Over Ninety-five percent of lower secondary school graduates are going on to upper secondary school, today. It is said that the students enrolled vary greatly with respect to their abilities, aptitudes and interests and concerns. In order to meet the diverse needs of these students, Ministry of Education, Science and Culture (then) stated that the Ministry had been promoting uniqueness and diversity in individual schools through such measures as making increasing flexibility in the curriculum standards as prescribed in the Course of Study, so that each school might organise a unique curriculum at its discretion; giving guidance to help develop uniqueness in each school and organise schools and courses according to diverse needs and situations of students (the uniqueness and diversity policy in upper secondary education). As for university entrance examinations, universities have decreased the number of subjects that they require applicants to take. As a result, there are so many combinations of the required subjects. The purpose of this study is to find out what has the movement mentioned above brought into upper secondary schools, especially those schools that provide general courses, in the light of articulation between upper secondary education and higher education. For this purpose, two types of data were collected and analysed. First, we collected the curricula of general courses of 331 upper secondary schools. We then got the information on the subject choices of 26,125 university entrants when they were upper secondary school students. It is found that; 1) The schools either set courses for university entrance examinations or organise curricula that have subjects for university entrance examinations. 2) The schools with high university advancement rate tend to restrict elective subjects only to the areas of science, and geography and history. The students from these schools tend to restrict the number of elective subjects. 3) The schools with low university advancement rate tend to allocate many hours to particular subjects such as English and Japanese language. The students from these schools tend to restrict the number of subjects they take at university entrance examinations. 4) Students usually study not more than two subjects in science and in geography and history. 5) Some schools organise specialised curricula for entrance examinations only to private universities. It is concluded that the reform of upper secondary education and the movement of fewer required subjects in university entrance examinations have had a negative impact upon articulation between upper secondary education and higher education.

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The purpose of this research is to clarify the effectiveness of Integrated Studies education in the curriculum of Japanese senior high schools. To begin with, the researcher defined "effectiveness" of Integrated Studies education in terms of these concepts: self-efficacy, self-esteem, cross-curricular competence and life course development. Based on this framework, a questionnaire was created and given, and data was collected from 1304 respondents of senior high school students. The results of the questionnaire were analyzed and three points were concluded. Firstly, there were three factors of the effectiveness of Integrated Studies classes: (1) awareness of the value of learning; (2) awareness of the learning process and (3) concern for the actual life course and for society. Compared with standard school students, these advanced school students exceeded in the average scores of in all factors. This showed that Integrated Studies classes heighten student interest, volition, and social awareness capabilities that advance the learning process. Secondly, comparing the number of university applicants among the three levels of these advanced schools, the effectiveness of Integrated Studies education was acknowledged most highly in middle level schools. Middle level schools showed significantly high average scores in the 1st and 2nd factors, while high level schools presented the highest average score in the 3rd factor. So in high level schools, Integrated Studies classes effected most the student concern for life courses and for society. Lastly, it was found out that the higher the student self-assessed his/her performance in the class, the more apt s/he was to have overall feelings of self-efficacy and self-esteem. Since self-efficacy and self-esteem are considered measurements of the effectiveness of Integrated Studies education, this finding proved the effectiveness of Integrated Studies classes. Furthermore, recognition of the effectiveness of both Integrated Studies classes and also self-assessment influenced occupational understanding and self-efficacy and also built a bridge toward self-esteem. In other words, the more value placed on Integrated Studies education and self-assessment, the more in depth occupational understanding and self-efficacy become. The research reveals this: both recognizing the effectiveness of Integrated Studies classes and also creating high self-assessment heighten occupational understanding and self-efficacy which leads to self-esteem. This is the novelty of this research that previous studies have not illustrated.

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This study is for the purpose of clarifying the characteristics that the establishment of a higher education institution of traditional drama and its curriculum structure have given to the dissemination of traditional drama. As to the method of the study, I have used the curriculum of China's only university that specializes in traditional drama, the Chinese Academy of Traditional Opera, as the object of study and analyzed its educational system and curriculum design. The followings were found through the research on this case. Firstly, the curriculum of traditional drama maintains the quality of tradition by assuming a bi-layer structure consisting of a tradition based acting and musical performance area, which is the physical presenter, and the theory conscious training of stage creators. Secondly, the curriculum of the education of performers assumes an organic structure that blends the methods of school education, oral and physical tradition. By assuming such a structure, standardized education to which school education is prone to is eliminated and originality is nurtured according to the individual's conditions. Thirdly, new tradition is created by perceiving the dissemination of tradition as a new place of creation, and by practicing a cooperative creation that is free from the bounds of disciplines. The curriculum design that emphasizes both the dissemination of tradition and creation places the handing down of the art within the family as the main axis of succession, and gives suggestions to Japanese traditional drama that has a problem with a shortage of successors.

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This case study examines the process of developing English activities curriculum from teachers' practical knowledge at elementary schools in Kanazawa City. Along with the ongoing decentralization of education and the start of new Curriculum Guideline in April 2002, curriculum required development based on new practical knowledge created in classrooms or schools. To explain this new knowledge creating process, we employ the theory of organizational knowledge creation, which has become widely known as the basic theory of knowledge management in business corporations. In that theory, knowledge is created through interactions between two types of knowledge: i.e., tacit knowledge and explicit knowledge. Tacit knowledge is personal, subjective, and experiential knowledge that is difficult to be expressed in words, numbers, or diagrams. Examples include craftsmen's know-how. Explicit knowledge, on the other hand, is objective knowledge that is verbalized and quantified. Examples include manuals and textbooks. The knowledge creation process goes through a progressive spiral process of four modes of knowledge creations (i.e., Socialization, Externalization, Combination and Internalization). Curriculum has, by definition, the character as knowledge. In addition, it can be classified into explicit curriculum and hidden curriculum, as well as the classification of tacit knowledge and explicit knowledge. We apply this theory of knowledge creation to the curriculum development by viewing curriculum as knowledge. Major findings from this study are as follows. First, Kanazawa City's Board of Education has set up such "ba" as classes to demonstrate English activities to teachers' from other elementary schools and committees to compile three guideline manuals for all elementary schools in the city. Through working groups under the committees practical knowledge of teaching English at elementary schools was shared. Second, the three revised editions of guideline manuals (i.e., explicit knowledge) were compiled from new practical knowledge that had been accumulated at "the research and development schools" experimenting English activities, junior-high schools' English education, and all elementary schools in Kanazawa. The manuals were designed to the teachers accumulate tacit knowledge. Through the guideline manuals and demonstration classes, moreover, the newly created knowledge, explicit and tacit, of teaching English has been transferred to other elementary schools both within and without the city. So far the transfer of knowledge has succeeded due to the distribution of the manuals and the regular movement of teachers among elementary schools. Finally, the superintendent's leadership was important in the success of this program. Moreover, supervisors functioned effectively as the middle manager. The socialization and circulation of knowledge were promoted by connecting many "ba."

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This is a study of Arbeitspädagogik by Eduard Burger, especially focusing on the stages of its practice. The Austrian Schoolreform was started by Otto Glöckel in 1919. He proposed that a new school for Austria should be an Arbeitsschule. Burger's theory had a great influence on the new Volksschule Lehrplan of the Austrian Schoolreform. In this paper I would like to examine Burger's stages of the practice and its availability through analyzing the practice model in Heimatkunde. Burger classified the Arbeit, psychological-physical activity, into three stages in order to make his own theory usefull for teaching directly; (1) auffassende Arbeit, (2) geistige Verarbeitung, (3) darstellende Arbeit. Moreover Burger showed concrete activities in each stage in order to help teachers adopt them easily. (1) Auffassende Arbeit is the stage in which students notice the purposes of teaching through their own experiencies. The main activity of this stage is observation. This makes students notice the changes of things, which is set as designed purposes in teaching. (2) Geistige Verarbeitung is the stage in which students reach an understanding about the concepts through thinking. The main activity in this stage is questioning by teachers or students themselves. Questioning helps students think about the core of teaching contents. (3) Darstellende Arbeit is the stage in which students express their understanding by their own hand and voice. The main activity is drawing. It makes clear student's way of thinking. And writing and speaking are also useful for this stage. In this way, Burger organized three stages for the practice of Arbeitspädagogik. And in each stage he showed concrete and simple activities so that teachers might accept them easily in teaching procedure. We can find Burger's idea in the practice models of Heimatkunde clearly. The models are about space in connection with reading maps. Students make the plan of their own classroom. In the process, they observe the classroom, learn the bird's-eye view and scale, consider how to draw it, and practice the direction using the plan. These activities are all found in Burger's stages of the practice. Therefore, we can conclude that it is possible to apply Burger's theory to practical teaching procedure. I should note that Burger's theory is also found in modern Austria education. The models mentioned in this paper are used today in Sachunterricht of Volksschule the third year. The content and method are the same as Burger's. It follows from this that Burger's stages of the practice are considered as a concrete and practical theory even today.

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The method of assessment in "Integrated Studies" which has begun in April 2002, has been entrusted to each school. Under the current situation teachers are concerned about the technique and what to evaluate but not enough discussion has taken place to clarify the theoretical framework of assessment in "Integrated Studies". In Japan, portfolio assessment is considered to be the most suitable method of assessment in "Integrated Studies". However, it is essential to first know how to interpret the evaluative information of portfolios if they are to be used in "Integrated Studies". This paper will examine the progress of the development of portfolio assessment and its characteristics to establish a suitable framework to interpret the evaluative information that is collected in portfolios. As a result, it has become clear that both "criterion-referenced assessment" and "self-evaluated assessment" are necessary if portfolios are to be used as an assessment for "Integrated Studies". In other words, it is necessary to have two types of criteria as an effective method of assessment. Firstly "criterion-referenced assessment" which is criteria established by the teacher and is "outside" the learners, and secondly "self-evaluation" which assesses the criteria set by learners themselves. In establishing these two types of criteria, it is necessary that the conditions to be decided and modified should be done "in conference" between the teacher and the individual student. This method of assessment enables the teacher and student to reach an agreement on the criteria used. The students can comprehend the evaluation process and become more involved in their learning. This enhances student involvement by allowing them to be a direct "stake holder" in their learning. Furthermore, there are specific "domains" set and given "standards" which are necessary to interpret the criteria. The aim of "Integrated Studies" is to increase the students' ability and skills to learn on their own and think about the way they can live their lives. Therefore, the method of assessment for "Integrated Studies" should not be based on "domain-referenced assessment" which analyzes criteria strictly. The best method is one using a "standard-referenced assessment" which is made from examples, descriptions and records of the students' work, which has been established by the teacher and student.

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The departments of social education in the governmental administrative bodies generally fold up the principle that they support "the citizens' spontaneous and independent learning". This means they don't control the citizens' learning contents and grasp their learning demands. But the ideal principle provokes the question: Is there the control to the citizen's learning contents contrary to that principle? Do that bodies meet only leaning activities that are concluded in "a certain standard of selection" ? Is the curriculum in adult education (a course of lectures that the governmental administrative bodies provide for adult) composed of the selected learning contents ? I examine the reference materials, so I pay attention to the staffs (shakai kyoiku shokuin) that support directly learning activities by the citizens and decide to analyze the process that they compose the curriculum in adult education. I make a case study at one public hall. I observe how three staffs compose the curriculum and have an interview with them. The result of the analysis is as follows: I find out that the staffs compose the curriculum in accordance with a certain standard. One staff composes the curriculum in accordance with "the civil principle" and the others compose it in accordance with "the neutral position as the administrative organ". The staffs are based on the position that both the administrative context and the educational context get complicated. The former is prescribed by the ruling culture of the administrative bodies and the latter is prescribed by the discourse of the social educational world. The standard in selecting subjects to support is not put in writing. But in a such situation the staffs compose the curriculum in accordance with "the culture of social education" This is a set of value, which is adopted in selecting a certain specific value and composing it, bringing it up, and is owned jointly among the staffs. Thus "the culture of social education" just correspond the standard in selecting them. Furthermore there may have been some conflicts between the administrative context and the educational context by now. As times change, "the culture of social education" may have changed. Thus I need to analyze the changes on the basis of comparative and historical studies.

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Over the past few years, social concern with collaborative relationship between schools and community has been growing in our country. This paper discusses a developing process of the curriculum related to Service Learning in American middle schools. Service Learning was introduced into the school education in the early 1990s in the U.S.A.. Service Learning has been widespread almost all over the states in America these days. To say briefly, Service Learning is an "educational method" connecting academics and reality, placing students in challenging situations where they associate with various generations and gain experience and knowledge that can strengthen and extend their school studies. In such a meaning, Service Learning is also regarded as a "learning process" on a practical basis. Service Learning connects young people to the community. These definition of Service Learning is relevant to an flexible educational stance of exemplary middle schools. For example, 'interdisciplinary teaming' as a keystone in the middle schools works to create integrated learning activities. The interdisciplinary instruction produces learning groups of various sizes as the needs arise. Such a middle schools' basic principle is applicable to wider range of situations, not only within the school but also in the community. The following two models Fertman, C. I. shows suggest the developing process of middle school curriculum. According to Fertman, Service Learning is regarded as a cycle of learning characterized by four elements; Preparation, Service, Reflection, Celebration. To say briefly, the learning cycle model means "learning process". Moreover, he shows "Middle School Service Continuum" model characterized by seven stages, i.) Service by a school club or organization, ii.) Service for extra credit, iii.) Service for a special event, iv.) A community service class, v.) An outgrowth of existing curriculum, vi.) A coordinating disciplinary theme, vii.) A school-wide theme. What is important in the former, the learning cycle model is an idea of the ring-shaped structure. What is important in the latter, the "Middle School Service Continuum" model is a concept of the spiral structure oriented to vii.) from i.). To put it more concretely, they function as a set of concepts. As a result, the two important conceptions of these models suggest an image of "development and expansion". It is concluded that the middle school curriculum related to Service Learning has possibilities for the progress and expansion continuously. At least, It is clear that the possibilities of the curriculum is not irrelevant to the traditional principle in middle schools as mentioned above.

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