Japanese high school mathematics teacher competence in real world problem solving and its implication for the use of modeling to improve Japanese mathematics education

Purpose of this qualitative study is to obtain evidence of the competence of high school mathematics teachers in Japan to implement activities involving mathematical modeling in high school mathematics. Information is obtained through clinical interviews and self reported problem solving. Although the sample is small, the uniformity of preparations of Japanese high school teachers may allow findings to be indicative of a large population.;Problems of mathematical modeling were taken from American pre-calculus and first year calculus textbooks. All seven mathematics teachers of a Japanese public high school returned answers to the problems mailed to their principal, and four of them participated in the group interview conducted at the school. Opinions of other three teachers were collected by the school principal and given to the author over the telephone. The problem answers and the interview revealed these teachers to be competent in dealing with modeling problems even though they were not familiar with the concept of modeling. Teachers maintained study meetings, which coincidentally included modeling type problems, illustrating their inherent interest in modeling. One reason teachers do not teach modeling in class, despite their positive attitude, is that college entrance examinations currently do not include modeling problems.;As a possible tool to foster creativity, a major issue in Japanese mathematics education, mathematical modeling is recommended. A comparative study of mathematics classrooms in the United States, China and Japan shows that Japanese elementary school students are exposed to real world problems the most (Stigler & Perry, 1990). PISA, an international study, shows that Japanese fifteen year olds, students in the first year of high schools, are highly capable of applying mathematics to real-life situations. In addition to the students' readiness for the introduction of mathematical modeling indicated in those studies, this study indicates that teachers have the mathematical competence to learn and to teach mathematical modeling.;An overview and brief history of the Japanese education system and a sample of college entrance and teacher employment examination test questions are included.