KITASATO REVIEW Annual Report of Studies in Liberal Arts and Sciences
Online ISSN : 2424-0125
Print ISSN : 1345-0166
ISSN-L : 1345-0166
Volume 19
Displaying 1-10 of 10 articles from this issue
Research Articles
  • Tadashi HATAKEYAMA
    Article type: Research Article
    2014 Volume 19 Pages 1-29
    Published: March 31, 2014
    Released on J-STAGE: July 28, 2017
    RESEARCH REPORT / TECHNICAL REPORT FREE ACCESS
  • Koji TAKEDA
    Article type: Research Article
    2014 Volume 19 Pages 31-42
    Published: March 31, 2014
    Released on J-STAGE: July 28, 2017
    RESEARCH REPORT / TECHNICAL REPORT FREE ACCESS
     Professor Saburo Ienaga of the Tokyo University of Education prepared a history textbook, The New Japanese History,for use in high school.This was screened by the Ministry of Education and only conditionally approved.
     On June12, 1965 Professor Ienaga, seeking redress, sued the government for mental damage,together with ten people of a plaintiff group in the Tokyo District Court.The legal process extended over a long period of time but in 1993 the Supreme Court gave the final decision which put an end to this case.The series of hearings leading to the final decision is known as “the primary textbook suit”.
     In every hearing it was concluded that the textbook screening process was constitutional. However,there was still a strong doubt among those people advocating the right to education as to the constitutionality of the screening by the government. While the petition by the plaintiffs was primarily based on the Article 21 of the Constitution, Article 26 provided the basis of the argument for the government. In my opinion, there is a defect that both sides possess in common. They did not clearly take into account Paragraph 2 of Article 26 when considering the constitutionality of the textbook screening process.
     In this study an attempt was made to examine the petition submitted to the Tokyo District Court.Reflecting on the series of the primary textbook court hearings,we should reconsider again the significance of paragraph 2 of Article 26 in the light of the ideology of the Constitution.This will clarify the position of the textbook screening process in the Constitution.
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  • ―centering on a high school farm study trip―
    Yoichi KAWAI
    Article type: Research Article
    2014 Volume 19 Pages 43-67
    Published: March 31, 2014
    Released on J-STAGE: July 28, 2017
    RESEARCH REPORT / TECHNICAL REPORT FREE ACCESS
     ;Farming has brought men invaluable blessings in addition to food production.
     Experiencing and learning farming is a key educational value.Above all,organic farming has high educational value,because cherishing the crop-producing soil has a connection with character building.
     Kanagawa Sohgoh High School has conducted a farming experience study trip in the town of Takahata in Yamagata prefecture since 1996.Takahata is one of the towns which initiated organic farming in Japan. These days, Takahata is creating a community that places an emphasis on environment and health,while cherishing organic farming.
     Students at Kanagawa Sohgoh High School have had a tremendous opportunity to think seriously about“food and health”,“environment”and “life”through the farm study trip and made outstanding personal progress.
     I once made a plan for a farming experience study trip of the school and took part in the program as an instructor.Through this experience,I rate this program very high.
     This paper discusses the educational value of agriculture based on the author’s experi ence. The paper also offers informative suggestions regarding the “Education for Agromedicine”which is currently emphasized in the educational activities at Kitasato University.
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  • Commonalities with and differences from the Japanese situation
    Seiko HIRAI
    Article type: Research Article
    2014 Volume 19 Pages 69-99
    Published: March 31, 2014
    Released on J-STAGE: July 28, 2017
    RESEARCH REPORT / TECHNICAL REPORT FREE ACCESS
    &emspSome segments of the Japanese education system believe that other Asian countries, including Taiwan,have demonstrated recent advances ―from elementary school-level to college-level ― in English language education.Some of these educators think this may help to explain the perceived improvement in practical English skills in these countries.In this study, English language education in Taiwan *1 was examined in order to redress the relative scarcity of information about the use of high school English textbooks in Taiwan. The primary focus was on lesson topics outlined in the Taiwanese senior high school English textbooks.212 lesson topics were analyzed.These topics appeared in 18 textbooks used in Taiwanese high schools that were published before the 2008 revision of Ministry of Education (MOE) guidelines. Although the Taiwanese government has already begun incorporating their latest(2008)MOE guidelines,it is simply too early to examine how these new textbooks will impact the Taiwanese English education situation.Consequently,this study focuses mainly on the earlier guidelines.The lesson topics were classified according to the Nippon Decimal Classification.
    &emspThe findings suggest that,in Taiwan,practical English functions,including common writing skills,are emphasized.However,these Taiwanese texts also increase the breadth of students’intellectual exposure to English by focusing on literature classics, particularly poetry. English language educators in Japan may find some elements of the current findings,particularly with respect to differential emphasis on literature in Japanese and Taiwanese textbooks,helpful in informing and driving the discussions currently underway on the future direction of English education in Japan.
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  • Yoko ICHIYAMA
    Article type: Research Article
    2014 Volume 19 Pages 101-112
    Published: March 31, 2014
    Released on J-STAGE: July 28, 2017
    RESEARCH REPORT / TECHNICAL REPORT FREE ACCESS
     Developing an item bank that includes an array of test items assessing orthographic and phonological processing skills would benefit teachers who must select test items that accommodate their curricula and instruction (Hirai,2010).Given the increase of loanwords (Ito,2007)and the number of native Japanese speakers who read English texts(Ichiyama, 2013)but who find pronouncing loanwords difficult,the type and number of loanwords in English textbooks should be examined at a tertiary-level institution. This small-scale preliminary study thus aimed to investigate the number of loanwords and the type in English textbooks used at a tertiary-level institution.Results reveal that more loanwords are used in English textbooks than other reading materials published in Japan and, moreover, that many loanwords are pronounced differently in their original words in English.
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  • ―Historical changes in the government policy of "Practice Teaching" and its practical challenges-
    Teiichi ARAO, Masahiro CHIBA
    Article type: Research Article
    2014 Volume 19 Pages 113-134
    Published: March 31, 2014
    Released on J-STAGE: July 28, 2017
    RESEARCH REPORT / TECHNICAL REPORT FREE ACCESS
     The authors have examined historical change in the principles and methods of teacher training in university after the Second World War and the actual development of teacher training in Kitasato University since 2011. This paper examines the historical establishment of the practice teaching.
     Nowadays the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology(MEXT) has emphasized the enhancement of teacher’s practical teaching ability when it comes to teacher training. To accomplish this aim, MEXT increased the required credits of practice teaching, but permitted the substitution of part of the credits with pre-and post-practice lecture.
     From 2008 to 2011, the School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences at Kitasato University in Towada invited junior-high or high school teachers as temporary lecturers for the pre-practice lecture. The authors began to collect students’ requests for the lecture in advance and comments on the lecture after the lecture and sent them to the lecturers since 2009. The lecturers constructed their lectures based on these requests.
     To examine the characteristics of students’ requests and comments and the effect of the pre-practice lectures given by the temporary lecturers, these requests and comments were analyzed using text mining. The results of cluster analysis and correspondence analysis were examined. These results showed that the students had concerns and anxiety about the personal relationship with junior-high- or high-school students, building and implementing the teaching plans, so the lectures given by the temporary lecturers were effective in soothing their concerns and anxiety.
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  • Christophermario ITABASHI
    Article type: Research Article
    2014 Volume 19 Pages 135-150
    Published: March 31, 2014
    Released on J-STAGE: July 28, 2017
    RESEARCH REPORT / TECHNICAL REPORT FREE ACCESS
     This study was made for the purpose of obtaining material to build a fundamental understanding of what the students wished to attain,which will surely be helpful for teachers and instructors for the realization of this purpose.
     The main results were as follows:The students demand pleasure and improvement of technique from the lesson. About likes and dislikes of lesson items, there were few dislikes about lesson contents, but there were few likes about basic training. To the question of which moments in the lesson made them feel satisfied and happy, the answers were mainly three: when they had such moments as hitting the ball far, maintaining seamless tennis rallies, and the friendly atmosphere of the tennis court.About likes and dislikes of shots, there were many dislikes concerning the backhand stroke and back volley, and the most common reason was “Because I did not do it well.
     From the above, students wants not only pleasure but also improvement of technique from the lesson. In particular, students experienced at tennis tended to give this last response. Teachers must not be satisfied with mere statements, but they must be expected to possess qualified coaching ability and to be aware of the importance of attempting to improve their own skill and technique in tennis. Because there were many students who had inferior feelings about their backhand stroke and back volley, it is necessary to adopt an effective instruction method for these skills and technical improvement to increase the exercise outcome. About lesson items, teachers have to adopt not only basic training but also real games. Careful attention should be paid to the fact that the high levels of satisfaction for students in lesson makes a good enough impression on the participants which will surely lead them to find good and happy motivation to carry on the sport throughout their life.
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  • Hideaki HIRO-OKA
    Article type: Research Article
    2014 Volume 19 Pages 151-160
    Published: March 31, 2014
    Released on J-STAGE: July 28, 2017
    RESEARCH REPORT / TECHNICAL REPORT FREE ACCESS
     Recently, the number of freshmen who do not major in physics at high school is on the increase. In addition, a more relaxed education policy brings a reduction of learning time.We studied the class composition according to learning level to deal with this situation in 2008. The educational effect on this five-year trial shall be reported.
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  • Masao ISHITA
    Article type: Research Article
    2014 Volume 19 Pages 161-177
    Published: March 31, 2014
    Released on J-STAGE: July 28, 2017
    RESEARCH REPORT / TECHNICAL REPORT FREE ACCESS
     Since the University Establishment Standards were relaxed in 1991, researchers and each institution of higher education started a debate for improving liberal education. However, most of these parties didn’t make a report about student guidance (Gakusei-sidou). Student guidance was influenced by the relaxation of the standards. In the Kitasato University the college of liberal arts and sciences (kyo-yo-bu, ippan-kyoiku-bu) is responsible for the liberal education and general education, including basic education. Until 1994, in order to graduate from university, 21.7% of all the credits required for graduation must come from liberal arts courses. However, in 1995, for example, in the Kitasato School of Pharmacy, only 7.5% of student credits were from liberal arts study. Also, the percentage of professors among all teaching staff was 53.5% in 1991, but only 28.3% in 2003. Konwakai (an intimate gathering of professor and students)which a major symbol of student guidance at the university、has also seen a notable increase in attendance.
     This paper deals with the process of change at the Kitasato College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and its duties. Although professors should concentrate primarily on research and education, duties such as various committees, meetings and entrance examinations have increased. As a result, the student guidance by professors has decreased.
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