Research Bulletin of the National Institute for Educational Research.

This bulletin contains English translations of two original research papers dealing with education in Japan. Summaries in English of research activities of the Japanese National Institute for Educational Research (NIER) are also included. The first research paper is a "Survey of Opinions Concerning the Reform of Compulsory Education." After World War II, the compulsory education system of Japan was reformed and converted into a six-year elementary school, three-year junior high school system. The survey points out that Japanese education needs to improve course content and teaching methods and to develop individualized instruction. The researchers also think that a gradeless system would be desirable. The second paper deals with "Aesthetic Education in Japan." A state of the art review on Japanese aesthetic education is presented and creativity development in fine arts education is examined. The major goal of Japanese fine arts education is to help children develop a rich imagination and flexible ideas. The research activities of NIER, which are summarized briefly in the last part of the bulletin, include the following: "IEA Second Math Study;" Basic Study on Promoting Development in Children Failing in Schoolwork;""Research and Development for Environmental Education Curriculum;""Evaluation of Problem-centered CAI Learning Programs for Upper Secondary Physics;" and "Language Expression and Concept Formation in Science Education." (Author/RM)