This study aimed at identifying insights for the systematic development of practical strategies for helping students manage their anger emotions. To achieve this goal, this study comprised a meta-analytical review of reported research into the dynamic of students’ emotions. As a result, five top-level categories and ten corresponding subcategories were extracted and classified. The five top-level categories were 'Factors associated with students’ anger emotions, 'Introduction of practical programs and scales,' 'Approaches for verification effectiveness,' 'Outcomes from practical programs and surveys,' and 'Systematic implementation and ensuring reliability.' In the development of strategies for effective practice, knowledge and understanding of the processes underlying the arousal of students’ anger emotions ('Education for understanding emotions’) and practices incorporating relevant role-playing ('Anger Emotion Evacuation Training’) were found to be decisive, especially when students’ developmental stages were considered. A key consideration uncovered during the course of this research is the necessity to broaden the scope of previous studies and refine the organization of the trends of research on students’ anger emotions for, which points to the needs for future studies.

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