Teacher ShelleHigh school students 'lack self-confidence'
 The survey, released Thursday, was carried out by research foundation Hitotsubashi Bungei Kyoiku Shinkokai and the Japan Youth Research Institute. They polled about 7,200 high school students from Japan, China, South Korea and the United States from June to November. According to the survey, 36 percent of Japanese students think they are valuable people, the worst among the four nations. This compared to 89.1 percent of U.S. students, 87.7 percent of Chinese students and 75.1 percent of South Koreans. Asked if they are satisfied with themselves, positive responses were given by 78.2 percent of U.S. students, 68.5 percent of Chinese students and 63.3 percent of South Korean students. However, only 24.7 percent of Japanese students said yes. Meanwhile, the rate of U.S. students who said their parents think they are capable stood at 91.3 percent, which was followed by 76.6 percent of Chinese students and 64.4 percent of South Korean students. Japanese students again ranked last at 32.6 percent. "The ongoing difficult economy has made it difficult for [students] to see a future for themselves," said Hosei University Prof. Masaya Iwanaga, who was involved in the survey. source: The Yomiuri Shimbun |