Japan: GIS-Enabled field research and a cellular phone gis application in secondary schools

Abstract

Japanese secondary schools are divided into lower secondary schools (Grades 7-9) and upper secondary schools (Grades 10-12). Although education is compulsory through the lower secondary level, the advancement rate in upper secondary has been greater than 95% since the early 1990s. The content of education in Japan is defined in the "National Curriculum Standards" (Gakushu Shido Yoryo) set by the government. For primary and secondary education, three national curriculum standards have been issued for elementary, lower secondary, and upper secondary levels. Only textbooks screened and approved by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology can be used.