Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 4.3
Status of subject offerings and enrollment in Japanese History and Geography in Saitama
Prefecture
Japanese History subjects
Geography subjects
Student
enrollment (%)
Student
enrollment (%)
Year
Schools offering (%)
Schools offering (%)
2006
92.2 (177 schools)
75.1
83.4 (160 schools)
52.6
2009
95.0 (171 schools)
78.6
76.6 (138 schools)
49.7
Table 4.4
Number of G
eography and History teachers hired in Saitama Prefecture
Hiring Year
Total for
the period
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
World History
1
0
2
3
2
8
Japanese History
1
3
0
2
8
14
Geography
0
0
0
1
2
3
Yearly Total
2
3
2
6
12
25
Excludes those hired by special assistance schools
Table 4.5
Number of students taking exams in Geography and History and Civics in the National
Center exams for University Admissions
and choice ratios
2011
2012
Exam
takers
Choice
ratio (%)
Exam
takers
Choice
ratio (%)
Subject
World History B
88,303
16.7
91,139
17.3
Japanese History B
152,970
29.0
157,372
29.9
Geography B
113,769
21.6
132,528
25.2
Contemporary Society
177,843
33.7
105,570
20.1
Ethics
58,274
11.0
35,537
6.8
Politics and Economy
88,758
16.8
57,224
10.9
Ethics and Politics and Economy
-
-
49,601
9.4
Number of Main Exam Takers
527,405
526,311
Choice ratio = exam takers per subject/main exam takers × 100
Students could choose to take one subject exam from each of two categories,
Geography and History, and Civics. From 2012 onward, however, these two subject
areas have been combined into one group. This new Geography-History-Civics
subject gives students ten subjects from which to select two for the exam. Because
of this change, top national and public universities limit students from taking exams
for “A” subjects with two credits in Geography and History, and the subjects
Contemporary Society, Politics and Economy, and Ethics in the Civics category. As a
result, the choice ratios for Geography and History and Civics (number of students
taking each subject exam divided by the total number taking the general exam times
100) showed a large decline in the Civics subjects in the 2012 National Center exams,
compared with 2011 data. By contrast, the choice ratios showed a conspicuous
increase in Geography B within the Geography and History category (Table
4.5
).
