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Background: Many people use the snooze function of digital alarm clocks for morning awakening, but the effects of a snooze alarm on waking are unclear. We examined the effects of a snooze alarm on sleep inertia, which is a transitional state characterized by reduced arousal and impaired cognitive and behavioral performance immediately upon awakening. Methods: In study 1, healthy Japanese university students responded to a sleep survey during a psychology class (study 1), and we collected 293 valid responses. In study 2, we compared a separate sample of university students (n = 10) for the effects of using or not using a snooze alarm on sleep inertia immediately after awakening from normal nocturnal sleep in a sleep laboratory. Results: Of 293 valid respondents in study 1, 251 often used a tool to wake up in the morning (85.7%). Moreover, 70.5% reported often using the snooze function of their mobile phones, mainly to reduce anxiety about oversleeping. Study 2 indicated no differences in the sleep quality or quantity before awakening with or without the snooze alarm, except in the last 20 min. However, during the last 20 min of sleep with snooze alarm, the snooze alarm prolonged waking and stage N1 sleep. Stage N1 sleep is non-rapid eye movement sleep that is primarily defined as a drowsy state. Furthermore, Global Vigor values were enhanced after awakening compared to pre-sleep in the no-snooze condition. Conclusions: Using a snooze alarm prolongs sleep inertia compared to a single alarm, possibly because snooze alarms induce repeated forced awakenings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Deteriorating economic conditions caused by rising inflation and living expenses can have negative consequences for university students. This comparative study examined Israeli and Japanese "help" profession (e.g., medicine, nursing, social work, and psychology) students' fear of such conditions and its impact on their health and well-being. Methods: Data were collected from a cross-sectional sample of 848 university students from Israel and Japan (78.9% female, 20.4% male, and 0.7% other) during a 3-month period of economic decline in 2022. Reliable data-collection instruments and SPSS (version 25) were used for the study. Results: Overall, Japanese students evidenced a higher level of economic well-being than their Israeli counterparts. This finding may have been a result of the lower inflation and living costs in Japan. However, most survey respondents evidenced a fear of deteriorating economic conditions that was significantly associated with psycho-emotional behavior, including increased burnout, substance use, unhealthy food intake, weight gain, and resilience regardless of gender and religiosity. Conclusions: The study findings showed the impact of deteriorating economic conditions on the health and well-being of "help" profession students. These results are preliminary; however, they do serve as an early warning of the key challenges that may need to be considered and addressed for prevention and intervention purposes. Further research should be conducted in other countries and over different time periods to substantiate present findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present article examines and compares the perceptions of online education and learning practice in students from Romania and Japan during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has significantly impacted how university classes have taken place worldwide in the last two years. Furthermore, our purpose was to examine the challenges experienced by students as a result of transitioning from traditional face-to-face classes to online learning. Questions arise from reviewing to what extent the students' cultures have affected their perceptions of the online education and learning process and if there are any substantial differences in the students' feedback regarding various online learning applications which have been used in class or otherwise tested for the first time during this study. The originality of our approach lies in conducting a comparative study to analyze the perceptions of Romanian and Japanese students regarding the educational process during the pandemic. According to our knowledge and extensive research, this is the only similar research that has been conducted or published at this moment on this topic. Furthermore, we would like to emphasize that we have investigated the students' perceptions regarding online education during the pandemic by conducting the reviews in their native languages: Romanian for Romanian students and Japanese for Japanese students. Another original aspect of the current study is testing the feedback of the two groups of participants regarding various digital tools and apps used for educational purposes: the ones who have used the apps for a long time or for the Japanese students who tried these digital tools for the first time. The findings revealed that the Romanian and Japanese students had encountered different challenges in terms of mental health, financial issues, worrying prospects, or varying technical problems, which correspond to a large extent to the profiles of their countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several psychological factors are strongly related to aggressive behaviours in university students, such as educational issues and problematic digital activity, namely Smartphone and social media addiction. At the same time, little is known about the role of student burnout syndrome in predicting these mental and social problems. Moreover, although most researchers agree with the notion of sex differences in aggression, excessive digital activity, and burnout syndrome, only a few studies have examined the role of cultural differences. Thus, the present study sought to examine whether digital technology addictions mediate the relationship between student burnout and aggressive behaviours in European and Japanese university students. For this purpose, a cross-sectional, non-experimental and online study was developed with 291 participants (202 females, M = 22.66; SD = 4.35). The findings highlighted how academic burnout and phone snubbing increase, and problematic Facebook usedecrease the risk of aggressive behaviours. In addition, phone snubbing (known as phubbing) mediates the association between student burnout and aggression. Men tend to have more aggressive behaviours than women, and Japanese students were less addicted to FB and less aggressive as well as scoring higher in phubbing than European students. In conclusion, the results confirmed the importance of including cross-cultural differences in digital technology health programs in order to minimise the risk of aggressive behaviours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed at examining Japanese college students' extended learning experiences in an emergency online learning environment during the Covid-19 pandemic through adopting an interpretative phenomenological analysis, or IPA. Data from 124 weekly journal entries of 15 purposefully selected students and observation notes of two instructors made during a 10-week term were analysed following the IPA approach. Results revealed that students perceived both advantages and obstacles inherent in online learning. When encountering obstacles, the students experimented with several measures to overcome the obstacles and manage their emotions and so improve learning behaviours. Students experienced different emotional and cognitive states throughout the term. The results obtained suggest that those who see extended and flexible learning opportunities in emergency online learning and have positive psychology tend to pass through the states of anxiousness and frustration rather quickly and develop confidence in online learning at an early stage, whereas others who stay mostly frustrated and do not see advantages of online learning tend not to take advantage of the extended learning opportunities offered by online learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on communication strategies (CSs) has been drawing much attention in the area of psycholinguistics and applied linguistics. This study examined if triggering instruction can accelerate the cognitive aspects of CSs transference from L1 to L2. In the first part of the experiment, all participants, twenty-one Japanese university students, looked at pictures and were asked to say anything that came to their mind in English. In the second part, half of them (an experimental group) were instructed to begin the task by saying likes and dislikes of the picture. The other half (a control group) did not receive such an instruction. Participants also answered a questionnaire asking about self-evaluation of the task performance in order to examine their affective and cognitive state. Their utterances were classified as either objective descriptions of what was shown in the picture or subjective expressions of what they imagined or felt. The results of the experimental group clearly demonstrated the effect of instructional intervention; subjective expression increased and objective description decreased, and also their anxiety decreased from the first part of the experiment to the second. These findings suggest that more attention should be paid to the cognitive aspects of CSs such as change of viewpoint from objective to subjective, which we may call 'self-expression switching,' and its transference from L1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

First, I appreciate the contribution by M. S. Mani to gall-midge studies in Japan. He described two Japanese pestiferous Cecidomyiidae in response to the request from Japanese entomologists. His book Ecology of Plant Galls encouraged young Japanese students, who just started to study gall-inducing insects. Secondly, the importance of genetic data is emphasized in this paper to support morphological identification of the Cecidomyiidae of the Oriental region. Species identification is essential to establish methods of control measures against invasive Cecidomyiidae. Thirdly, I expect young Indian entomologists to challenge via ecological investigations benefiting from the convenience of plentifully available Cecidomyiidae and the galls they induce in the Indian subcontinent. Ecological data on tropical and subtropical Cecidomyiidae is highly necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existing research on syntactic complexity tends to examine diversity and complexity embedded in grammatical employments which may well be witnessed in formulations of different syntactic structures. Conceivably, the subject syntactic complexity seems to be exercised mostly by non-native speakers and writers. The present study employs pseudo-longitudinal data: essays written by undergraduate students in different levels collected at the same time. Hence, it aims at investigating the mechanism involved in the L2 production of L2 learners in terms of syntactic complexity by analyzing a corpus of non-native English-speaking learners. The research inquiry is mainly focused on investigation of significant differences in terms of syntactic complexity between writing of Japanese university students and that of native speakers, probing further into the particular dimension and level of difference. The study also traces marked variations in syntactic complexity employed by Japanese university students in different grades. Nagoya Interlanguage Corpus of English (NICE) developed by Sugiura in 2015 was employed to conduct the entire research proceedings. The corpus of the subject study comprises 339 essays written by L2 EFL learners studying in a Japanese university employing a judicious selection of quantitative measures of syntactic complexity. The results exhibited a considerable statistical difference between the writing of Japanese learners and native English writers. The findings of this study provide meaningful pedagogical implications for English teachers and textbook compilers. Japanese university students in higher grades are found to be employing more complicated and diverse syntactic structures. Conforming to the already conducted research studies with almost similar objectives, this study demonstrates the significance of using both general and more particular complexity metrics to assess syntactic development in L2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The affinity for hikikomori represents the desire to be withdrawn, as well as to entertain an empathetic attitude towards withdrawn individuals. It is composed of two subdimensions, the maladaptive desire for hikikomori, and empathy for others with hikikomori. This longitudinal study examined whether autistic traits predicted the affinity for hikikomori. At the baseline assessment, undergraduate and graduate students in Japan (N = 272) completed the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ), the Affinity for Hikikomori Scale in University Students, and measures assessing academic failures and interpersonal conflicts. They also completed all measures excluding the AQ eight weeks later. Structural equation modeling indicated that difficulties in social interaction aspects of autistic traits were positively associated with academic failures at Time 2 even after controlling for academic failures at Time 1. In addition, difficulties in social interaction were positively related to the desire for hikikomori at Time 2 indirectly via academic failures at Time 2 after controlling for the desire for hikikomori at Time 1. Difficulties in social interaction were also directly associated with the increased desire for hikikomori at Time 2. These findings suggest that autistic traits, and especially difficulties in social interaction, are predictors of the maladaptive aspect of the affinity for hikikomori. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This research fills a gap in the existing literature on the role of research factors on reading motivation and compares the reading motivation of students from the United States and Japan from a cross-cultural perspective. • The research provides a broader understanding of how gender, psychotype and knowledge of a foreign language can influence motivation to read in different cultural contexts. • The research discusses the possibility of using 3D visualization and animation as a means of increasing the motivation to read in a foreign language. The research evaluates the role of gender, psychotype, and foreign language proficiency in the motivation of students from the United States and Japan to read books. This study pertains to university students pursuing language translation as a professional orientation. The article employs a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative analysis through surveys and assessments, a pre-post study, and qualitative intervention using 3D visualization and animation with Autodesk Maya software. The scholars used the Adult Motivation for Reading Scale (AMRS), the Bem Sex-Role Inventory (BSRI), the Keirsey Temperament Sorter (KTS), and the Assessment of Foreign Language Proficiency (AFLP) task sheet. Japanese students are more motivated to read books in a foreign language than American students, and, females from both Japan and the United States are more motivated to read books in a foreign language than males. The Keirsey approach to the psychotype helped the scholars reveal that the motivation to read foreign books was more developed in the Rationals psychotype of the two countries, and the least developed among Idealists psychotype in Japan and Artisans psychotype in the United States. The correlation matrix proved a strong positive result in the AMRS subscale factors and foreign language proficiency scores (r = 0.82 and r = 0.84 at p < 0.05) for students from the United States and Japan. A three-month intervention using the integration of 3D visualization and animation of Autodesk Maya found a positive impact on the motivation to read literature in a foreign language among students in both the US and Japan. The research promotes the scientific discussion of the different approaches used to investigate the role of gender, psychotype, and language knowledge in students' motivation to read books in a foreign language using 3D visualization and animation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Students with developmental disabilities are anxious about a change in environment when graduating from high school to college. Existing research, which is scarce, focuses on the mental health status of students with developmental disabilities entering university. This study investigated the frequency of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) among first-year Japanese university students and their mental health risks post-admission. We conducted a cross-sectional survey for university students within a month of admission, using the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) and Adult ADHD Test (A-ADHD) to demonstrate the frequency of ASD and ADHD. The Counseling Center Assessment of Psychological Symptoms (CCAPS)–Japanese (depression, eating concerns, hostility, social anxiety, family distress, alcohol use, generalized anxiety, and academic distress) evaluated their mental health condition.Of 711 students (20.3 ± 2.1 years; 330 male, 381 female), the number of those showing either ASD or ADHD tendencies was 61 (8.58%). Twenty-three (3.23%) showed symptoms of only ASD, 34 (4.78%) of ADHD, and four (0.56%) of ASD and ADHD. No significant differences existed in the frequency of ASD and ADHD between each sex and major. The scores and frequency of high risk (over the cut-off points) students on all CCAPS-Japanese subscales (except alcohol use) were significantly higher among the ASD and ADHD groups than the control group, which showed no ASD or ADHD tendencies. The frequency of ASD and ADHD characteristics among first-year Japanese university students was 8.58%. They have a high risk of mental health problems when they enter university. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the use of Google Translate among 50 Japanese learners of English engaged in task-based reading. There was one novel word per paragraph, and the study analyzed the frequency at which the participants accessed machine translation (MT) as opposed to the use of other strategies (e.g., dictionary use). Using eye tracking, it also examined how learners viewed translated paragraphs on MT pages. Finally, the study analyzed the relationship between the MT usage data and reading outcomes (content and vocabulary recall). A sub-group of participants provided both bilingual dictionary and MT access more often used the dictionary than MT. However, participants that were not provided dictionary access tended to be overreliant on MT, using it for irrelevant passages and when clear context cues were present. Eye movement data revealed that most participants read the English text first before checking MT, but some participants rushed to access translations. Participants displayed various strategies when viewing MT. The study found that aiming to work out the meaning from the text first and then checking the translation to search relevant novel lexical items was associated with positive outcomes. Potential implications for L2 education are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the average wait time (WT) – how long a teacher waits following an elicitation – and its relationship with student response length (RL) within Japanese university English as a foreign language classes. It also discusses the perspectives of members of this community towards questioning and WT. Previous studies correlate longer WTs with longer responses but none have been conducted in Japan, and very little in second language (L2) classrooms. Data were collected from observing classes and interviewing teachers and students at a medium-ranked private university. The average WT was around 1.5 seconds and no correlation between WT and RL was found. Various factors which may limit the direct effect of WT on RL were identified, including L2 target language limitations and preferred teaching techniques. Although teachers saw potential for longer responses, they did not believe that WT would increase participation or encourage student–student discourse. Students generally agreed, although they expressed a desire for more open-ended questions requiring longer answers. Like prior studies, the average WT was higher than in first language research. While the lack of correlation between WT and RL differed from prior research, the complexity of WT as a classroom variable is further highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic since early 2020 has dramatically impacted higher education development in various aspects, including the shift of face-to-face teaching to online teaching and learning, the cancellation of physical events and activities, and the formation of a “new normality” in higher education [Tesar, 2020]. At the same time, COVID-19 has increased virtual mobility and collaborative online learning as alternatives to physical student mobility. For developing promotion of intercultural dialogue through the online communication based on learning foreign languages and motivating students, faculty members from Kansai University (Japan, Osaka) and F.M. Dostoevsky Omsk State University (Russia, Omsk) started to use the platform Flipgrid for intercultural online exchange between the students of the above-mentioned universities. Based on an online survey of students' participation in the exchange project, this research examines how the Russo-Japanese intercultural online project affected students' motivation and ultimately their participation in the project, as well as their evaluation of the achieved results. The feedback from this project has been positive - participants commented favorably on both the relevance of the model of effective language practice and the significance of international communication for better cultural understanding and furthering human relationships with Japan, a close neighbor of Russia in the Asia-Pacific region. It may be surmised that an appreciation for cultural diversity and other cultures provides the first step in developing the competences necessary for operating in multicultural environments. Therefore, this was, for the students of both universities, the start of intercultural dialogue between them.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination of adolescent and young adults is important for infection control. Factors influencing vaccination behavior in this age group include the source of information about the vaccine and social norms. However, there are few studies on factors influencing vaccination behavior among Japanese university students. This study aimed to assess beliefs, attitudes, and sources of information about the COVID-19 vaccine among university students in Japan. A cross-sectional online questionnaire survey was conducted among students in Teikyo University, Japan in September, 2021. The survey was designed to collect demographic information, vaccination status, attitudes, beliefs, and anxiety about the vaccine, sources of information, and whether or not the participant watched an educational movie. The factors associated with beliefs and attitudes were analyzed using logistic and linear regression. A total of 4,062 valid questionnaires were retrieved. The positive vaccine behavior group included 3,725 students (91.7%). The most common source of information on the COVID-19 vaccine was TV/radio (75.0%), and the most common Social networking service (SNS) for COVID-19 information was Twitter (31.1%). Approximately 85% students believed in the efficacy of vaccination. Positive attitude was associated with female sex and watching an educational movie by the university. Concern about the vaccine was positively associated with information from acquaintances or Instagram, and negatively associated with information from Twitter, and watching the educational movie. The majority of students had positive beliefs and attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination, and social media and educational movies produced by the university had a large influence on their attitude toward vaccination behavior. On the contrary, some students were anxious about vaccination. Promotion of educational movies on social media by the universities is an effective way to encourage vaccination among young people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and purpose: Japanese elementary school children are trained in arts and crafts, music, arithmetic, the Japanese language, life environment studies, physical education, and so on. Children must learn through doing as they develop physically, because the range of activities in their daily lives is still narrow. Subject learning is inseparable from daily life. Teachers should plan lessons with an awareness of the physicality of activities. Therefore, this study clarified the relationship between the ability for skillful and quick physical movement and subject learning among Japanese elementary school students. Methods: For the second to fourth grades of elementary school, the measurement results and subject evaluation (skill) were compared at the individual level. Students were divided into a group with high grades in subject learning and one with middle and lower grades, and a t-test was conducted to observe if there was a significant difference in the records of two physical activities: repeated side jump and softball throw. Main findings: Significant difference was found for repeated side jumps depending on whether the arts and crafts grades were high for all children in grades 2-4. Additionally, there was a significant difference in softball throwing records between the second and third graders, depending on whether the children's performance in arts and crafts was high. Conversely, there was no significant difference between the second to fourth grade children's musical scores and repeated side jump records. There was a negative correlation between sophomore and senior year music performances and the softball throwing record. Thus, the development of children's dexterity is related to subject learning. Conclusion: Considering that elementary school teachers spend sufficient time with children on a daily basis teaching subjects such as physical education and music, it may be beneficial for them to be aware of dexterity's importance across multiple subjects. Furthermore, it allows for an approach that engages children in physical activities from early childhood which can help in preparing them for learning a variety of subjects in school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International fieldwork programs that provide learning opportunities abroad have become increasingly popular in undergraduate education worldwide. Gaining insight into students' motives to engage in these programs can assist in formulating strategies for program development; however, few studies have investigated this topic. This study addresses the existing research gap by comparing Japanese university students who participated in international fieldwork programs and those who did not by applying the theory of planned behavior. Our findings suggest that constructs, such as perceived behavioral control and positive attitudes toward participation may positively affect the student's intention to participate in international fieldwork. Further, the approval and support of individuals close to those students, notably their relatives, influenced their participation. This study also suggests the importance of including past behaviors as an additional reinforcing factor. Based on our findings, we make suggestions about how international fieldwork programs should be promoted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The learning environment is an important factor in both learner motivation and learning outcomes. As second language (L2) classrooms frequently employ group work, clarifying the environmental effects in group work settings is important to improve pedagogical application in this context. This study examined the cross-sectional structural relations among the factors of work environment, motivation, and learning outcomes for L2 learners at various English proficiency levels. Japanese university students (N = 200) were engaged in group work activities for one semester. Self-reported data on motivation, the group work environment, course grades, and standardized English proficiency test scores were analyzed using path and moderation models. Results revealed that the group work environment significantly affected motivation. Learners who perceived stronger group cohesion and greater group engagement were likely to find learning more enjoyable and were less prone to amotivation. However, those perceiving weaker group cohesion and lesser group engagement tended to display the opposite motivational pattern. Further, this environmental effect on motivation was evident regardless of English proficiency level. Results further showed that motivation was significantly associated with achievement, thereby indicating that the group work environment indirectly influenced learning outcomes via motivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The association between body mass index (BMI) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) has been inconsistent in the Asian population. Also, no evidence regarding this issue in the young population exists. The aim of the present study is to investigate the association between BMI and IBS based on the Rome III criteria in young Japanese people. Methods: This study was a cross-sectional study consisted of 8923 Japanese university students. The definition of IBS was based on the Rome III criteria. BMI was divided into four categories (quartiles) on the basis of the study subjects' distribution (lowest, low, moderate, and high [reference]). The definition of lean, normal, and overweight was BMI < 18.5 kg/m2, 18.5 ≤ BMI < 25 kg/m2 (reference), and 25 ≤ BMI kg/m2, respectively. Age, sex, drinking, smoking, exercise habit, anemia, and sports injury were selected a priori as potential confounding factors. Results: The prevalence of IBS was 6.5%, with females having a significantly higher prevalence than males (6.0% vs. 7.2%, p = 0.029). In females, being overweight was independently positively associated with IBS after adjustment (adjusted odds ratio [OR]: 1.81 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.13–2.79]). In contrast, in males, no association between being lean or overweight and IBS was found. Conclusions: Among the young Japanese population, being overweight might be independently positively associated with prevalence of IBS in females but not in males. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Although skin color has been suggested to be associated with the risk of some chronic disease, there has been no validated visual skin‐color scale, with which subjects can self‐report their skin color. Our objective was to develop a visual skin color evaluation scale for self‐reporting that would be useful in large‐scale epidemiological studies. Materials and methods: Study participants were 99 university Japanese students aged 19–29. We developed a skin color evaluation scale consisting of six colors from light to dark. Participants were asked to choose one color that was the closest to their skin color. Their skin color was measured on the back of the hand and the inner upper arm by an examiner using a narrowband reflective spectrophotometer. Self‐reported skin color was compared with the melanin and erythema indices. Results: Spearman's rank correlation coefficients of self‐reported color with the melanin index after adjusted for age, temperature, and humidity were moderate but significant at both sites for both men and women. The correlation coefficients with the erythema index were significant only on the back of the hand for men. The higher melanin index was significantly associated with the darker skin color in both sexes for both sites. The erythema index showed such a significant trend only in men and not in women. Conclusions: The validity of the skin color chart was moderate of melanin among Japanese people. It may be useful for large population studies examining the relationships between skin color and health outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the personal encounters between the Swiss–German missionaries and their Japanese students through their school projects in the late nineteenth century, as a fresh approach to disclose an entirely new analytical angle to mission education and the production of otherness. By examining the personal encounter of missionaries with their students, it problematizes scholars' reliance on the concept of otherness as a unidirectional transfer of knowledge from West to non-West. Instead, this study argues, that the process of "othering" should be looked at as a negotiation beyond an East–West hierarchical divide, in which new forms of beliefs and practices for Japanese converts emerged. An analysis of relevant missionary sources reveals that in the period 1885 to 1893 the missionaries' work with the Japanese students evolved into a seemingly contradictory state. On the one side, the missionaries devoted a great number of resources and time in educating their Japanese subjects into what they perceived to be true Christians. On the other side, they repeatedly expressed deep doubts about their students' potential to become the type of Christians they envisioned. Focusing on three cases of missionaries' encounters with Japanese students, this article argues that the attempts and results of negotiating otherness in the Swiss–German mission school projects opened new possibilities for identity formation among Japanese Christians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fairy tales reflect the great social values of certain cultures. Individual genres and works of fairy tales represent projections of the worldview of people in the respective society. However, reading and understanding fairy tales from other countries are not enough to identify structural and typological differences between tales of the same genre that differ in origin. In literature classes, students often focus on the narrative while missing the structural features of fairy tales. In this study, the structural-typological functions of narrative proposed by Propp (1986) were used as a methodological approach to draw students' attention to the distinctive cultural features of some Japanese fairy tales. The results show that students classified Japanese tales as differing greatly in structural and typological variation compared to European tales. Students realized that in Japanese fairy tales, the ending does not always lead the hero to the typical victory of good over evil, but sometimes leaves a certain bitterness of reality where the ending is guessed by the reader, which gives the tale a debatable narrative character that is unique. This methodological approach helps students analyse fairy tales in greater depth, identify the uniqueness of the narratives, and delve into the essence of structural and functional analysis, which gives students a deep understanding of the tales and its culture. The findings of this study can be applied to the identification of the functions and roles of the characters in fairy tales, and the analysis of structured storylines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, content integrated language education has taken center stage in Japanese university English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) settings. The emphasis on content has created an opportunity for students to demonstrate analytical thinking, assessment, inference, and problem-solving skills through oral communication activities in English (L2). However, the opportunity may be perceived as a challenge by students, who were exposed to teacher-centered pedagogy during their pre-tertiary language education and raised with cultural values that conflict with the expectations. Therefore, some students may remain disengaged or give short answers when they are asked to demonstrate critical thinking. Students' lack of response is often misconstrued as the absence of critical thinking, leading to a misconception among language educators. The present article attempts to offer insights into the challenges facing Japanese EFL students when they attempt to demonstrate critical thinking and emphasizes the role of language teachers' intercultural competence in understanding the challenges students experience and proposes learner autonomy as a critical step towards overcoming this challenge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two studies aimed to examine cultural differences in social support provision, with or without solicitation, in Japan and the United States (US). In Study 1, we replicated a previous study with Japanese university students. We found that the Japanese participants did not provide social support when it was not solicited, as compared with when it was solicited. Furthermore, in Study 2, participants were asked to respond to a questionnaire regarding a hypothetical stressful situation experienced by a close other and to indicate their willingness to provide support. We confirmed our hypothesis that Japanese participants hesitate to provide unsolicited support to close others (such as family members or close friends), even when they recognize that the close others are in need, whereas the American participants do not hesitate to provide such support. Contrastingly, regarding solicited support, the Japanese and Americans were equally ready to provide support, as hypothesized. The cultural difference in social support resides in the provision of unsolicited support. These results suggest that differences in culturally appropriate responses to needy people are responsible for the difference in the provision of unsolicited vs. solicited social support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Addressing the lack of English tests that measure critical thinking (CT) abilities of EFL learners, this study aims to develop an English Critical Thinking Test (ECTT) designed to measure the consistency, analysis, and inference CT skills. It is a follow-up to a pilot study to accumulate validity evidence for the use of the ECTT. A total of 262 Japanese EFL learners who were first-year college students took the ECTT, a Japanese Critical Thinking Test (JCTT), and an English proficiency test (EPT). The result of the internal structures of ECTT and JCTT revealed that both CT tests fit two-factor models better than three-factor models, with consistency as one factor and analysis and inference as the other factor. This implies that it is difficult to measure the CT skills' hierarchical nature. However, the model that included the three tests fit the data well and indicated moderately high correlations between the ECTT and EPT (r =.64) and between the ECTT and JCTT (r =.55). In addition, we confirmed that the skills that test-takers needed most in solving questions in each of the three CT sections (i.e., consistency, analysis, and inference CT skills) of the ECTT were as intended. Based on these findings, the validation of the ECTT has been improved; ECTT can be used for EFL learners at upper secondary and university levels in Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the in-depth development of economic globalization, the connection and communication between China and other countries in the world are increasingly deepened, so the task of cultivating translation talents in various languages is particularly important. In the teaching process, teachers mainly focus on explaining theoretical knowledge and lack of classroom interaction, resulting in a boring and dull classroom atmosphere. At the same time, it does not pay attention to the practice of translation after class and often pays attention to interpretation and neglects written translation, which leads many students to think that Japanese translation is difficult and boring, which greatly reduces students' enthusiasm for learning. In view of this situation, the application of multimedia technology in Japanese translation teaching proposes that the application of multimedia technology in Japanese teaching can improve the interest of students in Japanese learning and improve the teaching effect of Japanese teaching. Firstly, this paper constructs a logistic semantic ontology model based on automatic calibration of Japanese translation, extracts Japanese semantic features through this model, and performs relational mapping on the extracted Japanese semantic features. Starting from each aspect, optimize the automatic calibration algorithm of Japanese translation, find the best semantic relevance feature in each sentence, and realize automatic optimization, thereby improving the automatic calibration of Japanese translation machines and the registration of subject words. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of diagrams can be effective in solving mathematical word problems solving. However, students worldwide do not construct diagrams unprompted or have trouble using them. In the present study, the effects of problemappropriate diagram use instruction were investigated with an adaptation of the multiple baseline design method. The instruction for using line diagrams, tables, and graphs was provided to 67 junior high school students in a staggered manner and the effects on problem solving of three different types of problems was examined. The results showed that use of problemappropriate diagrams increased and persisted over time. More importantly, the instruction led to increases in problem solving performance and to decreases in perceived cognitive load. These findings support the argument that effective diagram use depends on the acquisition not only of declarative knowledge, but also sufficient procedural and conditional knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forming a correct attitude to the health is a key element of healthy lifestyle. The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency of some lifestyle-associated health risk factors in students from Medical university of Plovdiv and Japanese students. A total of 519 students filled in a survey questionnaire adapted to the aim of the study. By the comparison of the results about Bulgarian and foreign students in Medical University of Plovdiv and Japanese students were reported similar data for the groups of Bulgarian and foreign students. The group of Japanese students distinguished with lower frequency of unhealthy habits as smoking and alcohol consumption, lower relative part of overweight and obesity but their physical activity was insufficient. In conclusion, recommendations about healthy lifestyle in students in relation with their future work as medical specialists were given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shinrin-yoku (forest bathing) is a cost-effective healing practice that has recently attracted the interest of social scientists who have attributed it, in part, to mental health benefits. Japanese university students suffer from high rates of mental health problems, and the number of suicides remains high despite the total number of suicides in Japan decreasing. Effective mental health approaches which increase mental wellbeing and self-compassion, and reduce associated deficits, such as loneliness, are sought after for Japanese students; however, healthful treatment has not been identified to date. Accordingly, this pre-post-pilot study evaluated the levels of mental wellbeing, self-compassion, and loneliness among 25 Japanese undergraduate students who participated in a three-day shinrin-yoku retreat in Fukushima. Measurements were taken prior, straight after, and two weeks post-intervention. One-way ANOVA with Tukey post hoc analysis revealed that the mean scores of self-compassion, common humanity, and mindfulness increased statistically significantly from pre-retreat to follow-up. The mean scores of mental wellbeing and loneliness did not statistically significantly change. The positive effects on self-compassion indicate that shinrin-yoku retreat should be evaluated within a larger sample and in a shorter time frame to establish optimal shinrin-yoku parameters in this arena. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing numbers of medical students participate in international electives. However, this recent trend has yet to be examined in non-Western high-income countries such as Japan. The aim of this study is to assess recent trends in Japan, and to suggest ways in which those trends might be influenced. A retrospective cross-sectional analysis of responses to an 8-item questionnaire sent in August 2019 to 82 medical schools in Japan is reported. The responses were received in September 2019. Narrative responses were obtained regarding rationales for exchange programs, participant feedback, and challenges encountered. Responses were translated into English and categorized into themes. Of 82 Japanese medical schools, 56 (68%) responded to the questionnaire. Both the number of incoming and outgoing exchange students had increased steadily over the preceding 3-year period. The leading destinations for Japanese students were the United States (30%), other Asian (36%), and European countries (24%). Narrative responses reveal different rationales from those reported by medical schools in Western high-income countries. Only a few Japanese students chose low or middle-income countries as their destinations, as opposed to the trend seen in Western high-income countries. The reported challenges encountered by the exchange programs may provide insights for improvement. Exchanges have been greatly affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. The results can serve as prepandemic baseline data and should promote further international collaboration for medical education under current circumstances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The existence of young adolescents who do not seek help for their distress has been widely recognized, but few studies have focused on non-help-seekers, except for those related to help-seeking barriers. The current study sought to qualitatively determine a non-help-seeking adolescent's perception toward a variety of supportive behaviors from others around them. The participants of individual interviews included Japanese secondary-school students (n = 12) and young adults (n = 10) who had chosen not to talk about their internal problems to others when they were secondary-school students. The data were analyzed by a hybrid approach in the thematic analysis. Thirteen themes for helpful behaviors such as "expression of caring" and "display consideration to avoid one's disclosure," and twelve themes for unpleasant behaviors including "force one's disclosure" and "unsympathetic encouragement" were generated; all themes were categorized either to direct/indirect instrumental support or direct/indirect emotional support. The results found that non-help-seeking adolescents positively perceived direct and indirect emotional support, whereas they negatively evaluated non-required direct support regardless of whether it was instrumental or emotional. The findings have implications for the development of novel methods of supporting non-help-seekers besides encouraging help-seeking behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This paper describes the exploratory case and initial evaluation of the computer-based testing (CBT) prototype. The advantage of CBT over paper-based testing (PBT) is that it allows us to control the order of questions and provides test takers with continuous tasks capturing their thought processes. Additionally, their response process data such as response time (RT) can be obtained. Taking advantage of these, we created a CBT prototype in the classroom for Japanese junior high school students. Case description: A CBT model was created to assess integrated reading and writing ability and was administered to 32 junior high school students. Their process achievement and the relation between the process response and writing quality were analyzed. Students' RT for each screen was analyzed using hierarchical cluster analysis. Discussion and evaluation: We identified not only students facing difficulties at each stage of a series of thought processes but also five clusters that include students spending too much time reading source texts or organizing their ideas. We suggest how CBT can be developed to identify students with difficulties and applied to teaching. Conclusions: CBT has the possibility of detecting students who are able to complete the language performance task by controlling the order of answers, asking questions sequentially, and obtaining RT effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, the research on machine translation mainly focuses on English-Chinese translation, while the research on Japanese college students using Japanese Chinese machine translation software is relatively few. In order to solve the above problems in Chinese Japanese bilingual translation, this paper proposes a phrase translation method based on sequence intersection. This method regards sentences as word sequences and aligns the sequence intersection of all source sentences corresponding to the target sentence in the corpus with Chinese and Japanese sentences containing the phrases to be translated. By fully mining the information of sentence alignment bilingual corpus without word alignment resources, we can obtain high-quality phrase translation, syntactic analysis, and dictionary. Then, we focus on the automatic construction of sentence level aligned bilingual corpus and explore the automatic sentence alignment technology of Chinese and Japanese bilinguals. A ten-year alignment model based on combination cues and core extended square matching is proposed. The preprocessing of the computer corpus and the basic construction of the corpus are completed. This paper also puts forward corresponding countermeasures and approaches to the problems encountered in the construction of computer translation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study sought to reveal adolescent coping profiles by focusing on the combination of help-seeking and active/passive coping styles, and to compare affective and school adaptation levels across different profiles. One-year longitudinal data were collected from 695 Japanese secondary-school students (359 males, 330 females, and 6 unknowns) every semester. All participants reported their positive/negative affect and school adaptation. Only those who experienced any personal problem in the past month completed self-report measures including four stress-coping strategies use. Latent transition analysis (LTA) was conducted to identify stress-coping profiles and their transitions, conducting Tukey's tests to examine the association between the profiles and psychological adaptability. LTA suggested a seven-class solution. One of the profiles represented participants who did not report any stressor during the past month, and the other six classes were sorted by the amount of help-seeking (low, moderate, and high) and active/passive coping style. The results indicated that simultaneous use of help-seeking and active coping was important for school adaptation and affect balance. Low-adaptation profiles showed high stability during the investigation period. Findings suggest that clinicians should assess and intervene with help-seeking and stress-coping styles before or during early adolescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few studies have examined the effects of extensive reading (ER) on foreign language learners' acquisition of sight vocabulary, especially for partially known high-frequency words and reading fluency development. This study compared groups of non-English-major Japanese university-level students engaged in ER with intensive reading (IR) for two semesters. There were two ER Groups -- one that read over 50,000 words (n = 21) and one that read below 50,000 words (n = 26) -- and one IR Group (n = 25). The participants spent almost the same time on their task and were exposed mainly to 1k-and 2k-level vocabulary. The results of the vocabulary level tests revealed that ER was more effective and efficient for developing sight vocabulary of partially known high-frequency words. Only the ER Groups significantly improved their reading rates, indicating that ER facilitated reading fluency better than IR; moreover, the more words they read, the greater their improvement. The pedagogical implication is that the adoption of ER in an EFL curriculum is a feasible option to facilitate vocabulary acquisition and reading fluency for communication purposes in the classroom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of English as a Lingua Franca is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Trabalhos em Lingüística Aplicada is the property of Universidade Estadual de Campinas - Portal de Periodicos Eletronicos Cientificos and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The present study aimed to test the effectiveness of giving feedback on simulated avatar interview training (Avatar Training) across different experiments and participant groups and to explore the effect of professional training and parenting experience by conducting a mega-analysis of previous studies. A total of 2,208 interviews containing 39,950 recommended and 36,622 non-recommended questions from 394 participants including European and Japanese students, psychologists, and police officers from nine studies were included in the mega-analysis. Experimental conditions were dummy-coded, and all dependent variables were coded in the same way as in the previously published studies. Professional experience and parenting experience were coded as dichotomous variables and used in moderation analyses. Linear mixed effects analyses demonstrated robust effects of feedback on increasing recommended questions and decreasing non-recommended questions, improving quality of details elicited from the avatar, and reaching a correct conclusion regarding the suspected abuse. Round-wise comparisons in the interviews involving feedback showed a continued increase of recommended questions and a continued decrease of non-recommended questions. Those with (vs. without) professional and parenting experience improved faster in the feedback group. These findings provide strong support for the efficacy of Avatar Training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The upcoming international conference titled "Heidegger, Daoism, and Intercultural Thinking Today" will be held at the Institute of Philosophy, Slovak Academy of Sciences in Bratislava, Slovak Republic on May 21-22, 2024. The conference aims to explore the connections between Martin Heidegger's philosophy and East Asian philosophies, particularly Daoism. It will address questions related to intercultural dialogue and philosophy in contemporary times. The conference is co-sponsored by The School of Humanities and Social Science, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. [Extracted from the article]

The article presents an interview with Tony Saliba, a Professor at the University of Dayton, and Don Klosterman, an Associate Professor, discussing their involvement with Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering (SAMPE) and the University Research Symposium (URS). Topics include their educational backgrounds, and experiences volunteering with SAMPE, emphasizing the significance of the URS in fostering collaboration between academia and industry.

While changes in response to the different stages of the pandemic remain unknown, this study investigated the longitudinal impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on depressive symptoms in Japanese university students and identified factors associated with new onset of depression and suicidal ideation. Two surveys were conducted at one university in Akita, Japan, during the first COVID-19 outbreak period (T1: May-June 2020) and 1 year later (T2: March-May 2021). Moderate depressive symptoms were defined as a Patient Health Questionnaire-9 score = 10 and suicide-related ideation score = 1 on question 9 of the questionnaire. Among 985 students who completed surveys in T1 and T2, participants with moderate depressive symptoms and suiciderelated ideation increased from 11 to 17% and from 5.8 to 11.8%, respectively. Among 872 students at risk after excluding those with moderate depressive symptoms at T1, 103 students (11.8%) developed moderate depressive symptoms at T2. Among the 928 students at risk, after excluding those who had suicidal ideation at T1, 79 (8.5%) developed suicidal ideation. Multivariate logistic modeling revealed financial insecurity and academic performance as risk factors (ps < 0.01), while having someone to consult about worries was a coping factor for depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation (ps < 0.001). Our findings demonstrated that socioenvironmental factors may determine depressive symptoms of university students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Functional dyspepsia (FD) is a very common disease worldwide. Dysmenorrhea impairs quality of life among females of reproductive age. Although dysmenorrhea is associated with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), no study has yet evaluated the association between dysmenorrhea and FD. Methods: This study's subjects consisted of 4693 female Japanese university students. We defined FD according to the Rome III criteria. Subjects completed a self‐reported questionnaire regarding menstrual irregularity, menstrual pain, and medication for menstrual pain. Age, body mass index, drinking, smoking, exercise habit, anemia, and first‐year student status were selected as potential confounding factors. Results: The prevalence of FD, epigastric pain syndrome (EPS), and postprandial distress syndrome (PDS) was 2.5%, 0.6%, and 2.1%, respectively. Heavy menstrual pain was independently positively associated with FD and PDS but not EPS (adjusted ORs: FD, 3.18 [95% CI: 1.60–6.89] and PDS, 2.93 [95% CI: 1.56–7.93] for heavy menstrual pain, p for trend = 0.001 and 0.004, respectively). Using medication for menstrual pain often was independently positively associated with FD, EPS, and PDS, respectively, (adjusted ORs: FD, 2.41 [95% CI: 1.50–3.83], EPS, 2.93 [95% CI: 1.04–7.93], PDS, 2.44 [95% CI: 1.46–4.01]). Irregular menstrual cycle was not associated with FD or with subtype of FD. Conclusion: Among the young female Japanese population, menstrual pain might be independently positively associated with FD and PDS but not EPS. The use of medication for menstrual pain might be independently positively associated with FD including subtype of FD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In 2015 the Japanese government set a target of a 30% reduction in the total suicide rate by 2025, but deaths among adolescents have been rising since. In 2018 the overall suicide rate increased by 33% among Japanese students, as a part of a continued trend of rising suicide among adolescents. This study analysed the trends in method-specific suicide among Japanese adolescents from 1979 to 2016.Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study using data obtained from the vital statistics registration of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare Japan. Poisson regression analysis was performed among 10-20-year-olds separately by sex, with year, age category, suicide method and a 1998 step variable as covariates.Results: There was a sharp increase in suicide rates among boys (Incidence Rate Ratio (IRR), 1.68; 95% CI, 1.58-1.77) and girls (IRR, 1.69; 95% CI, 1.56-1.84) aged 10-20 years in 1998 when the overall suicide rate in Japan was at its peak. The commonly used method of suicide, hanging, has increased rapidly among high school and university-level aged adolescents since 1998.Limitations: The computed mortality rates may have been affected by the shift in mortality coding from ICD-9 to ICD-10 in 1995.Conclusions: Suicide among adolescents has been rising since the early 1990s. Several cultural factors such as notoriety of internet suicide and detergent suicide could have influenced the increase in suicide among adolescents. There is an urgent need to address suicide by hanging and gas among high school and university-aged adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to identify whether young children can associate colors with emotion, and if there are any changes across development. For this purpose, a study consisting of three tasks (questionnaire regarding color preferences, color‐emotion matching task, and color assessment task) was designed, and was conducted among four age groups of elementary school aged 7–12 (M = 8.11), junior high school aged 13–15 (M = 14.1), high school aged 16–18 (M = 17.1), and university students aged 19–23 (M = 20.1). In total, 172 subjects participated in this study. Red and blue hues were most favorite colors across all age groups. However, gold was the most favorite color among elementary school students (p < 0.05). White was the most popular color for the bedroom (p < 0.01), followed by light blue. In the color‐emotion matching task, elementary school students associated all the negative emotions with black (p < 0.01). In addition, elementary school students used a greater number of color varieties for the emotions compared to other participants, and the number of color varieties decreased as the subjects grow older. From the color assessment task, it was observed that elementary school students are the only participants who assessed all the colors with all the feelings of very unhappy/unhappy, neutral, and happy/very happy (p < 0.05). The results further suggested that junior high, high school, and university students seem to agree more on color assessments and the results are quite similar across these age groups. In sum, it was concluded that children do associate colors with emotion. Moreover, the changes across development were observed in all the three tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the spread of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), missing learning opportunities due to COVID-19 has been raised as a major concern for university education. We aimed to examine the effectiveness of a booster dose of COVID-19 vaccines among Japanese university students during the spread of the Omicron variant. We enrolled 249 students who became a close contact and 294 COVID-19-infected students though the Hiroshima University COVID-19 registration system. Infection rates of people in close contact with sick individuals and symptoms of infected students were examined. Close contacts who had received a booster dose showed a significantly lower infection rate (31%) compared with those with two doses (50%, p = 0.02) and the unvaccinated (71%, p = 0.002). Age- and sex-adjusted odds ratios of receipt of a booster dose vs. two doses and unvaccinated were 0.40 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.23–0.70, p = 0.001) and 0.44 (95% CI, 0.25–0.77, p = 0.004), respectively. The incidence of severe fever (38.5°C or higher) was significantly less prevalent in those with a booster dose (16%) compared with two doses (40%, p = 0.002) and those who were unvaccinated (75%, p < 0.0001). Booster doses reduced infection rates among close-contact students and can help students to avoid missing learning opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of network technology, Japanese teaching is increasingly showing the characteristics of network, and information interaction is becoming more and more frequent. Interactive teaching is a new teaching mode under the network environment. However, traditional interactive teaching cannot meet the flexibility and dynamics of resource allocation in the network environment. In the daily Japanese teaching process, the contradiction between the students' growing need for learning resources and the unbalanced and insufficient distribution of resources is becoming more and more acute. High-performance computing is a model of swarm computing, which can solve the contradiction between complex student needs and resource allocation. Based on this, this paper proposes a Japanese interactive teaching method based on a high-performance computing platform. Experiments show that the interactive Japanese teaching method based on HPC can effectively improve students' Japanese performance. Among them, the scores of high-level students increased by 23.3%, and the proportion of middle-level students accounted for more than 70.9%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]