Primary Geography Education in Japan: Curriculum as Social Studies, Practices and Teachers’ Expertise

Year 2015, Volume: 5 Issue: 2, 151 - 165, 31.08.2015

Takashi Shımura

Abstract

This
paper examines the status and relevant challenges in Japan’s primary geography
education system, from the perspectives of curriculum and levels of teachers’
expertise. Japanese elementary schools adopted the subject Social Studies in
the National Curriculum Standards. These emphasize geographical content and the
curriculum structure utilizing a regional geography approach. This research
study assessed the geography content included in Social Studies, as well as the
levels of teachers’ expertise. The study revealed that: 1) qualitative
difference in teaching activities depended on whether or not teachers majored
in Social Studies at teacher training college; 2) teachers who did major in
Social Studies tended  proactively to
develop their own customized teaching materials, and focused on emphasizing a
wide range of scholastic skill development in their lessons; 3) ensuring that
teachers had sufficient time to develop in meaningful educational opportunities
for students outside the classroom was a major issue; and 4) additionally, the
ability of teachers to develop these customized teaching materials is related
to whether or not they majored in Social Studies, especially geographical
matters directly. The study reveals a need to establish continued professional
development programs (CPDs), enhancement of geographical content in teacher
training courses, and geography as compulsory subject in the senior high school
curriculum, in order to increase the geographical expertise of primary teachers
in Japan. 

Keywords

Social Studies curriculum, elementary school, teacher education, local materials development, Japan

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