This study aims to investigate the emotional images of students on learning materials in technology education at lower secondary schools. SD-method questionnaire was administered to 416 junior high school students. The responses were factor analyzed and the results showed that the three factors affecting emotional images of students were preference image, value image and general evaluation image factor. Based on these results, the authors concluded that: 1. There were difference in the emotional images of students on learning areas woodworking and electricity; but no difference in two emotional images on learning materials on basic information. 2. Most students were interested in and recognized the value of learning material on technology, which was especially evident in basic information than other areas.

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This study investigated the feeling of satisfaction of foreign students in using computer-based drill in their Japanese language class. A 90-minute, once-a-week class using a computer-based drill (CAI Class) was conducted for 16 weeks for students who studied Japanese at Kyushu University International Student Center. After the CAI Classes, a survey was conducted using a 46 item questionnaire composed of 42 items on factors affecting students' satisfaction and 4 items on students' feeling of satisfaction. The results showed that teacher (Class) and laziness in using the CAI materials were significant factors affecting the strong relationship between the students' feeling of satisfaction with CAI Class. The study clearly showed the following points: (1)Teacher plays very important role in CAI Class in giving some kind of satisfaction to students. (2)For Japanese language study, students prefer CAI materials that are easy to use than beautiful and novel.

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The paper presents the results of an analysis of curriculum philosophy based on curriculum theory. The author first categorized philosophy into atomism, pragmatism and holism; and used holism as the basis for the discussion of curriculum philosophy. Then, the philosophy of second systems. Philosophical orientations of a curriculum may be one of the following five areas: cognitive processes, self-actualization, social reconstruction and relevance, academic rationalism, and curriculum as technology. According to its educational value systems, curriculum may be categorized as classical humanism, reconstructionism and progressivism. Based on this, the author thinks that humanistic curriculum is founded on self-actualization as its philosophical orientation and progressivism as its educational value system. However, the author modifies progressivism and gives the new name modern humanism, which differs in progressivism with the integration of cognitive and affective dimensions into humanistic curriculum.

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In this paper, the author presents the results of his investigation on teacher's beliefs and teaching action including a case study of a teacher in elementary school. This study aims to determine the relation between teacher's beliefs and professional development. A review of research articles on teacher's beliefs in America and Japan was done and showed that most researchers suggest that teacher's belief determines teaching action but little attention is given to study of the structure of this belief. Thus, the author focused on teacher's belief that determines teaching action clearly defining teacher's beliefs and using this definition as guidelines in observing teaching action clearly defining teacher's beliefs and using this definition as guidelines in observing teaching action in an elementary school. From the article review and case study, the author realized three important points as follow: 1. A teacher that does educational practices has an acceptable view of her/his lessons. 2. A teacher that does educational practices has an effective view of his/her pupils. 3. A teacher that does educational practices has a positive view of the teaching profession. The author further emphasized the significance of professional development and opined that it is necessary to think not only of the procedure and skill in educational action but also teacher's beliefs to promote professional development. Finally, he also presented two problems in the case study, namely, the opportunity for the formation of teacher's beliefs; and the precise demonstration of teacher's beliefs in many case studies.

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The authors administered the "number" of test composed of 50 problems developed by Kassel-Exeter Project to students in Tokyo, Nara, Hiroshima, Fukuoka and Nagasaki prefectures a year earlier to identify the students' progress in mathematical ability at lower secondary school level. Analysis of the test shows that Japanese students' progress is almost comparable with the students from other countries like England and Germany, which can be attributed to the effective teaching of Mathematics. Aside from the overall analysis of the test scores, a longitudinal analysis of each problem was made. The analysis showed that Japanese pupils made remarkable progress in many problems but they showed corresponding regression on estimation of problems. Based on their points in a "potential" test, students were grouped as potentially high (PH), potentially medium (PM) or potentially low (PL). PH students exhibited high points in comparatively difficult problem items while PL students' showed progress in comparatively easy problem items. The observed regression could be attributed to the same kind of problem items. Important implications for the improvement of the teaching of Mathematics were identified.

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Anxiety has recently attracted attention abroad as one significant affective factor in second language learning and acquisition. However, there has been no systematic study of anxiety in a target language environment. This study attempts to examine this factor. Aside from the concept of inside-classroom anxiety outside-classroom anxiety is introduced. Results show that in the case of beginners in Japanese language, more learners feel anxious outside the classroom than inside. They also show that there is low correlation between inside-classroom and outside-classroom anxieties and no obvious relationship between anxiety and Japanese language proficiency, age, previous residence or previous study of Japanese.

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