It is known from many international studies that Japanese students do well in mathematics. This paper describes a typical lesson from a Japanese fifth-grade classroom, and discusses the lesson in terms of problem solving, including: embedding of the problem, spending 35 minutes or more on one problem, acting out the problem, multiple solutions,…

This conference paper describes the use of integrated media-oriented instruction in a self-contained class at Yokohama Municipal Elementary School in Japan. Three students with mild disabilities, in grades 5 and 6, participated in the project. Integrated media (IM) is defined as the linkage of text, sound, video, graphics, and the computer in such…

A mathematics achievement test was taken by 132 U.S. and 110 Japanese fifth graders. Scores were higher for the Japanese, and relatively better for computation than problem solving. The reverse was true for the U.S. students. Results are discussed in terms of amount and kind of exposure to mathematics. (SLD)

The "Friends Sharing with Friends" program provides Hawaiian intermediate students an opportunity to live in Japan with Japanese student partners for two weeks. In exchange, the Hawaiian students host the Japanese students in their home. Students learn each others' languages and cultures, often enhancing their knowledge of their own…

The reasons 184 American and 399 Japanese fifth-graders gave for achievement and good conduct in school were compared. Responses of Japanese children may reflect stronger identification with adult authority. Japanese children gave fewer external reasons for actions than their American counterparts. Implications for the study of motivation are…

Efforts of 10 Japanese and 9 American teachers in Chiba City (Japan) and Ann Arbor (Michigan), respectively, to socialize their students and the 407 Japanese and 207 American students' judgments of norms were compared. Four domains of classroom life were studied: academic performance; academic procedures; social procedures; and morality. (SLD)

This paper reports on five related studies on upper elementary school students' beliefs about the role of real-world knowledge in solving mathematical word problems, and on possibilities of overcoming their unrealistic mathematical modeling. Findings from the first study of 75 Belgian fifth-grade students showed that as a consequence of current…

This poster presentation examined the structure of Japanese elementary school children's social support systems to demonstrate how they are related to: (1) academic achievement; (2) teacher evaluations; and (3) the children's own sense of self-esteem. A total of 91 fifth and sixth graders, along with their teachers, were interviewed and surveyed.…

Two studies examine the nature of Japanese elementary school and junior high school students' preconceptions about media, the effects of teachers on these preconceptions, and the effect of such preconceptions on learning from instruction in multimedia situations. In the first study, 109 fifth graders reported their preconceptions toward watching…

This document presents results of a survey studying the Japanese picture book, "Hiroshima No Pika." The story aptly captures how a family of three find their lives shattered in a matter of seconds when the atomic bomb is dropped on Hiroshima (Japan) in World War II. Issues presented in the story are: (1) immediate survival in the face of…