Japanese students struggle with description-type tests
Among such questions, students seemed to struggle especially with those asking them to write their thoughts in a way that others can understand.
The fiscal 2025 achievement test for elementary school sixth-graders and junior high school third-graders was held in April, with a total of some 1.9 million students participating from about 28,000 schools nationwide.
This year, the ministry released test results by gender for the first time.
Female students in both elementary school sixth grade and junior high school third grade gave more correct answers to Japanese-language questions than male students. More girls than boys in both grades said that they like, are good at or understand the subject well.
In the mathematics and science segments of the national test, no significant gender gaps were seen in correct answer rates. However, fewer girls than boys said that they like, are good at or understand the subjects well.
These tendencies in mathematics and science were also observed in the 2023 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study. A ministry official said that the tendencies are believed to derive from multiple factors, including gender-related unconscious bias and biological differences between males and females.
The average correct answer rate for each subject had been released earlier. Among elementary school sixth-graders, the correct answer rate came to 67.0% for Japanese language, 58.2% for mathematics, and 57.3% for science. Among junior high school third-graders, the rate was 54.6% for Japanese language and 48.8% for mathematics, while the average score in science was 505.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NHK
21 hours ago
- NHK
Two Japanese astronauts hold news conference from ISS
Two Japanese astronauts have held a joint news conference from the International Space Station. Yui Kimiya is going to take over the mission from Onishi Takuya, who has been in space since March. Yui arrived at the ISS on Saturday. The handover ceremony and the news conference started around 7:40 p.m. on Monday, Japan time. During a symbolic sash relay from Onishi to Yui, Yui said the sash is light in microgravity, but the responsibility handed to him is heavy. Onishi is about to end his second long-duration stay at the ISS. His first stay was in 2016. Looking back on the mission this time, Onishi said he made more minor mistakes than his previous mission. He said that is not all because he is older, but he asked Yui to be careful. Yui is six years older than Onishi and his last mission on the ISS was in 2015. Yui responded with a smile that he may need reading glasses and may have trouble in doing some tasks but he will do his best. At the news conference, Onishi said it is always exciting to welcome new members to the closed world of the ISS but he is particularly delighted to see Yui among the new crew. He said Yui and he did not say anything when they saw each other's faces; only an emotional hug followed. Yui said he will take over Onishi's good work, while offering his strength as he spends months at the ISS. He also said he wants to show through activities at the ISS that Japan's tremendous power will lead to a bright future. He said he wants to deliver positive news that will lift the spirits of the people of Japan. Their joint stay aboard the ISS is limited as Onishi is due to return to the earth on Thursday.
Japan Times
2 days ago
- Japan Times
Japan joins multinational space defense drill
Japan's Air Self-Defense Force has taken part in a multinational tabletop space defense exercise in Australia aimed at enhancing cooperation among like-minded countries. The drill, part of the Talisman Sabre exercise led by the United States and Australia, was held at a military facility in Townsville, northeastern Australia, in July, bringing together nearly 10 countries. The SDF, which has participated in tabletop exercises hosted by the U.S. military, took part in the Talisman Sabre drill for the first time. Participants worked on procedures for dealing with and detecting satellite jamming signals and on how to avoid collisions with space debris. The Outer Space Treaty, effective since 1967, prohibits the signatories from placing nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction in space while emphasizing the principle of peaceful use of outer space. However, China and Russia are believed to be developing so-called killer satellites capable of destroying other nations' satellites. Last month, Japan's Defense Ministry said in its space domain defense guidelines that countries like China and Russia have intensified efforts to develop technologies that disable foreign satellites, increasing threats in the domain. The ministry plans to launch a space domain awareness satellite for surveillance in fiscal 2026 as part of moves to enhance Japan's collaboration with its ally and like-minded nations. "There are no borders in space, so it is impossible for a single country to cope with (problems) alone," said 1st Lt. Keigo Haneishi, who served as the ASDF commander during the tabletop drill. "The exercise provided an opportunity to deepen mutual understanding and cooperation among like-minded countries."
NHK
2 days ago
- NHK
Japan research group uses ethanol to grow heat-tolerant vegetables
A group of researchers in Japan is advancing studies on the application of ethanol for vegetables to grow steadily under high heat stress. The group, led by Seki Motoaki at Riken Center for Sustainable Resource Science, has discovered that plants can grow in high temperatures by feeding ethanol through the roots and spraying the alcohol on leaves. In an experiment using cherry tomatoes, the researchers applied ethanol, diluted to about 0.1 percent, to the plants and exposed them to heat at 50 degrees Celsius for several hours. They said they found that the leaves grew larger than those treated only with water and the number of fruits more than tripled. When ethanol was applied to other plants, the researchers said they detected changes, such as increases in proteins that protect cells from heat and sugar contained in leaves and fruits. The research group said the findings show that ethanol can effectively bring out plants' ability to grow, even under severe heat. Seki noted that ethanol is readily available and can be used in a simple way just by diluting it. He expressed hope that his group will further advance studies to make the methods applicable worldwide to help alleviate agriculture problems caused by extreme heat. Japan has been facing record summer heat, raising agricultural concerns about poor harvests and a decline in quality. The agriculture ministry says continued hot weather could have negative effects on various crops, such as causing cabbage and other leafy vegetables to stop growing and tomato plants to bear no fruit.
