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Higher education in Japan
... This work represents a summary of recent experiences and is not intended as an exhaustive review of Japanese higher education. More comprehensive overviews of Japanese higher education have been prepared by Benjamin 1 , Becker 2 , and Hayes 3 . The National Research Council has examined the similarities, differences, and trends in how the US and Japan educate and train engineers 4 . ...
... To provide a background, the major features of the Japanese educational system are reviewed. The educational systems of the United States and Japan have a similar structure [2][3][4] . This is in part because the current Japanese system was strongly influenced by the US occupation government after World War II. ...
... 59-60). Hayes (1997) states that the accomplishments of the Japanese people are attributable to the "effectiveness of their educational system, at least through high school" (p. 297). ...
... Moreover, student learning energies have been constrained by the standardized exam system which tends to retard the development of those aspects of intellectual ability concerned with inspiration, innovation and creativity. (Hayes 1997) Moreover, it can be seen as a major impediment to change within universities themselves. In a report issued in April of 1997 on tertiary education in Japan, the OECD stated that the strong selectivity of the educational system, culminating in the examinations for access to tertiary institutions, as well as the very specific graduate recruitment practices in Japan provide little or no incentive for change within the institutions. ...
A number of different parties in Japan have been discussinghigher educational reform for over thirty years. Many of theseideas finally started to take form in the 1990s as the Ministryof Education's University Council began implementing many of thepropositions that had been put forth during the deliberations ofthe 1970s and 1980s. As Japan enters the 21st century, its18-year-old population has decreased by over half a million since1992. It will decrease another 300,000 by the year 2010. This has added an increased urgency to make reforms, especially atthird-tier universities, which are now starting to have troublerecruiting students. Japan's Ministry of Education would alsolike to bring the quality of its university educational standardsup to par with the rest of the advanced nations. Moreover, industryis demanding a new breed of employee – and one much different thanthe Japanese educational system has been known to produce. Finally, a new generation of Japanese is starting to reach adulthood, who – raised on consumerism, and material abundance – have acompletely different value system than their parents' generation. This paper looks at the present higher education reform movement and its history extending back approximately thirty years. It then goes on to offer some suggestions as to what more can be done to alleviate many problems still inherent in the system.
... In Japan, if students are not accepted by universities, they often go to a private 'cram' school to study for another year and retake the university entrance exams the following year. These students are called "Ronin" [34,35]. Previous research found that "Ronin" students were sleep deprived, relatively depressed, and had various somatic complaints during the period before they retake the tests and successfully pass the exam [35,36]. ...
Background
Group-based trajectory modeling is a useful tool for categorizing students’ academic trajectories and their determinants. Using insights gained from the analyses, we can identify students at risk for poor academic performance and monitor them to provide support. To date, studies investigating the associations between demographic factors and academic performance trajectories among medical students are scarce. The study objective was to examine the associations between demographic factors and academic performance trajectories in medical students using group-based trajectory modeling.
Methods
Participants included all medical students admitted to Tokyo Medical and Dental University in Japan in 2013 and 2014 (n = 202). Academic performance was evaluated by biannual grade point average (GPA) scores in preclinical years. We used group-based trajectory modeling to categorize students into GPA trajectories. Multinomial logistic regression was used to examine the association between the odds of being in a certain GPA trajectory group and demographic factors such as high school type, high school geographical area, admission test type, high school graduation year, whether the student was a biology major, and sex.
Results
Students’ GPA trajectories were classified into four trajectory groups as well as another group that consisted of students who withdrew or repeated years. We found that students whose high school geographical area was outside the National Capital Region were 7.2 times more likely to withdraw or repeat years in comparison with students whose school was inside the National Capital Region (OR: 7.21, 95% CI: 1.87, 27.76). In addition, admission test type, high school graduation year, and sex were associated with GPA trajectories.
Conclusions
High school geographical area, admission test type, high school graduation year, and sex were associated with GPA trajectories. These findings provide important insights into identifying students at risk for poor academic performance and strategies for monitoring them to provide adequate and timely support.
... Manuscript received January 11, 2017; revised April 20, 2017 Recently, countries like Japan are facing a declining younger population and trying to attract students to science and engineering education to further technological advancement. In an effort to revitalize Japan's scientific research community, the government has allocated more funds to improve engineering education and research, as well as created more advanced degree programs [1], [2]. ...
In the assisted researching of the dynamic behavior of industrial robots an important role plays modeling, simulation and optimization with virtual LabVIEWTM instrumentation. Virtual instrumentation easy provides comparison of theoretical and experimental results and the conditions to adjust and validate the mathematical models. The paper shows numerous virtual instruments and some case study to optimize the vibration and the motion of robots end-effecter by using the smart damper system and the assisted simulation and animation after solving the inverse kinematics.
... Por outro lado, Hayes (1997) (1982), Kodde e Ritzen (1987), Diaz (1987), Gago (1994), Grácio (1997), Rego e Sousa (2000), Jiminéz e Velasquéz (2000), Lopes (2001) (2001) argumentam que as expectativas de ascensão social por parte do estudante são um factor determinante na escolha do curso/instituição. Neste contexto, através da variável ascensão em termos culturais, medida pelo nível de instrução dos pais e pelo diploma que o seu descendente ambiciona alcançar, pretende-se saber se esta variável tem influência na escolha do tipo de ensino. ...
... Esta escolha é, de acordo com estes autores, condicionada pela preocupação dos jovens relativamente à sua inserção futura no mercado de trabalhoo. Por outro lado, Hayes (1997) alega que o estatuto da universidade perspectiva os melhores empregos para quem a frequenta. ...
RESUMO Este estudo tem como objectivo identificar os determinantes da escolha educacional e apoia-se em dados primários obtidos através da aplicação de um inquérito ao universo dos alunos que se inscreveram, pela primeira vez, no ano lectivo 2003/2004, em cursos leccionados em instituições vocacionadas para o ensino superior das ciências agrárias. Obtiveram-se 77,6% de respostas utilizáveis, isto é, dos 909 inquéritos enviados e recebidos apenas 705 estavam devidamente preenchidos (sem lacunas, omissões ou incorrecções). Através da estimação de modelos logit foram identificados como determinantes da escolha educacional, factores pessoais, particularmente, o facto do indivíduo estar ou não bem informado sobre os cursos e as instituições a que se pode candidatar; factores de desempenho e académicos, nomeadamente, a nota de acesso, motivos de candidatura ao ensino superior e atitudes perante o trabalho e os estudos; factores contextuais, designadamente, o facto do indivíduo se encontrar em situação de deslocado, os meios de subsistência, a preparação generalista que o curso proporciona, o prestigio do curso, a existência de maior número de vagas no curso e na instituição, a tradição familiar; e, finalmente, factores sócio-económicos como o nível de rendimento do agregado familiar e a escolaridade dos progenitores. Palavras-chave: Ensino Superior Português, Ciências Agrárias, Logit, Escolha Educacional. 2 INTRODUÇÃO Actualmente, as instituições de ensino superior competem no mercado, sobretudo, pela qualidade dos estudantes tendo como ponto de referência a reputação dos serviços que oferecem. Neste contexto, várias questões se colocam ao indivíduo que decide dar continuidade aos seus estudos após ter terminado o ensino secundário. "Que curso e que instituição satisfaz melhor as minhas necessidades?". Conhecer os factores que estão por detrás de uma decisão tão importante com implicações quer ao nível do desenvolvimento individual e intelectual do indivíduo quer ao nível do desenvolvimento económico e social de um país é o objectivo desta comunicação. Apesar das limitações dos estudos verticais, a análise estática adequa-se ao objectivo referido uma vez que permite a aplicação do inquérito ao universo dos alunos que se inscreveram, pela primeira vez, no ano lectivo 2003/2004, no ensino superior agrário português. Para a realização do estudo, começa por se enquadrar a temática da escolha educacional com vista à construção de um modelo teórico de factores explicativos que podem exercer influência neste tipo de decisão. Com base na revisão da literatura foi desenvolvido e aplicado um questionário ao universo em estudo. Dos 909 questionários, foram validados 705 devido a erros e lacunas no seu preenchimento A informação assim recolhida permitiu estimar dois modelos logit 1 de escolha binária que identificam, por um lado, os factores determinantes na escolha do binómio curso/instituição e, por outro, os factores que foram determinantes para a escolha do tipo de ensino no ano lectivo em que foi aplicado o inquérito.
... Esta escolha é, de acordo com os autores, condicionada pela preocupação dos jovens relativamente à sua inserção futura no mercado de emprego. Por outro lado, Hayes (1997) alega que o estatuto da universidade perspectiva os melhores empregos para quem a frequenta. ...
... The negative role that entrance examinations have played in the handling of Japanese English education is well documented (Brown, 1996(Brown, , 1998Brown and Yamashita, 1995;Cave, 2001;Eckstein and Noah, 1989;Fox et al., 1999;Gorsuch, 1995Gorsuch, , 1998Gorsuch, , 1999Gorsuch, , 2001Hayes, 1997;Johnson and Johnson, 2010;Kikuchi and Brown, 2009;Kodaira, 1996;Koike and Tanaka, 1995;Law, 1995;Marchesseau, 2006;McConnell, 1995;Miller, 1998;National Institute for Education Research, 1991;Pomatti, 1996;Rohlen, 1983;Takeuchi, 1993). The adverse effects of entrance examination washback, which Messick (1996: 243) describes as "the extent to which the test influences language teachers and learners to do things that they would not necessarily otherwise do", is readily apparent in various instances. ...
This paper presents a synopsis of the Japanese educational system and the inherent effects it has on Japanese learners of English as a necessary background for understanding how these learners have been conditioned as they enter their university studies. By replicating a study first performed by Sugita in 2008 on the effects of academic events on the motivations of secondary school "English as a Foreign Language" (EFL) students, this study seeks to shed light on whether or not similar effects can be found in university EFL students. Journal surveys were utilized to collect data concerning students recorded internal and external influences in regards to their English studies. The results showed marked differences between Sugita's secondary students and the university students from this study, namely in the levels of intrinsic motivations with regards to their English study, a reduced role of tests and other academic events as motivators for studying, and an overall lower level of motivational strength regarding English learning despite reporting a similar amount of study time per week as Sugita's secondary students.