In science education, it is important to recognize the connection between the content of the curriculum and phenomena in daily life, so that students develop a deep understanding and interest. The present study, conducted in experimental classes, examined effects of class design on students' understanding and interest. At the beginning of a class, presentation of a problem in daily life was followed by a lecture, after which the students solved the problem collaboratively. The participants were ninth graders (third year of junior high school). In order to verify that portraying problems in daily life had a significant effect, students were divided into 2 groups, which were controlled for the students' grades. The experimental problem group was given problems in experimental scenarios; for the daily life problem group, the same problems were portrayed in contexts from everyday life. Usable data were obtained from 19 boys and 23 girls in the experimental problem group, and 18 boys and 26 girls in the daily life problem group. The results showed that a temporary interest after the presentation of the problems, and the students' daily life-related interest after the class and 1 month later, were higher in the daily life problem group. Although no difference between the 2 groups was found in improvement of understanding after the lecture, only the daily life problem group deepened their understanding after the collaborative problem solving sessions.

  The purposes of the present study were to examine 4 components involved when implementing Teachable Moment Process in "life and death education", based on the theory proposed by Eyzaguirre (2006), and to verify the contents of each of the components of that process. To verify the contents, 5th grade students (N=130) completed a questionnaire about their awareness of life, elementary and junior high school students (N=1,048) completed the Perception of Life Scale, and teachers (N=169) completed a questionnaire about their expectations and efforts with respect to "life and death education". The results suggested that the first component, significant events in a learner's life, might be based on a personal experience or information from the mass media. This component was likely to lead to the second, a learner's interest in and readiness to grow from the event. The data on the third component, teachers' propensity and ability to respond, suggested that about 60% of the teachers were positive about "life and death education". The fourth component, spontaneous responses by the teachers, suggested that more than 80% of them were doing some kind of correspondence, but the existence of various other ideas was also suggested.

  Intercultural couples (N=26) in Japan with adolescent or older children were interviewed in order to explore the parents' perspective on the process of cultural identity development experienced by intercultural children, identify factors that influenced the children's cultural identity development, reveal patterns of cultural identity development, and clarify the types of challenges that the children and their parents experienced. The study also examined the trajectory of the parents' approach to raising their children in relation to the parents' general support of their children and cultural transmission. Grounded theory approach was employed for analyzing the data. Various factors influencing identity development, patterns of cultural identity development and language development, and the children's struggles were identified. The ways that the parents coped with raising intercultural children were revealed, including cultural transmission, fighting against bullying and helping their children fit in, being a safe haven for their children, and encouraging autonomy. It was implied that all the children ultimately developed their own cultural identity. The secure and safe homes that their parents provided for them seemed to help them to be confident in developing a sense of autonomy and cultural identity. There is no single way for intercultural children to develop their cultural identity. The unique ways that intercultural children are parented, their challenges, and their needs should be recognized.

  The goal of the present study was to test a hypothesized model of the relationship between parents' co-parenting after divorce, the relationship between the parents, the mother's adjustment, social supports, explanations to the children about the parents' separation and divorce, and the children's adjustment. The participants, 166 mother-child pairs, completed several questionnaires. The divorced women's average age was 42.0 years (SD=1.6). The children, 81 boys and 85 girls, were in grades 4 to 6 (n=96) and grades 7-9 (n=70). They lived with their mothers; their fathers had visitation rights. Visitation rights were added to the Japanese Civil Code in 2011. The results suggested that conflictive co-parenting after divorce was associated negatively with children's adjustment and mediated by their repressive acceptance of conflict, self-blame, and dismissal of childhood. In contrast, cooperative co-parenting following divorce and parents' explanations about the divorce were related positively to the children's relationship with their parents. This, in turn, was related positively to the children's adjustment, either directly or through social supports outside their home. Psychological support for children and their parents following parental divorce was discussed.

  The present study examined whether a normality bias occurs in the context of the spread of COVID-19, and whether perceptions of COVID-19 are associated with behavior that is not self-restrained, anger at people who are infected with COVID-19, stress, and depression. Adults (N=710) in their twenties to sixties living in Tokyo were sampled using a questionnaire posted on the Internet. The results suggested that normality bias could be observed even in a long-term event such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Analysis of the results also suggested that aspects of the perception of COVID-19, including perceived infectiousness, perceived risk from the outside world, and perceived safety, affected different aspects of individuals' responses, based on aspects of a normality bias. In addition, the results suggested that awareness of methods of preventing infection with COVID-19 and self-restraint predicted behavior that was not self-restrained 2 months later. Future research should examine longer-term effects of normality bias and determinants of normality bias during the spread of COVID-19.

  The purposes of the present study were to conduct a training program based on a hierarchical structure of social skills that was aimed at improving female university students' teamwork competency, and to evaluate effects of the training. The participants were third-year and higher level students at women's universities in the Tokyo area who were taking lecture or seminar courses on interpersonal communication and related topics. Initially, the students were given training in communication ability, a basic skill. After that, the students were trained in more advanced skills, specifically, team orientation and backup abilities. Those students (N=53; average age approximately 20 years) whose questionnaire responses were complete were included in the final analysis. Effects of the program were evaluated by means of an effectiveness measurement scale with content that corresponded to the content of the training program. The results suggested that both encoding and decoding skills, which are sub-skills within communication abilities, improved after the training, compared to a non-training condition. Among the team-oriented and backup abilities, only harmonizing skills, which are a sub-skill of team-oriented abilities, improved significantly. No significant change was found in the other sub-skills of team-oriented and backup abilities. However, performance guidance and problem-solving skills, which are sub-skills within other advanced skills associated with leadership ability, improved even though no training was provided in those areas. In general, the participants' communication abilities improved after they had participated in the training program. Further research should be done on the effects on advanced skills of training basic skills, from the viewpoint of a hierarchical skill structure.

  The aims of the present study were to investigate the severity of the body image problems of children in Japan, develop a program that would promote a positive body image, and examine the effects of the program. Study 1 was a basic analysis of children's body image. Elementary school children (N=232; grades 3 to 6 at 1 school) completed a questionnaire; their body mass index (BMI) was calculated from their reports of their height and weight. Analysis of those data suggested that body image problems may emerge during childhood, that early intervention is necessary, and that this is a serious issue in Japan. For Study 2, a 3-session primary prevention program that promoted a positive body image for children was developed. Using an experimental group – control group design, the program was implemented by the second author once a week for 3 sessions, 45 minutes each time, in third to sixth grade classrooms at 1 school, with a total of 161 children (82 boys, 79 girls) participating. The children completed questionnaires before the intervention program, immediately after the third session, and 1 and 3 months after that. The results suggested that the program increased the children's positive body image, and that this increase was maintained at a 3-month follow-up.