Abstract
At the beginning of the twenty-first century, our challenge as educators is to make efforts toward enhancing our international perspectives while engaging in the process of updating our knowledge and skills for living in a rapidly changing world. An examination of the Japanese approach of national curriculum standards reform, especially the period for integrated study, and their challenges in practice has potential benefits worldwide for school teachers, administrators, policy-makers and curriculum developers to learn from their Japanese counterparts. From this study it can be claimed that the new course of study supports schools to change their climate, provide opportunity for teachers to take responsibility for managing curriculum in school, focus on learning-centered education, and expand global learning and learning from the community within an interdisciplinary curriculum approach.
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Notes
- 1.
The Course of Study is a guideline of the curriculum standards, the pedagogy, the purpose of school education, the content, the instruction times of subject matters, and the assessment approach of classroom activities in Japan. The Ministry of Education issues the guideline as a “minimum standard” for all public schools in Japan and emphasizes that the Course of Study serves as the Japanese National Curriculum Standards. We use the term “National Curriculum” as Japanese minimum curriculum standards for all public schools and “the Course of Study” for school education in practice. The Ministry of Education uses both of the terms, whereas Japanese scholars prefer to use the term “the Course of Study” although the term “National Curriculum” is widely used in the West.
- 2.
The Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) is the largest and most ambitious international study of student achievement ever conducted, sponsored by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (see http://timss.bc.edu ).
- 3.
TIMSS 1999, also known as TIMSS-Repeat or TIMSS-R, measures progress in eighth-grade mathematics and science achievement around the world, sponsored by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (see http://timss.bc.edu ).
- 4.
The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) was developed by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement to measure trends in students’ mathematics and science achievement (see http://nces.ed.gov/timss/faq.asp ).
- 5.
The Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) is a project of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) designed to provide policy-oriented international indicators of the skills and knowledge of 15-year-old students. Three literacy domains are being assessed in PISA: Reading, Mathematics, and Science (see http://www.pisa.gc.ca/what_pisa.shtml ).
- 6.
The Curriculum Council is composed of education experts appointed by the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture to make recommendations on issues related to school curriculum and instruction.
- 7.
The Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture (Monbusho) was transformed into the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (Monbukagakusho) in January 2001.
- 8.
The data show the percentages of respective items in elementary schools (multiple responses possible). In addition, the percentage of elementary schools engaged in foreign language education as part of education for international understanding programs.
- 9.
See Chunichi Shinbun [Chunichi Daily Newspaper], September 2, 2006.
- 10.
Tadahiko Abiko, former president of the Japanese Society for Curriculum Studies, introduced objectives of major research groups and the present state of curriculum studies in Japan as follows: (a) a group that critically analyzes the political and social characteristics of curriculum, (b) a group focusing on curriculum development that emphasizes progressive and child-centered open curricula and integrated study to foster children’s individuality and creativity, (c) a group that studies the sociology of curriculum by focusing on analysis of hidden curriculum, (d) a group that has consistently criticized public education from the perspective of Marxist educational philosophy, and (e) a group that aims to promote curriculum development on the part of schools and teachers (Abiko 2003, pp. 427-434).
- 11.
See the Benesse Educational Research Center Survey at http://www.childresearch.net .
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Aranil, M.R.S., Fukaya, K. (2010). Japanese National Curriculum Standards Reform: Integrated Study and Its Challenges. In: Zajda, J. (eds) Globalisation, Ideology and Education Policy Reforms. Globalisation, Comparative Education and Policy Research, vol 11. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-3524-0_5
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