Children's activity space changing with school districts reformation in Japan

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K01860
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Childhood science (childhood environment science)
• Research Institution: University of Toyama
• Principal Investigator: Ohnishi Koji 富山大学, 人文学部, 教授 (10324443)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 児童 / 人文地理学 / 学校区 / 登下校 / GPS

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In Japan, population is decreasing and decreasing rate of children is rapidly. Owing to the children’s population decreasing, elementary and junior high school districts are reformed. The aim of this study is to clarify the school districts reformation effects on children. Some researches mentioned that the children’s adaptation on school depends on the distance from home to school. But there is no resent studies that mentioned like that. In local cities, parents often bring their children to and pick up their children from schools by private cars because the school districts become larger. Picking up and bringing to effects on children’s spatial activities. Children’s commuting activities are taken in by GPS. Through analyzing Children’s tracks of GPS, going to school tracks are not so different on each grades. But returning trip is different. We can estimate the dangers and safety of school routes by the data.

Free Research Field

人文地理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

これまで学校区という境界線をもつ空間が児童に与える影響については、これまで様々な議論がなされ、質的な側面から評価がなされてきた。それに対して、GPSを用いた量的なデータからこの事象を解釈できたのが本研究の学術的、そして社会的意義だといえる。また、このようなデータにより、通学路の危険や空間認識の促進のための地域づくりなど、様々な社会的課題に取り組む手がかりが得られた。