Polymer Education in Japan

摘要

Education in Japan is segmented into 6 years of elementary school, 3 years of junior high school, 3 years of high school, and 4 years of university, with elementary and junior high education compulsory. Polymer education in Japan starts at the elementary school level, where the iodine-starch reaction is taught, typically as hands-on, experimental lessons in a science class. At the high school level, the concepts of “polymers” and “polymerization” are taught in chemistry class but not in detail. Details are treated as optional subjects in the curriculum and are not included in university entrance exams; students generally do not choose to spend much time and efforts on subjects that are not applicable to the exams. Polymer science is taught as an independent subject or an area of organic chemistry or material science at the university level.