The purpose of this paper is to clarify the ideal way to provide external support for private high schools in Japan, using an analysis of a visit survey on the board of education and the private school sector in the Tottori prefecture, in order to assure and improve their quality of education. This paper reveals the following points: 1. For private high schools to assure their internal quality of their own accord, some manner of external review should be conducted on their educational activities and school administration by a third party with expertise. 2. Effective external support should be provided to each high school individually, based on the results of the external review. 3. The prefectural board of education and the private school sector should work together and support private high schools. Tottori’s case suggests that the prefectural board of education and the private school sector could accomplish more if they cooperated. However, there is also a limit to what they can accomplish because the board of education has no authority and the private school sector lacks the expertise and human resources required to support private high schools.

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In this study, we analyzed eye gaze during the reading of sheet music prior to sight-singing without performance. The subjects were college students at a primary teachers’ college and comprised two groups: 37 students who had experience of specialized musical education, and 29 students without such experience. A well-known song for children, without its text, was used as the theme of the composition, which comprised of 12 measures. The sheet music was displayed on the monitor of an eye-tracker system. The composition was separated into six areas of interest (AOI), and each subject’s fixation count and fixation length was recorded per AOI. Students who had experienced musical education were able to read all measures evenly, while those who did not have experience of musical education showed longer fixation lengths per fixation count. The experienced students showed more efficient reading of the music when they read it with fewer fixation counts and a shorter fixation length.

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Homework can have both positive and negative effects on student learning. To overcome the negative effects and facilitate the positive ones, it is important for teachers to understand the underlying mechanisms of homework and how it relates to learning so that they can use the most effective methods of instruction and guidance. To provide a useful guide, this paper reviewed previous research studies and considered the roles of homework and effective instructional strategies from three psychological perspectives: behavioral, information-processing, and social constructivism. From a behavioral perspective, homework can be viewed as increasing opportunities for the repeated practice of knowledge and skills, whereas the information processing perspective places greater importance on the capacity of homework to promote deeper understanding and metacognition. Viewed from a social constructivist perspective, homework can promote the establishment of connections in the learning that occurs in school, at home, and in the wider community. Studies have shown that each of these roles of homework can contribute to the facilitation of meaningful learning and the support of students toward becoming self-initiated learners. However, there are some crucial challenges that remain in applying this knowledge to the actual school setting. This paper’s conclusion discusses possible directions for much-needed future research and suggests potential solutions.

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The purpose of this study is to examine the situation and problems of“ Kaigarabushi”　(folk song in Tottori) in authorized textbooks on music focusing on Hamamura Onsen and Karo. First, I will review the features of “Kaigarabushi,” focusing on Hamamura Onsen and Karo. Second, I will examine“ Kaigarabushi” in authorized textbooks on music for elementary school as well as junior high and senior high school. The results indicate that “Hamamura Onsen Kaigarabushi” appears in authorized textbooks on music as morgue.

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