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Japan's Social Thinking and Academic Readiness Training (START) program Academic Readiness (AR) lesson aims to improve self-regulation, executive function, and behavior problems in kindergarten children, but the effects of the START program AR lessons in unfavorable circumstances are unclear. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of the START program AR lesson in affected areas after the Great East Japan Earthquake. A cluster randomized trial was conducted with 111 5-year-old children in two kindergartens in Miyagi Prefecture to evaluate the effectiveness of the six-week AR lesson. One kindergarten was randomly chosen to implement the AR lesson, and the other maintained standard education. In the intervention group, trained classroom teachers provided the children with a 20-min AR lesson once a week. Executive function, behavioral self-regulation, and internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors were measured before and after the six-week intervention. The intervention group showed improved inhibitory control and enhanced behavioral self-regulation compared with the standard practice group. In addition, teachers' evaluations showed that children's internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors improved significantly. The results indicate that the START program AR lesson was effective in enabling teachers to help students improve executive function, self-regulation, and problematic behaviors. Therefore, educators and policy-makers should consider implementing the START program AR lesson in kindergartens after a disaster.

The two studies examined in this paper compare the different mathematical opportunities provided in preschool classrooms in China, Japan, and the United States, with an emphasis on mathematical-themed books in classroom libraries. Study one presents the results of an online survey to examining the content of preschool classroom libraries in China (N = 134), Japan (N = 168), and the United States (N = 291). Study two presents data obtained from semi-structured interviews of teachers in China (N = 8), Japan (N = 8), and the United States (N = 8). The interviews examined teacher perceptions of how they teach mathematics, the importance of teaching mathematics, and the use of the classroom library as a venue for mathematics. Study one results indicated that teachers from all three countries encourage classroom library use; however, teachers from China reported more mathematics storybooks than their Japanese or United States counterparts. Study two results indicated that teachers from all three countries viewed mathematics as important and provided various mathematics learning opportunities to children throughout the school day. Chinese teachers reported providing the most mathematics learning opportunities using whole group instruction, mathematics centers, and free play. Japanese teachers reported few whole group forms of instruction other than circle time but reported providing opportunities for using mathematics during free play and other embedded activities. United States teachers indicated that mathematics learning occurred using whole group instruction and mathematics centers.

The "first-grade problem" of the lack of concentration, listening, and following of instruction has been widely identified among Japanese kindergarten students. To promote their executive functioning and self-regulation to prevent this issue, we developed the Social Thinking and Academic Readiness Training (START) program. The experimental group in which the program was implemented contained 79 children (average age = 73.22 months), and the standard practices group contained 70 children (average age = 72.91 months). Before and after the intervention, the children underwent tasks to test their behavioral self-regulation and executive function (working memory). For behavioral self-regulation, a significant interaction occurred between condition (experimental and standard practices) and time (pre- and post-test), suggesting that these 6 START lessons promoted self-regulation. However, no effects were found on either auditory or visual memory. Teacher reports in surveys were consistent with the executive functioning outcomes, reporting improvement in children's concentration, listening, and self-regulation skills.

The purpose of the present study was to clarify comprehensively how and to what extent inhibition, spatial working memory (WM), and auditory WM influence agility, balance, and dexterity of motor coordination and comprehensive physical ability in kindergarteners. Participants were 43 children between the ages of 4 and 5 years old. The children performed executive function (inhibition and WM) and motor coordination tasks, and a teacher evaluated their comprehensive physical abilities. Results showed that spatial WM was significantly related to auditory WM, executive functions were significantly related to agility, and agility was significantly related to comprehensive physical ability. Furthermore, using structural equation modelling, we investigated whether executive functions influenced comprehensive physical ability via motor coordination. Results showed a significant correlation between spatial WM and auditory WM. Executive functions, including inhibition, spatial WM, and auditory WM, predicted comprehensive physical ability via agility of motor coordination in the kindergarteners.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the mediating role of prosociality, which is defined in terms of helping and benefitting others, between teacher collaboration and their turnover intentions. Prosociality was measured as prosocial impact and prosocial motivation. Design/methodology/approach: This study was conducted through a cross-sectional survey of 260 elementary and junior high school teachers in Japan. A structural equational model was employed to examine the mediating roles of prosocial impact and prosocial motivation in the relationships between teacher collaboration and their turnover intention. Findings: The results, first, supported the hypotheses: the high perception of teacher collaboration in school predicted high perceived prosocial impact; high perceived prosocial impact predicted high perceived prosocial motivation; and high perceived prosocial motivation predicted decreased turnover intention. Second, results supported partial mediating roles of prosocial impact and prosocial motivation between teacher collaboration and turnover intention. Research limitations/implications: Limitations of this study include cross-sectional data that may limit the potential for causal inferences, and self-report data. Future studies should incorporate alternative designs. Practical implications: Results indicate that teacher collaboration contributes to less teacher turnover intention via prosociality. Thus, to enhance teachers' prosocial impact, more opportunities to realise their collaboration should be considered. Originality/value: This is the first study to explore the relationships between teacher collaboration and turnover intention in educational organisations with prosociality, which resides as core goals and objectives of teachers.

The present study examined gender differences in kindergarten students' ability for behavioural self-regulation and executive function in East Japan. One hundred and eleven 5-year-old children were assessed on behavioural self-regulation, inhibitory, and working memory tasks (direct measurement). Children's responses to the teacher's instructions were video-recorded and analysed (class room observation). Teachers assessed behaviour problems in the classroom. Results demonstrated that, while there were no significant gender differences in direct measurement or classroom observations, there were gender differences in teachers' evaluation of social problems, attention problems, and aggressive behaviour, with girls demonstrating lowere levels of problem than boys. These results suggest that teachers' evaluation of behavioural problem could be biased by gender. Possible reasons for this discrepancy were discussed.

This descriptive case study examined how teaching practices were evidenced in Grade 1 classrooms in two different cultural and educational contexts, Finland and Japan. Teachers' teaching practices were video-recorded in 53 classrooms in Finland and six classrooms in Japan and rated with the Early Childhood Classroom Observation Measure by trained investigators. Four Finnish teachers and two Japanese teachers having the highest scores in either child-centered or teacher-directed practices were selected for a descriptive case study to take a closer look at how teaching practices in terms of management, climate, and instruction are evidenced in authentic classroom situations. The analysis revealed some similarities and disparities in how teacher-directed and child-centered practices are reflected in classroom situations in the two countries. For example, in Japan, teachers favoring child-centered practices asked more open-ended questions and encouraged brainstorming and group discussions, whereas the Finnish teachers emphasized socio-emotional skills. The results suggest that cultural values may play a role in how teachers create a positive climate, implement instruction, and organize activities in the classroom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study investigates the emotional experience, expression, and regulation processes of high-quality Japanese elementary school teachers while they interact with children, in terms of teachers' emotional competence. Qualitative analysis of interview data demonstrated that teachers had various emotional experiences including self-elicited negative emotions. The major expression patterns were identified as direct staging and the suppression of emotions. Teachers considered emotion expression in front of children as a skill, and their emotion regulation processes involved considering various purposes, appropriately using emotion expression, and ideal teacher images. The findings suggest that high-quality teachers effectively use emotional competence in teaching. (Contains 3 tables.)

We examined relationships among fatigue, sleep quality, and effort-reward imbalance for learning in school children. We developed an effort-reward for learning scale in school students and examined its reliability and validity. Self-administered surveys, including the effort reward for leaning scale and fatigue scale, were completed by 1,023 elementary school students (grades 4-6) and 1,361 junior high school students (grades 7-9) at the end of 2006. Effort-reward imbalance for learning was associated with a high incidence of fatigue and sleep problems in elementary and junior high school students of both genders. A good relationship with family was associated with a low fatigue score in junior high school boys, and a good relationship with friends was associated with a low fatigue score in junior high school girls by multiple regression analysis. Fatigue score was associated with effort-reward imbalance and fatigue and quality of sleep in schoolchildren. Fatigue may lead to a decline in school performance, negative health outcomes, or refusal to attend school. These results suggest that it is desirable to consider social support, quality of sleep, and effort-reward imbalance when managing fatigue in school children. (Contains 3 tables and 1 figure.)

The purpose of the present study was to clarify comprehensively how and to what extent inhibition, spatial working memory (WM), and auditory WM influence agility, balance, and dexterity of motor coordination and comprehensive physical ability in kindergarteners. Participants were 43 children between the ages of 4 and 5 years old. The children performed executive function (inhibition and WM) and motor coordination tasks, and a teacher evaluated their comprehensive physical abilities. Results showed that spatial WM was significantly related to auditory WM, executive functions were significantly related to agility, and agility was significantly related to comprehensive physical ability. Furthermore, using structural equation modelling, we investigated whether executive functions influenced comprehensive physical ability via motor coordination. Results showed a significant correlation between spatial WM and auditory WM. Executive functions, including inhibition, spatial WM, and auditory WM, predicted comprehensive physical ability via agility of motor coordination in the kindergarteners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, the reliability and construct validity of the Japanese version of the Chalder Fatigue Scale was evaluated as a measure of severity of fatigue among young students in Japan. A healthy group comprised 27 Grade 6 primary school students and 28 Grade I junior high school students. The severely fatigued group were hospital outpatients with childhood chronic fatigue syndrome (n= 21). Principal components analysis with varimax rotation identified 4 factors which accounted for 63.2% of the total variance, as in the original English version. Internal consistency (Cronbach coefficient [alpha]) was .73, and test retest reliability measured using Spearman rank correlation coefficient was .55. Scale scores of the healthy subjects were lower than those of the patients with childhood chronic fatigue syndrome. The reliability [alpha]) and construct validity of the Japanese version of the scale among healthy students in Japan were satisfactory for research studies among healthy school students.

Abstract Background Fatigue is a common complaint among elementary and junior high school students, and is known to be associated with reduced academic performance. Recently, we demonstrated that fatigue was correlated with decreased cognitive function in these students. However, no studies have identified cognitive predictors of fatigue. Therefore, we attempted to determine independent cognitive predictors of fatigue in these students. Methods We performed a prospective cohort study. One hundred and forty-two elementary and junior high school students without fatigue participated. They completed a variety of paper-and-pencil tests, including list learning and list recall tests, kana pick-out test, semantic fluency test, figure copying test, digit span forward test, and symbol digit modalities test. The participants also completed computerized cognitive tests (tasks A to E on the modified advanced trail making test). These cognitive tests were used to evaluate motor- and information-processing speed, immediate and delayed memory function, auditory and visual attention, divided and switching attention, retrieval of learned material, and spatial construction. One year after the tests, a questionnaire about fatigue (Japanese version of the Chalder Fatigue Scale) was administered to all the participants. Results After the follow-up period, we confirmed 40 cases of fatigue among 118 students. In multivariate logistic regression analyses adjusted for grades and gender, poorer performance on visual information-processing speed and attention tasks was associated with increased risk of fatigue. Conclusions Reduced visual information-processing speed and poor attention are independent predictors of fatigue in elementary and junior high school students.

Abstract Background Decrease in intrinsic motivation is a common complaint among elementary and junior high school students, and is related to poor academic performance. Since grade-dependent development of cognitive functions also influences academic performance by these students, we examined whether cognitive functions are related to the prevalence of decrease in intrinsic academic motivation. Methods The study group consisted of 134 elementary school students from 4th to 6th grades and 133 junior high school students from 7th to 9th grades. Participants completed a questionnaire on intrinsic academic motivation. They also performed paper-and-pencil and computerized cognitive tests to measure abilities in motor processing, spatial construction, semantic fluency, immediate memory, short-term memory, delayed memory, spatial working memory, and selective, alternative, and divided attention. Results In multivariate logistic regression analyses adjusted for grade and gender, scores of none of the cognitive tests were correlated with the prevalence of decrease in intrinsic academic motivation in elementary school students. However, low digit span forward test score and score for comprehension of the story in the kana pick-out test were positively correlated with the prevalence of decrease in intrinsic academic motivation in junior high school students. Conclusions The present findings suggest that decrease in capacity for verbal memory is associated with the prevalence of decrease in intrinsic academic motivation among junior high school students.

The present study examined gender differences in kindergarten students' ability for behavioural self-regulation and executive function in East Japan. One hundred and eleven 5-year-old children were assessed on behavioural self-regulation, inhibitory, and working memory tasks (direct measurement). Children's responses to the teacher's instructions were video-recorded and analysed (class room observation). Teachers assessed behaviour problems in the classroom. Results demonstrated that, while there were no significant gender differences in direct measurement or classroom observations, there were gender differences in teachers' evaluation of social problems, attention problems, and aggressive behaviour, with girls demonstrating lowere levels of problem than boys. These results suggest that teachers' evaluation of behavioural problem could be biased by gender. Possible reasons for this discrepancy were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]