Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
stage is held annually in mid-March. As of 2013, the championship has been held
seven times, and it has become fi rmly established as a geography education event
every spring (Izumi
2013
).
The Geography Olympiad Championship serves as a selection process for
Japanese contestants to enter the International Geography Olympiad that is spon-
sored by the International Geographical Union's Task Force. Its purpose is intended
to promote geography education in Japan by attracting high school students to com-
pete in multiple geography skills and abilities, including areas of knowledge and
concepts, thinking and judgment, and skills and expression. Simultaneously, stu-
dents demonstrate their geographical knowledge while competing at an interna-
tional scale, thereby highlighting the social value of geography. This is in contrast
to the rote learning in Japan.
When Japan competed in its fi rst international competition in 2007, there were
only twelve Japanese participants. Thereafter, the number gradually rose to 867 in
2013, and those who actually took the exams reached 782. This increase may be
attributed to numerous factors, including efforts at advertising the competition by
the executive committee. With the cooperation of other sponsors and support orga-
nizations, the competition was designated by the JST as a Science Olympiad, simi-
lar to those for biology or earth sciences. It was also supported by MEXT, which
together with JST support has dramatically increased the level of awareness about
the Geography Olympiad. This has led people involved in geography and geogra-
phy education from across the country to become members of the executive com-
mittee. They help set up exam centers and request local teachers to publicize the
competition, as well as encourage their own students to take the exams.
Exam takers come from across Japan, from Hokkaido to Okinawa. The national
attention given to the Geography Olympiad has contributed greatly to strengthening
ties between geography education supporters across the country.
The exams used in the championship selection process consist of two parts, a
multimedia test in the fi rst round and written response test in the second round.
Table
13.2
summarizes characteristics of the two parts.
After the championship competition, both parts are scored, data are aggregated,
and a total score calculated. Prize winners are decided from the top scores for gold,
silver, and bronze medals. From the gold medal winners, those with the highest total
scores and within the top four places in the English part of the exam are chosen to
represent Japan at the International Geography Olympiad. The awards ceremony is
in late March at the spring AJG general conference, with many association members
in attendance. Contestants are offi cially recognized as the representatives for Japan
after award certifi cates and supplementary prizes have been presented by the director
of the association.
The international competition comprises of the two exams mentioned earlier
and a fi eldwork exam. In the latter, teams of four students with mixed nationali-
ties perform a fi eld survey, then compile the results and present them orally. To
prepare Japanese contestants for the fi eldwork portion, geography education
leaders gather the student representatives in mid-June for a 2-day workshop.
There they receive practical guidance in fi eld survey methods that include fi eld
observation and interviewing, collecting materials, and methods of analyzing results.
