COMPARATIVE US/JAPAN VALUES PROJECT

Project Description (In Japanese)

              The Comparative Values Project seeks to identify those values that are common to the US and Japan and the values that are more important to each culture. This, in turn, may help us better understand some of the similarities and differences in our own culture and in the culture of another people.

Background

The Project began in the spring of 1998 when students from each country listed the values that they believed best characterize people in their country. Since many different values were mentioned by students in both countries, we took the 10 values most often mentioned and listed them below- followed by the number of students who agreed that each represented their society’s values.  

Five values were among the top 10 on the US and Japanese students' lists. Five values were among the top 10 on the US list but not on the top 10 of the Japanese list. Five values were among the top 10 on the Japanese list but not on the top ten of the US list.  See the table below.

Current Project (Approximate class time-1 hour)

Since our sample was rather small last year, we would like to repeat the study by collecting more data. This time, we would like students in both countries to collect data from adults. These may be family members, friends, teachers, or others.

Procedure and Timeline

            1. Introductory Discussion. Teachers should spend some class time defining values and discussing what it means to have certain values.  Also, discuss the results of last year's study, shown above. What do the similarities and differences between the American students' values and the Japanese students' values mean? What might it say about the two societies? After the discussion, teachers give each student a copy of the list of values with the questions to ask.  (Completed by February 15th)

2. Data Collection.   Students are to find two adults to interview, a female and a male. The student should hand the adult a copy of the Interview Guide (click here and print) with the list of 15 values. The student should then follow the directions on the guide. The adults will circle the five values that are most important. Students should then ask for the most important value and have the adult put a second circle around that value. Then the student should ask the adult why that value was selected as most important and record the reason or reasons given.  STUDENTS IN JAPAN MAY USE A COPY OF OUR JAPANESE INTERVIEW GUIDE AND MAY CONDUCT THEIR INTERVIEWS IN JAPANESE. After the results are recorded, please translate back to English before sending.  (Completed by March 1^st) 

            3. Data Recording. When the students have completed the data collection, the teacher should facilitate the CLASS DATA ENTRY FORM which record the number of times each of the 15 values was selected by males and by females. The Form should be filled out online here and submitted. Make sure to keep the data for males and females separate. Teachers may wish to hold a preliminary discussion of their own students' results.  Do not send the first choices or the reasons given for adult's first choice- we will ask you for this later. (Transmit data no later than March 15th)  

4. Data Posting. We will compile all of the data from all classrooms and post the data on the Web site.   We encourage teachers to lead a discussion of the results noting similarities and differences by gender and similarities and differences by nation. We will then ask you to send to us the reasons adults gave for the first choice selection but only for the top 5 values selected. We will post these results as well. (Data on Web site by April 1)    

5. Additional Optional Activities.  

  a. Optional Essay Contest  

We will invite any individual student who submitted data to enter an essay contest with a $100 prize for the best essay from each country. The essay must be in English. The ideas in the essays are most important and students will not be penalized for grammar or spelling. Students may work together in small groups and, if they win, will divide the prize money with their group. Students should select one of the five highest rated values and explain what that value means to their society. How do people live by that value? What does the value mean to people? How would people who have this value behave on a day-to-day basis? The essay should be no longer than 500 words. (We must have the completed essay by no later than April 30th)

  b. Optional Discussion Forum

  We will open a discussion forum for students from both countries to begin a dialog in this area and/or to discuss other things of interest. (Beginning April 1)  

Send any questions or concerns to:

Dr. Norman Shapiro

Project Coordinator

at: normanccny@aol.com