Teachers' zeal a factor for high scores

The Yomiuri Shimbun

Supplementary lessons, homework and enthusiastic teachers are important contributing factors in prefectures where students performed well on the nationwide academic achievement exam.

For two years in a row, students from Akita, Fukui and Toyama prefectures scored high on the test.

To determine why those prefectures performed well, the Education, Science and Technology Ministry examined test data from the three prefectures. It also examined the three prefectures' results from a survey that is always given to schools along with the test.

The ministry found frequent supplementary lessons conducted by the schools were an important contributor to high scores.

In the survey, the ministry asked about the frequency of supplementary lessons. The proportion of schools in the three prefectures that said they often carried out supplementary lessons was well over the national average.

In mathematics, 47 percent of primary schools in Akita Prefecture and 45 percent of schools in Fukui Prefecture said they conducted supplementary lessons frequently. The national average is 36 percent.

Another indicator of high performance is homework frequency. The proportion of schools in the three prefectures that said they assigned homework to students on many occasions exceeded the national average.

The figure was especially high at middle schools in Fukui Prefecture. Seventy-eight percent of middle schools in the prefecture said they assigned homework frequently in Japanese classes, 40 percentage points higher than the national average. The figure for math classes in the prefecture was 71 percent, about 28 percentage points higher than the national average.

Educational experts also point out that teachers in the three prefectures are especially enthusiastic about their jobs. Almost all primary and middle schools in Toyama Prefecture have voluntary teachers organizations that study teaching methods. Teachers in the prefectures are working hard to conduct better classes and develop quality teaching materials, according to the ministry.

Most Akita Prefecture teachers participated in subject-specific training workshops held by local governments. The study of teaching methods also is active in the prefecture.

Tsuru University Prof. Seiji Fukuta, an authority on Finland's educational system, pointed out the similarities in educational methods in the prefectures that performed well on the nationwide test to the Finnish system: "Small-group instruction, home education and high-quality teachers also are found in Finland, and its students have the world's highest rated academic abilities."

In Finland, it is necessary to obtain a master's degree before becoming a teacher, and one teacher is allocated to every 25 students. These elements ensure high-quality instruction. In Finnish society, teachers are considered as important as medical doctors. Finnish children also spend a lot of time reading at home.

"The key to enhancing children's academic ability is to motivate them to study on their own," Fukuta said.

In the past, educational factors contributing to high test scores have not been well studied.

The central and prefectural governments should study educational policies and procedures to determine which most effectively enhance students' academic performance--and to implement their findings.