This study is a conceptual replication of Teimouri et al.'s (2022) investigation into the validity of the second language (L2) grit scale (the L2-Grit scale). There are several concerns about the generalizability of the findings of Teimouri et al. (2022), especially regarding the discriminant validity of the scale and the relation of L2 grit with…

This paper conducts a theoretical examination of an evidence-based approach (EBA) to research on language policy and language-in-education policy (LPLEP), as well as a methodological examination of the feasibility of evidence-based LPLEP research based on actual studies. Theoretical scrutiny, based on EBA's core concepts--evidence hierarchy,…

Standardized testing is ubiquitous in Japan. Inexpensive and easily mass distributed, their use has been encouraged at every level of the education system. Over the past thirty years, external testing agencies have been increasingly relied upon to make standardized tests for use as benchmarks in the education system and in the private sector.…

Proof and proving are important components of school mathematics and have multiple functions in mathematical practice. Among these functions of proof, this paper focuses on the discovery function that refers to invention of a new statement or conjecture by reflecting on or utilizing a constructed proof. Based on two cases in which eighth and ninth…

Higher education systems are now in a global state of flux. Japan is no exception. The most persuasive framework for analyzing the basic structure and direction of change is the structural-historical theory of the American sociologist Martin Trow. This is a generalization of his "elite to mass to universal" based on first American and…

Teachers often raise a question that whether the lecture questionnaires are necessary or not. In this paper, we first show the recent statistical analysis for the official unsigned questionnaire evaluation results took in our faculty. We have found that: (1) the evaluation scores of lectures by students have been rising up year by year, which…

The primary purpose of this study was to provide preliminary validity evidence for a 140-item form of the Vocabulary Size Test, which is designed to measure written receptive knowledge of the first 14,000 words of English. Nineteen native speakers of English and 178 native speakers of Japanese participated in the study. Analyses based on the Rasch…

This article describes the National Center Test for University Admissions, a unified national test in Japan, which is taken by 500,000 students every year. It states that implementation of the Center Test began in 1990, with the English component consisting only of the written section until 2005, when the listening section was first implemented…

Our aim was to identify risk factors for falling and establish a method to assess risk for falls in adults with intellectual disabilities. In a cross-sectional survey of 144 Japanese adults, we found that age, presence of epilepsy, and presence of paretic conditions were independent risk factors. The Tinetti balance and gait instrument was…

The first Japanese "curriculum standards" for educational media/ICT in-service teacher training was announced by the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture in April 1973. Since then, the "curriculum standards" has been revised twice. The last revision was made in March 2006, based on the results of a preliminary study that…

To facilitate the interpretation of test scores from the new TOEIC[R] (Test of English for International Communications[TM]) speaking and writing tests as measures of English-language proficiency, we administered a self-assessment inventory to TOEIC examinees in Japan and Korea, to gather their perceptions of their ability to perform a variety of…

Although the Word Associates Format (WAF) is becoming more frequently used as a depth-of-knowledge measure, relatively little validation has been carried out on it. This report of two validation studies tackles various important WAF issues yet to be satisfactorily resolved. Study 1 conducted introspective interviews regarding students' WAF…

Japanese universities' total capacity to accommodate new entrants will reach 100% before 2009. Partly to attract students as "courted customers" (Kitamura 1997, 147), and, with a growing trend towards university accountability and assessment to meet the needs of homogeneously skilled students with diverse study backgrounds,…

In 1979, the Educational Testing Service (ETS) developed the TOEIC (Test of English for International Communication), an English proficiency test for people working in international environments, based on a request from the Japanese Ministry of International Trade and Industry. The Chauncey Group International, a subsidiary of ETS, currently…

Examines the traditional Japanese model of university teaching and compares it with the traditional model found in American universities. After a comparative analysis of both approaches, he discusses and raises questions about the feasibility of developing a truly universal methodology, given deep cultural differences and expectations. Describes…