Changes in Media Use in School Education and Home Learning Driven by the Progress of “GIGA School Concept"

The NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute has regularly conducted a series of nationwide surveys aimed at schools or individual teachers since 1950 to study the ongoing situations of the media environment at schools as well as to see the whole picture of the usage of NHK’s educational services such as broadcasting, the internet, and events. We surveyed primary school teachers in AY2021, as the “GIGA School Concept,” which implements “one-to-one device” and “high-speed internet connection” in an integrated manner, started on a full scale at primary and junior high schools across Japan.

Compared to the survey result in AY2018, when the “GIGA School Concept” was yet to be introduced, it is found that teachers with access to tablet computers at school have considerably increased (from 63% to 96%), along with the increase in those with access to the internet (from 87% to 98%).

More than 90% of teachers in total let pupils use personal computers or tablet devices distributed to each (“GIGA School devices”) in the classroom. Of those letting pupils use “GIGA School devices,” about 70% do so frequently, more than three or four times a week, and almost half of them let the pupils take the devices home for home learning.

As for how media materials are used in the classroom, there has been a drastic increase in the percentage of teachers using “NHK for School” (those who used NHK’s school broadcasts and/or NHK Digital Curriculum”), from 67% in AY2018 to 88%. Some teacher let the pupils use “digital textbooks for learners” along with “GIGA School devices” in the classroom, and a few let them use it for home learning.

We also asked teachers how they support pupils’ home learning. When asked about what kind of support they have been providing, while many (60% to 70%) cited “commercially available workbooks and handouts” and “print-version textbooks,” some provided support pupils receive at home using the internet, such as “the NHK for School website and official application” and “simultaneous interactive online teaching” for lessons and home learning, which are equipped with video conferencing, material sharing, and communication functions, were used by 86% of the teachers.

The implementation of the “GIGA School Concept” has largely changed the media environment in the classroom. If existing issues including the disparity in the media environment at home are solved in the near future, online learning at home will advance and change the nature and forms of home learning. It is necessary to consider the total design of learning support, taking into account both school and home learning including the usage of “digital textbooks for learners” and “learning support tools.”