Investigation of the Current State of Special Needs Education in High School in Japan;

Abstract

The aim of this study is to reveal the present condition of special needs education in high schools in Japan. A total of 58 high schools in Yamaguchi Prefecture in Japan participated in this study. The results show that students with some difficulty in school life were enrolled in most high schools, and students diagnosed with mental illness and students needing support for foreign nationality were enrolled in some high schools. Furthermore, the following four characteristics of the current status of special support for students with special educational needs in high school in Japan were found. First, teachers in high school tend not to assess the characteristics and difficulties of students with objective indicators. Second, many high schools have not had sufficient cooperation with organizations outside the school. Third, many high schools did not fully consider accommodation for students with special educational needs in entrance and regular examinations and evaluations. Fourth, many high schools did not perform special-needsunderstanding education for other students.