Relationship Between Teaching Methods and Favorite Subjects: The Case of Mathematics and English in Japan

As a result of the Programme for International Student Assessment in 2003 which revealed an extreme drop in Japan’s international education rank, various research on factors affecting students’ academic performance and motivation for learning has been conducted in Japan. However, research on the determinants of students’ favorite subjects is less-advanced, although the cognitive and non-cognitive skills acquired by studying favorite subjects has potential effects that may be maintained and expanded throughout the entirety of students’ lives. Therefore, using newly available data from the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, this pilot study analyzes the relationship between the teaching methods used by teachers and students’ favorite subjects with particular reference to mathematics and English. Empirical result show that the relationship between educational methods and the enjoyment of studying mathematics and English may not be strong. In addition, this study also confirmed that while some approaches are effective regardless of grade, the efficacy of other approaches changes by grade. A strategic placement of education methods employed by teachers is imperative in order to cultivate students’ interest in mathematics and English.