University of Tokyo

Abstract
Survey Number 0721
Survey Title Fact-finding Survey on University Student Life and Learning, 2008
Depositor Benesse Educational Research and Development Institute
(Former Name:Benesse Corporation)
Restriction of Use For detailed information, please refer to 'For Data Users' at SSJDA website.

- Apply to SSJDA. SSJDA's approval required.
Educational Purpose Available for both research and instructional purposes.
Period of Data Use Permission One year
Access to Datasets Download
Nesstar Not available
Summary This survey was conducted to capture university students’ attitudes and actual situation across all aspects of university student life, amid changes to the social circumstances and educational environment surrounding university students. This survey includes detailed questions for university students, who are the survey sample, and sets questions about basic attributes, such as gender/year in university/academic field of respondents’ major, as well as foundation type of the university, university’s location, entrance exam method, and the state of learning/entrance exams when the respondent was a high school student. A further characteristic is that the survey design focuses on the following four points.

1. University students’ attitudes/actual situation across all aspects of study/life: The survey asks broadly about the substance of university life in general, such as the number of days spent at university, attendance rate for classes, participation in extracurricular activities/club activities, situation of part-time (arubaito) job, and way of spending time outside of school and allows the state of university students’ lives to be captured broadly.

2. Relationship between learning and actual situation of living: The survey allows views of relationships between university students’ study behaviors/attitudes and realities of lives. Additionally, it allows university students’ study behaviors to be viewed in relation to their study behaviors and exam techniques up to high school.

3. Learning outcomes at university: the survey includes question items relating to learning outcomes at university, considering movements to ensure the quality of graduates and movements to create a framework to evaluate learning outcomes from university bachelor’s courses as shown through ministerial advisory councils, etc.

4. Comparison over time: The contents of the survey have been structured by selecting basic items for capturing university students’ learning/lifestyles in general, to allow comparison over time with surveys to be conducted in the future so that future changes in university students can be captured continuously.
Data Type quantitative research
quantitative research: micro data
Universe First- to fourth-year university students aged 18 to 24 years (excluding foreign students and students with experience of entering the workforce before starting univesity)
Unit of Observation Individual
Sample Size 4,070 people (Men: 2,439 Women: 1,631)
Date of Collection Early October 2008
Time Period
Spatial Unit Japan
Sampling Procedure From a monitored population of approximately 800,000 people, a sample was extracted at random from those fulfilling the conditions for the survey subjects, referring to the gender ratio and ratios of academic disciplines in the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology “2008 School Basic Survey (preliminary report),” and requested to fill out a questionnaire. The survey was concluded when the number of respondents reached 1,017 first-year students, 1,013 second-year students, 1,017 third-year students, and 1,023 fourth-year students.
Mode of Data Collection Internet survey
Investigator Benesse Corporation
DOI
Sponsors (Funds)
Related Publications (by the Investigator) Please refer to the abstract in Japanese.
Related Publications (based on Secondary Analysis) List of related publications (based on Secondary Analysis)
Documentation [Questionnaire]
Major Survey Items (1) Face items
Gender, grade, year in university, whether university is national, municipal, or private, university location, academic field closest to respondent’s major, discipline specialized in (humanities/sciences), type of residence, etc.

(2) Things relating to the time before entering university
Whether or not respondent took junior high school entrance exams, whether or not respondent took high school entrance exams, type of high school, location of high school, things respondent engaged in during high school years, actual conditions of learning in high school, when respondent began thinking about receiving university education, factors respondent valued when choosing a university, efforts made to prepare for university entrance exams, method of exam to enter university, level of desire to go to university, etc.
 
(3) University life
Level of satisfaction with university, activities for which respondent has made efforts in university life, number of days respondent commuted to university, state of participation in extracurricular activities/club activities, state of doing part-time (arubaito) job, commuting time to university, way of spending time outside of school per week, monthly income, etc.
 
(4) Study at university
Attendance rate for classes, state of learning at university, grades received at university, things acquired through university life (learning outcomes from university), etc.
 
(5) Future path after graduation
State of considering future paths, preparations for job-hunting activities/future path, view on society/view on work, relationship with guardians, etc.

*For details of survey items, please refer to the questionnaire.
Date of Release 2014/06/02
Topics in CESSDA Click here for details

Topics in SSJDA Education/Learning
Version 2014/06/02 :
Notes for Users Variable and value labels are written in Japanese.