Q&A Answers to FAQs from teachers and administrators

Comprehensive survey on career education, guidance and counseling

What are the positive effect of career counseling?

Data shows that

The schools that successfully enhanced students’ motivation
to learn are often taking advantage of career counseling.

Career education enhances students’

Effects of career counseling - from the Survey results -“Motivation to Learn”

The Survey revealed that junior high schools recognizing the
Implemention rate of career counseling at school whereenhancement of their students’ motivation to learn throughstudents’ motivation to learn has been enhanced
career education more often offer career counseling(Second Phase Report P66). Similarly, senior high schools(general courses, specialized courses and integrated
courses) that observed the enhancement of their students’Junior highGeneral-course Specialized-course Integrated-course
motivation to learn are more often implementing career
schoolssenior highsenior highsenior highschools
schools
schools
counseling (Second Phase Report P95-97).
On the other hand, the proportion of elementary schools thatoffer or include career counseling in their annual teaching plan are extremely low (Second Phase Report P18, First Phase Report P118
and 223).

Career counseling implementation rate

Elementary
schoolJunior highschoolSenior highschoolCareer counseling is guidance and support provided personally or in a group so that students can choose their career based on their own
will and responsibilities. Currently, however, it is narrowly understood as “consultation (dialogue) for career decisions immediately after
graduation” and its importance is not fully recognized.

cheAnswers

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Cruxes for career counseling
Fostering the independence of students through skillful communication in daily conversation is one of the good practices taking
advantage of career counseling.
For example, when 1st graders water morning glories at Kaizuka Municipal Higashi Elementary School, Osaka Prefecture, teachers ask
them questions such as “what flowers do you wish to grow?” and “what do you need to do for that?” with a view to facilitating theircareer development. As a result, students have learned to water flowers on their own initiative with foresight, a sense of purpose andresponsibility. This is also an example of career counseling.
You can provide career counseling in daily conversation with students without taking special time for consultation. It is important to havea perspective to enhance personal supports through career counseling.

[Experts who havecontributed to thispublication]*The titles are as of February 2014

[Secretariat]

Inoue, Kanami
Oda, Satoshi

Chief Teacher, Tokyo Metropolitan Oji Sogo Senior High School
Supervisor of Teachers, Educational Cooperation Promotion Office, Boardof Education, Sendai City
Kawasaki, Tomotsugu Professor, Faculty of Sociology, Kansai University
Sato, Manabu
Chief Teacher, Tokyo Metropolitan Adachi Ward Rokugatsu Junior HighSchoolSorimachi, Kyoko
Fujita, Teruyuki
Matsui, Kenji
Mochizuki, Yuki
Rokutanzono, Rumi

Principal, Chiba Municipal Omiyadai Elementary School
Professor, Faculty of Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba
Professor, Faculty of Education, Niigata University
Associate Professor, Student and Career Support Center, Ochanomizu University
Senior Teacher, Tokyo Metropolitan Nakano Ward Nakano Junior High School

Yorimoto, Yuiki
Hitomi, Tatsuya
Osada, Toru
Taki, Mitsuru

Tateishi, Shinji
Kurokawa, Shogo
Tanaka, Yoko

Researcher, Guidance and Counseling Research Center
Senior Specialist for Curriculum, Guidance and Counseling Research Center
Unit Chief, Guidance Unit, Planning Division, Guidance and Counseling ResearchCenterDirector, Guidance and Counseling Research Center
Head, Planning Division, Guidance and Counseling Research Center
Senior Researcher, Guidance and Counseling Research Center
Senior Researcher, Guidance and Counseling Research Center

Edited and published by Guidance and Counseling Research Center, National Institute of Education Policy Research of Japan,
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology March 2014

Guidance and Counseling Research Center, National Institute of Education Policy Research of Japan,
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology / March 2014 (Translated in January 2015)

Career education is important both for current learning and future career
Teaching the risks and difficulties students may
have to face in their future life is also an important role of career education.

Career education that enhances “motivation to learn”
What relationship do you think may exist between career educationand daily teaching?
I thought career education and daily teaching are carried out separately. Is there any relationship between them?
I’m afraid that career education could disrupt my concentration on teaching.

Guidance and counseling in career education are expected to cover not
only direct career paths after graduation but also the near and far future
for the students.
The Survey shows that the students and their guardians also wish for
this.
Life in a society where students will participate is not all roses. They may have to face various difficulties.
Foreseeing such realities in the social situations, junior and senior high school students want to know how
to respond to the risks that they might face in their future life.

Career education improves the students’ attitudes towards learning. I think they have a positive
relationship to each other.

The Survey shows that the schools implementing career education
based on a solid planning are experiencing an improvement in
students’ motivation to learn!

[What they wish to have learned to plan and prepare for their future life and career]
Proportion of students choosing “response to leaving or losing a job and other potential
risks in their future life”
Survey forjunior highschoolstudents

Recognition rate of improved motivation to learn among students

Not
sch only sjuni ool stu enior
anx or hig dents highious h stb
abo uden ut also
ut t ts aheir refutu
re.

Survey forsenior highschoolstudents

2nd among 17 answer options

3rd among 17 answer options

Elementary
schools(First Phase Report P175-291)

And

Not only junior and senior high school students

Juniorhigh schools

But also the majority of their guardians (54.8% and 61.5% of theguardians of junior high and senior high school students, respectively)
expect guidance on how to respond to future risks.

(First Phase Report P188 and 304)

Seniorhigh schools

It is needless to mention the importance of guidance and counseling focusing on advancing to higher
education and getting a job. It is essential for students of junior and senior high schools to decide where
they will be active directly after graduation.
However, it is also important for them to have a mid- to long-term perspective including how to address
potential risks in the future.
●This brochure has been created based on the results of a national survey on career education.

*Here, “recognition rate” refers to the proportion of the schools whose administrators answered “students’ motivationfor overall learning is enhanced through the implementation of career education.”

Schools where career education
planning is at a lower level

Schools where career education
planning is at a medium level

Schools where career education
planning is at a higher level(First Phase Report P43)

It is important that students find a meaningful relationship between their learning in school and their future
career through career education, which will fuel their motivation to learn. It is also important that students
solidly acquire what they are learning on a daily basis so that they can use what they have learned insociety in the future.
For the detail of the relationship between career education and enhancement of the motivation to learn,
see P04-05 (elementary schools), P06-07 (junior high schools) and P08-11 (senior high schools).

Name of the survey: Comprehensive survey on career education, guidance and counseling
Survey period: October to November 2012
Sampling method: selecting participants from public schools under the jurisdiction of prefectures and ordinance-designated cities
Cooperation: we appreciated the cooperation of schools (995 elementary, 500 junior high and 993 senior high schools), classroom/homeroom teachers (1,681
elementary, 950 junior high and 1,978 senior high school teachers), students (4,179 elementary, 4,235 junior high and 4,660 senior high school students), guardians(4,008 elementary, 3,931 junior high and 4,259 senior high school student guardians) and graduates (1,503 junior high and 1,169 senior high school graduates).
For details of the survey results, see the following two reports:
First Phase Report: http://www.nier.go.jp/shido/centerhp/career_jittaityousa/career-report.htm (In Japanese)
Second Phase Report: http://www.nier.go.jp/shido/centerhp/career_jittaityousa/career-report_2.htm (In Japanese)Career education in elementary schools
Career education leading to enhancement of “motivation to learn”– setting concrete goals with priority –Providing opportunities to recognize
Example the importance of learning

Classroom teachers are more actively working on career educationin the schools where students’ motivation to learn has beenenhanced.
The Survey shows that setting concretegoals with priority in an overall plan andannual teaching plans of career
education leads to the enhancement ofstudents’ motivation to learn.
*” Students’ motivation to learn has beenenhanced” means that the school
administrators and classroom teachers “findthe enhancement of the students’ motivation
to learn through implementation of career
education.”

Implementation rate in schools reporting thatthe students’ motivation to learn…

Efforts by classroom teachers
Elements of career education practices

has been enhanced

Let’s state clear and concrete goals with priority both in overall and annual plans for career
education to facilitate active practices at your school. It is essential to create awareness of theimportance of learning for the realization of future prospects and goals.
For example, there are schools inviting people in the local community to give speeches for the
students so that they can understand the meaning of learning and working and set concretegoals for their future.

has not beenenhanced

I see!
conne It is import
ct go
als to ant to
pract
ices.

Becoming a good listener to others withdiverse opinions
Taking up things that may not fit in with
one’s forte

Example In Math classes and Periods for Integrated Studies

Conveying opinions and feelings tosomeone in a manner that the person caneasily understand
Understanding the meaning of learning andwork, and recognizing the relationship between
learning at school and life in the future

In Math classes(Second Phase Report P34)

Practicing career education at your school taking advantage of“the treasure within”

An example ofeffective method

Develop competency of personal relations and group/society formation
as well as task management competency through activities such aspair and group works.

Recommended
practices●In the process of pair work, let’s encourage students to explain the

According to data, more schools implement career education and place such programs into planned curricula.

Looking at the implementation rate of career education by category of curriculum
Moral
Education,
Classroom
Activities

Period forIntegrated
Studiesmeanings of arithmetic expression as well as the reasoning behindthe formulas to each other, rather than simply having them read out
the expressions they wrote in their notebooks.
●In the group work, encourage students to listen to the explanationsof their friends while finding the good points and also comparing
them with their own ideas.

In Periods for Integrated Studies: “Discover yourself today and in the future”(for 5th and 6th graders)Academic
subjects

Frequently implemented career education programs are
School visits/tours or one-day experiences at juniorhigh schools, and briefing sessions of junior highschools for prospective students

An example ofeffective method

Help students develop career-planning and self-understanding/management competencies throughinteractions with people of different ages when exploring their own futures.

Recommended
practices●To help elementary school students gain a perspective on their future and encourage them to reflect onthemselves, let’s hold job-experience presentation sessions by junior high school students at the elementary
school site.

(First Phase Report P70)

More personal support activities needed through career counseling(dialogue with students)
The implementation rate of career counseling is not improving because its merits and necessity are not understood by many elementary
school teachers. In order to facilitate career development, it is important to provide career counseling that supports self-reliance andencourages future independence according to the students’ developmental stages from elementary school level onward.

Career counseling practices in career education are…
Properly placedin our annual
teaching plan

Actually
implemented at
our school

Do not know how
to implement
them(First Phase Report P58, 83 and 86)

Example Dialogue valuing thoughts and feelings of each and every student
Put effort into “personal support” that values the feelings of each student throughcounseling (dialogue) while building rapport in accepting atmospheres.
For example, some elementary schools hold the “Halfway Coming-of-Age Ceremony”
celebrating age of ten for 4th graders. In the preparation process, teachers canencourage students through discussions (dialogues) to positively look back on their pastlife with gratitude to others such as family members and close friends, and help thembuild perspectives on their future careers.

Career education in junior high schools
Implementing career education across the school
Example Takatsuki
Municipal 4th Junior High School District, Osaka Prefecture

Career education leading to enhancement of “motivation to learn”

School-wide promotion of career education will enhance students’motivation to learn.
Careeimpa r educatiocto lea t also on n has an
the m
rn!
otivation

Recognition rate of improved motivation to learn
by implementation status of career education

A part of living environment studies in the 1st and 2nd grades of elementary school and periods for integrated studies in the 3rd to 9th
grades (corresponding to 3rd grade in junior high) are combined to form an original subject: “Our Life Today and in the Future.” By
harmonizing multiple subjects to take advantage of the essence of special activities and career education on the basis of the periods for
integrated studies, the district aimed to enhance learning deeply connected to the realities in society. As a result, students havedeveloped positive attitudes towards classes and improved their academic achievements.

Educational Features of “Our Life Today and in the Future”
Connect “learning at school” to “society” in order to make the learning more realistic.
Promote students’ active participation in learning.

I see.

Help students acquire how to learn and live, through the learning cycle “S-RPDCA*” .
Schools at lower
implementation level

Schools at average
implementation level

Enhance the learning contents through consistent efforts throughout nine years incooperation among elementary and junior high schools.

School at higher
implementation level(First Phase Report P23)

The figures above show the relation between the level of career education of the school and the proportion of the schools whose
administrators answered “students’ motivation for learning in general is enhanced through the implementation of career education”(recognition rate). You can see that the higher the level of the school’s career education, the more likely it is that the administrators
realize the enhancement of students’ motivation to learn.
In order to enhance students’ motivation to learn, it is important to promote school-wide career education.

Career education embedded in daily activities including individual subjects
So, itto co is importannectnactivit t
ies!

Activities that the students think “were helpful for thinking
about the paths directly after graduating junior high school
and the way they will live in the future”
Daily classes on
various subjects

Extracurricular activities
such as club activities

Classroom duties, student
committee activities and otherdaily activities
Classes

Extracurricul
ar activities

Student
committee
activities(First Phase Report P173)“Pragmatic exploration concerning lifestyle and career” is an important goal of career education in junior high schools. It is important forteachers to recognize that through daily activities in school, students not only learn knowledge and skills but also acquire basic andgeneral competencies.
However, efforts in career education in daily activities tend to become “fragments.” To avoid this, each school is
expected to identify the skills to develop and advance efforts connecting daily classes, extracurricular activities,classroom duties, student committee and other activities. It is also found that “enhanced workplace experiences nurture
students’ willingness in daily life” (Second Phase Report P61 and 62). Connecting individual education activities with thepractice of career education is a key in formulating a teaching plan.

Awareness raising and class improvement through teachers’ acquiring social
participation skills*Learning cycle originally developed by the school district
R-phase (Research: research and expand thinking) is added to the PDCA cycle and emphasis
is placed on returning to S-phase (Standing: serene reflections on the relationship between
the task and yourself) at each stage of RPDCA in order to raise problem awareness,
problem-solving skills, and motivation to learn among students.

worksheets to connect daily activities
Example Using
Kashima Municipal Hirai Junior High School, Ibaraki Prefecture
After identifying activities concerning career education in its annual teaching plan, the schoolgroups them according to the basic and general competencies and sets the goals forstudents in each category of the competencies.
The school ensures a systematic approach by formulating the annual teaching plan for each
grade, making much account of the interrelationship among various subjects with intentional
focus on connecting the “fragments” of career education.

Creattalk a ing schoolsexpre bout “goa where allconne ssions is t ls” using u teachers
he
n
cting
daily first step ified
activitoies. fKeeping a record of daily activity to reflect on each day
Have students reflect on themselves so that they can make efforts toward the next goals.

Utilization of career sheets
Students set their personal goals before a school event and look back on the acquired skills from the perspective of career
education afterward, so that they can take advantage of the experience for their daily school life and future events.

Career education in senior high schools
Career education leading to enhancement of “motivation to learn”– systematic planning and practice –The schools where students’ motivation to learn has been enhanced
are often those that plan and implement “systematic career
education.”
Senior high schools where “students’ motivation to learn has been enhanced*” implement the following practices much more often thanthose with negative recognition regarding the motivation.

Cooperation with guardians and other adults, and assessment
concerning implementation

Generalcourses

Current status of career education
Elements of career education practices

Implementation rate in schools reporting that the students’ motivation to learn…
has been enhanced

has not been enhanced

Involvements of adult membersof local community
Guardians’ understanding
and cooperation

Securing of time, cooperation among teachers, and guardians’
participation

Elements of career education practices

Active use of the “Period for Integrated Studies”

Let’s take advantage of the essential qualities of the Period for Integrated Studies. By introducing crossover and comprehensive tasks that
require interdisciplinary systematic learning and applying student-centered approaches such as research activities, workshops anddiscussions, you can help students recognize “the necessity of learning” beyond the boundaries of subjects where the majority of learning
occurs according to the respective textbooks.

“Will Project” in Noshiro Senior High School, Akita Prefecture
The school has developed systematic career education throughout its entire education activities, placing the “Will Project”(the original name for the Period for Integrated Studies) as the central core. Every student experiences the internship by theend of the 2nd year (corresponding to 11th grade) so that he/she becomes familiar with the actual situations of an
occupation he/she may be involved in after graduating from the post-secondary education institution such as a university.
The school also expects the internship to provide students with various experiences for developing skills and attitudes
necessary to positively choose their own future paths.

Implementation rate in schools reporting that the students’ motivation to learn…
has been enhanced

Opinion of a guardian: What do you feel about the Will Project?
I think it is a wonderful project leading students to learning with purpose beyond mere preparation for entrance examinations.
Systematic efforts throughout the 3-year curriculum provide students with opportunities to imagine their future. I also feel myson’s emotional growth. (an 11th grader’s guardian)

has not been enhanced

Teachers’ understanding and cooperation

Specialized
courses

Adequate time allocation
Guardians’ understanding and cooperation(Second Phase Report P92)

Integrated
courses

Teachers’ information-gathering and instruction skills, andassessment concerning implementation

Current status of career education
Elements of career education practices

I see.

I can now think about not only what kind of occupation I want to be involved in, but also what I want to realize throughmy professional career, and what contribution to make to society. This also made me think what I should do now forthat purpose.
(Second Phase Report P91)

Current status of career education

Generalcourses

Feedback from a student: What growth did you recognize in yourself through theactivities of the Will Project?

Assessment on implementationof career education plans

Specialized
courses

Example Connecting career education with students’ motivation to learn

Implementation rate in schools reporting that the students’ motivation to learn…
has been enhanced

has not been enhanced

Collection and proper use of information on
career education by teachers
Assessment on implementation of career
education plans
Teachers’ participation in in-service training
programs regarding career education(Second Phase Report P93)

* “Students’ motivation to learn has been enhanced” means that the school administrators and classroom teachers “find theenhancement of the students’ motivation to learn through implementation of career education.”

Showing students the relationship between general and specialized
subjects

In specialized subject classes, explain the relationship with general academic subjects by indicating the concrete name of the subject: forexample, “You need the knowledge of XXX (name of a specific subject) to solve the problem.” In this way, you can help students understandthe importance of general academic subjects in order to acquire the knowledge necessary for an occupation through specialized subjects.
This requires systematic efforts including information exchange between teachers of general and specialized subjects.

Integrated
courses

Ensuring solid understanding of the meaning of learning through thesubject: “Industrial Society and Human Beings”

Answering to the question, “why we have to learn” leads to answering questions such as “why we work” and “what we need to acquire forour future life.” You can motivate students to learn by talking about the necessity of learning while making them seek their own way of life
and to find meaning in life in classes of “Industrial Society and Human Beings.”

Encourage efforts by teachers by developing an overall plan in light of the activities necessary for theschool, and proceed with the plan with the cooperation of various stakeholders and external organizations.
Given that the practice of career education can improve the motivation to learn, it is necessary to ensurecommon understanding by all teachers that career education is closely related to the overall learning in thesenior high school.

Career education in senior high schools
Example Practices for productive internship

Internship that leads to enhancement of “motivation to learn”

By combining internship with advance and follow-up
guidance, you can improve its effect to enhance themotivation to learn.
Students’ efforts and results of career education
with or without teacher’s implementation of
guidance before and after internshipEffect on the students

Generalcourses

Proportion of classroom teachers who feel the effects
Teachers WITH sufficient
implementation of guidance before
and after internship

Teachers WITHOUT sufficient
implementation of guidance before
and after internshipStudents are seriously
thinking about their way oflife and future paths

Systematization in cooperation with local companies

Matsuyama Technical Senior High School, Ehime Prefecture, set up a technical educationcommittee in cooperation with local companies and is working to develop human resources
who will be active in the community through initiatives to learn specialized knowledge andskills according to the local needs.
The school offers a variety of workplace experiences according to the respective
characteristics of the courses within, such as company tours (1st year), internship (2nd year)
and dual system (3rd year). These programs are among its systematic effort to help
students develop desirable attitudes concerning work and occupations.

Students’ motivation to learn
in general has been enhanced(Second Phase Report P89)

In order to enhance the outcome of internship
About 60% of classroom teachers are implementing internship and other experience
activities related to future occupation, which indicates the expansion of the activities.
Especially teachers who provide sufficient guidance before and after internship are more
likely to feel the effects on the students’ efforts and achievements in career education.
Internship itself is already effective but careful implementation of advance and follow-up
guidance, including reflections on various experiences during the internship such ascommunications with adults, encourages students’ learning related to their future
employment and advancing to higher education. The Survey results revealed that it not only
improves students’ attitudes towards career education but also enhances their motivation tolearn in general.

All 2nd-year students (corresponding to 11th graders) of Inagawa Senior High School, Hyogo
Prefecture, participate in a 3 to 5-day internship. Students find the place of their internshipwith a coordinator according to their occupational interests. The school aims to help
students develop career planning, self-understanding and self-management competencies
and attitudes concerning work and occupations. To achieve the goal, the school conducts
good advance guidance (e.g. activities using worksheet for self-understanding, schedulemanagement, task lists) and follow-up guidance (reflection through group work and othercommunicative approaches).
With careful and considerate approaches to the accepting enterprises, the school
successfully has created the shared understanding of helping students grow both at worksites and in the school, and increased the positive recognition of the internship.

Specialized
courses

Students are actively tacklinglearning related to career
education

Strengthening coordination with the accepting enterprises througha considerate approachBoostby ad the effectfollow vance and s
-up g
uidan
ce!

Integrated
coursesInternship based on the students’ initiative

2nd-year students at Hita-mikuma Senior High School, Oita Prefecture, engage in a“self-produced internship” during summer vacation. Students handle almost everything on
their own initiative starting from the selection of and request to the workplace, negotiation of
the internship content, self-management during the internship, and sending of a report anda letter of thanks up to the creation of presentation materials. Teachers stay behind thescenes providing appropriate guidance while monitoring their progress.

Follow-up
guidance
Internship

Advanceguidance

Internship not only nurtures students’ independence but also other skills in a composite way because they
can test their skills to be active in the society and the working world.
After the internship, it is important to share information and check the student’s career goal throughhomeroom activities and grade-wide/course-wide presentation sessions. Internship not only improves
students’ attitudes towards career education but also enhances their motivation to learn in general.

Q&A Answers to FAQs from teachers and administrators

Q&A Answers to FAQs from teachers and administrators

Why do we need an overall plan?

What are the effects ofexperience-based activities
related to career education?

Because an overall plan enhances the outcomes of career education byfacilitating the efforts and guidance by classroom teachers. Also, itstrengthens the students’ motivation to learn.

They are effective for increasing students’ awareness of occupations,nurturing a positive attitude in daily life and making them think seriously
about their way of life and future paths.

Effects of overall plans – from the Survey results –Effects of experience-based activities – from the Survey results –The Survey revealed that schools with solid teaching plans for career education more often found the enhancement of students’motivation to learn through implementation of career education (P2 of the brochure).
Elementary schools: The overall plan encourages classroom teachers to make efforts for career education (Second Phase Report P26)
Junior high schools: Priority goals help students have proactive attitudes towards career education (Second Phase Report P54)
Senior high schools: The overall plan incorporating actual conditions and evaluation plans facilitates guidance by classroom teachers(Second Phase Report P82)

The Survey revealed that experience-based activities have an impact on various aspects.
Elementary schools: occupational awareness of students is higher in the schools implementing visits, tours, experience-based learningand advance/follow-up learning compared with schools not implementing them (Second Phase Report P30 and 31)
Junior high schools: In the schools actively implementing work experience and emphasizing advance/follow-up guidance,(1) Students are more active in daily life,(2) more aware of the relevance to the future job when choosing senior high schools, and(3) more strongly wish to choose their senior high school based on multilateral considerations (Second Phase Report P61-64)
Compared with students of other schools
Senior high schools: classroom teachers providing full advance/follow-up guidance are more likely to feel that their students arethinking seriously about their way of life and career, and have an enhanced motivation to learn including career education programs
and learning related to their future paths (Second Phase Report P89).

Cruxes in formulating an overall plan

Implement experience-based activities considering the following points so as to enhance the effects of career education.

Grasp the actual
condition of thestudents
Express in language what you feel tobe your students’ strong and weak
aspects.
The starting point of an overall plan is
to grasp the current situation of thestudents through questionnaire survey,
interviews, etc. and ensure a common
understanding of it among all schoolstaff.

Clarify the goals forstudents to achieve

Create anevaluation plan.

The next step is to clarify the career
education goals - what students
should be able to do through career
education programs - based on theschool’s entire education goals andgeneral priority goals of each grade,with due consideration to the wishesof guardians and teachers.

In order to find the outcomes of and tomap out further improvement
strategies for specific efforts in the
career education programs, it isimportant to create an evaluation planusing self-evaluation methods andportfolios.

Check issues concerning the overall plan. The Survey revealed that the proportion of schools that specifically describe an “evaluation
plan concerning the results of career education” in their overall plan is very low for all school categories: 8.2% (elementary school),
11.5% (junior high school) and 20.7% (senior high schools). Formulate an overall plan that include the evaluation plan.
The Survey found that the proportion of senior high schools describing the “actual conditions and wishes of guardians and community”
and “teachers’ wishes” is also low. Try to formulate a plan according to the characteristics of the respective courses within your school,
and actual conditions of the students and the community.

Cruxes for experience-based activities
Active implementation of workplace experiences is a key
for enhancement of students’ motivation to learn(Second Phase Report P24).
As you can see in the figure, students’ motivation tolearn tends to be enhanced with the increased numberof days of workplace experience. Similar effects are
expected from senior high school internship.
The Survey results attested to the idea that “you are
nervous on the 1st day, learn things on the 2nd day, getused to things on the 3rd, think on the 4th day and are
moved on the 5th day” which has been said from1990’s, the initial stage of career education in Japan.
The motivation to learn is enhanced because students
think and are emotionally moved through theexperience.

Recognition rate of improved motivation to learn of 2nd
graders by number of days of workplace experienceMotivenha ation to lenin the ced with arn isof exp number o the increa
se
f
erien
ce ac days
tivitie
s!

One
day

Two
days

Three
days

Four
days

Five
days

Six daysor more*Here, “recognition rate” refers to the proportion of the schools whose
administrators answered “students’ motivation for overall learning is enhanced
through the implementation of career education.”

Q&A Answers to FAQs from teachers and administrators

Q&A Answers to FAQs from teachers and administrators

Do we need in-service teacher training for career
education? How should we implement training
programs at our school?

How should we carry out
evaluation of career education?

Improvement of instruction skill is widely recognized to be an importantfactor for appropriate implementation of career education.
Start from workshops and presentation sessions of practice reports.

Look not only at implementation output but also at the outcome of your career
education efforts such as multifaceted changes and growth in students.
The results should be used to improve the programs and the practices at yourschool.

Current situation of in-service teacher training – from the Survey results –Current situation of evaluation – from the Survey results –In this Survey, the proportion of classroom teachers positively
answering “enhancement of my instruction skills throughparticipation in in-service training concerning career education” is“very important” for appropriate implementation of career
education in the future was very high at 91.1% for elementary
school teachers, 92.5% for junior high school teachers and89.5% for senior high school teachers (First Phase Report P87,
154 and 264).
On the other hand, the proportion of the schools “notimplementing in-service teacher training on career education” is
54.4% of the elementary, 38.7% of the junior high and 34.6% of
the high schools (First Phase Report P119). This result highlighted
the fact that in-service teacher training on career education is still
far from prevalent.

The Survey revealed that many classroom and homeroom teachers “recognize the importance of evaluation in career education but do
not know how they can actually implement.”

Not implementing training

Junior high schools

Senior high schools

The imof tra portancerecog ining is
nized
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Cruxes for evaluation
The central role of the evaluation is to grasp the level of goal achievement by using appropriate indices. Cruxes for evaluation in career
education are as follows:

Here are two tips to start training for schools without the experience of holding in-service teacher training sessions on career education.

Many of the materials concerning career education havealready been distributed to schools. Those developed by the
National Institute for Educational Policy Research are available
on the website of the Guidance and Counseling ResearchCenter. You can set up a free discussion session among
teachers using these booklets. In some schools, teachers havesuch sessions in staff meetings.
Also videos of lectures by the seniorspecialist on career education are
publicly available on the website of the
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports,
Science and Technology.

(93.5% of elementary schools; 96.0% of junior high schools; 93.4% of senior high
90% schools:)*(81.2% of elementary school teachers; 84.9% of junior high school teachers; 74.4% of
more than 70% senior high school teachers)*(33.2% of elementary school teachers; 34.9% of junior high school teachers; 31.0% of
more than 30% senior high school teachers)*

more than(*1: First Phase Report P75, 138 and 245; *2: P87, 154 and 264; *3: P86, 153 and 262)

Many
fail to schools
imple
ment
it

Cruxes for in-service training at school

Hold workshops among
teachers

Schools thinking that evaluation will become importantin the future
Classroom (homeroom) teachers feeling that evaluation
will become important
Classroom (homeroom) teachers having problems
regarding the lack of knowledge on evaluation methods

Elementary schools

Create opportunities for presentation
sessions of practice report
It is also effective to create some opportunities for reflections
on specific programs carried out in the school and/or on theentire efforts made throughout the year. The knowledge andawareness obtained through those occasions will be a key forthe improvement in the next year. These efforts can be a goodstart to create a PDCA cycle at your school. Another way of
training is to share information and learn from each otherthrough presentation
sessions of practices andimprovement efforts indifferent grade levels.

Just creating opportunities to share knowledge and experience among teachers will have ample effects even if you cannot invite an
external lecturer. For example, Itayanagi Junior high School, Aomori Prefecture, has held in-school workshops to review general education
activities from the perspective of career education. Through these efforts, the school has built school-wide collaboration for career
education by creating a common understanding among teachers.

Evaluation target:

Grasp the students’ growth and changes in their daily school lives.

When to evaluate:

Implement evaluation before and after specific program based on the annual
plan.

How to evaluate:

Develop “yardsticks” (evaluation indices) according to the purpose of theevaluation.

For the multifaceted evaluation:

Try to make a comprehensive evaluation by considering the background ofquantitative aspects of the changes in students.

Some schools and teaching staff carry out only “output evaluation” such as the days of implemented workplace experience, number ofspeeches given by adult members of local community, etc. However, there is a need for “outcome evaluation” looking at whether the
students acquired the desired abilities. It is important for each school to carry out evaluation according to its purpose to examine theresults of its career education and make improvement according to the actual situation.

Have we done what is supposed to be done?

Have our students acquired expected competencies?

Output evaluation

Outcome evaluation

Whether a 5-day workplace experience was
implemented.
Whether speeches by adult members of local
community were implemented.
Whether programs were carried out according to anannual plan of career education.

How the students have grown through the workplace
experience.
How students’ awareness has changed through the
speeches by adult members of local community.
How effective programs have had impacts on students
in terms of their career development.

I see,
evalu outcome
ation
is thecru

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