This study documents the development of a classroom climate scale by inductive method. In a previous study (Watanabe (Ito), Shioya, and Kondo, 1993), the authors observed classrooms in a junior high school, conducted interviews with students, and collected five samples of classroom climate. In this study, questionnaire items were first created based on these five original samples. Second, these questionnaire items were administered to three Grade 1 and three Grade 2 classrooms in a junior high school. As a result, eight subscales were obtained about the homeroom teachers and teacher-student relationships, and four subscales were obtained about student-student relationships and classroom characteristics (Study 1). Third, questionnaire items about student-student relationships and classroom characteristics were revised and administered to five Grade 2 classrooms in another junior high school and seven subscales were obtained (Study 2). Finally, these questionnaire items and subscales were used to produce more detailed descriptions of each profile of the classroom climate of the classrooms in Study 2.

To examin the effects of social support (SS) utilization on mental health among 210 Japanese war orphans, their 168 Chinese spouses and 406 children who migrated to Japan, follow-up surveys were undertaken 4 times (three months, one year, two years, and three years) after they settled in the community. Ss completed the Brief Symptom Inventory, Life Stressor Scales, and SS UtilizationScale (SS sources: workplace, public service, family, relatives, and school).

Results indicated that SS utilization were slightly related negatively to mental symptoms. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that family was the most effective SS in mental health of Japanese returnees and their families. Utilization of family SS had direct and stress-buffering effects on mental symptoms during two-year and three-year stages in orphans, spouses, and children. Utilization of SS provided by Japanese society (public service, workplace, and school) had effects on mental symptoms during three-month and one-year stages in only orphans and children. Utilization of relatives SS had no effects on mental symptoms.

The purpose of this paper is to make a discussion on the influences of intercultural contact on Japanese students, by means of interview activities with foreign students. These activities were part of a larger educational intervention in a campus community. The aim was to facilitate mutual intercultural communication between Japanese students and foreign students.

The educational interventions were as follows: ①Japanese students were provided with lectures on intercultural understanding: one-way, knowledge-acquisitive learning. ② Interviews between Japanese students and foreign students were arranged: interactive, experience-oriented learning. The interview questionnaires included the following questions: “Is there any problems in your daily life in Japan?”, “What do you find difficult or uncomfortable in your communication with Japanese people?”, and “What are your their thoughts on relationships with foreign students and how they can be improved?” Many of the Japanese and foreign students agreed that they had valuable experiences in intercultural contact by means of the interviews. The Japanese students reported the interviews broadend their life views and contributed to the process to maturity. This study suggests that the interactive experience-oriented learning can help to facilitate intercultural exchange, particularly if it occured at an early stage of intercultural contact.