Math Most Loved, Hated Subject for Japanese Students
Japanese primary and junior high school students chose math as both their most liked and most hated subject in a recent survey. The survey, by toy maker Bandai, was given to 900 students in grades one to nine.
About 25 percent of students said math was their favorite subject, followed by physical education, arts and crafts, Japanese, and music. On the other hand, 24 percent of students chose math as their least favorite subject, followed by Japanese, physical education, social studies, and English.
Math was the favorite subject among boys, while girls said it was their least favorite. Similarly, Japanese was the favorite subject among girls and the least favorite among boys.
According to the most recent data from the Program for International Student Assessment, Japanese 15-year-olds rank fifth among students in 70 countries for mathematics. They rank second in science and eighth in reading.
A 2015 survey by Japan's Education Ministry found that over 58 percent of third-year high school students don't enjoy studying English. But over 81 percent said they wished to speak English well enough for university entrance exams and for traveling to English-speaking countries.
Starting in 2020, Japan will make computer programming a required subject in primary schools, followed by junior high schools in 2021 and high schools in 2022.
When asked for their opinion, boys were mostly positive, saying it sounded "interesting" and "fun." Girls responded that it "seems difficult" and they "don't understand it well," although some said it would be "interesting" and "useful for the future." Very few girls said it sounded "fun."
