Japanese less driven than teens in Korea, China (AFP) Updated: 2006-03-03 09:49
Japanese high-school students are less motivated in class and less ambitious
about the future than their peers in the United States, China and South Korea, a
Japanese survey found.
A Japanese survey found that Japanese
high-school students are less motivated in class and less ambitious about
the future than their peers in the United States, China and South Korea.
[AFP] | Japanese students' top concern is
being liked by others, while US and Chinese students hope to excel in their
studies and South Koreans most value being able to fulfill the tasks asked of
them.
The survey, released Wednesday by the Japan Youth Research Institute, also
found that Chinese and South Korean teens were more interested in Japan than
Japanese youth were in the other two countries.
"Japanese students say they will work hard but lack concrete ideas, while
Chinese and South Koreans said they will study hard in order to enter the
colleges of their choice," the institute said.
The survey was conducted from October through December, covering some 7,285
high-school students in the four countries.
Fewer than 41 percent of Japanese students said they cared about excelling in
class, compared with an overwhelming 83 percent of American teens, 80 percent of
Chinese and 67 percent of South Koreans.
Only 23 percent of those Japanese students surveyed said they were keenly
interested in their grades at school, compared with 37 percent in the United
States, 47 percent in South Korea and 50 percent in China.
Japanese students were also the most concerned with fashion, with 40 percent
interested in shopping compared with 37 percent in South Korea, 20 percent in
the United States and only 11 percent in China
"The survey paints an image of Japanese high school students being
pleasure-seeking, average-seeking and little motivated," the Asahi Shimbun
wrote.
The survey also found that 40 percent of Japanese students expressed an
interest in the United States, compared with only 10 percent who said they liked
China and 17 percent who liked South Korea.
In China, which has seen growing political tension with Japan, 25 percent
said they liked Japan, 34 percent were drawn to the United States and 47 percent
said they liked South Korea.
In South Korea, interest in both Japan and the United States registered at 24
percent, while only seven percent expressed a liking for
China.
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