Japanese children’s perspectives on the

Title	A report about a practical application of a peer support activities at high school.
Author	MIchiyo Okada
Year & publisher	(2006) Japanese Annals of Peer Support.
Aims	To explore how peer support activities influence both peer supporters and pupils who used the peer support.
Type of Peer Support	After the training, peer supporter provide peer counselling and befriending.
Samples	Samples were 40 peer supporters from a high school
Method	By using the questionnaire survey, 40 peer supporters were questioned about peer support training and activities. (The study did not employ any statistical method).
Findings	The study found that in the peer counselling activities, users most often talked to peer supporters about “relationship with opposite sex”, then followed by “peer relationship” and “the career & study”. Also the study showed that when peer supporters were asked to inform the users’ gender and frequency of use in upper secondary school, more than half (24 out of 40) peer supporters refused to give information. Peer supporters motioned reasons as follows, “I can not tell specific person’s name”, “I do not want to tell”, “I am afraid it will discover who is user”, “I forgot it” and so on. Probably the peer supporters might have a strong sense of responsibly in terms of the clinical viewpoint, and they want to keep users’ information confidential.
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Title	Research on training of those who train peer support
Author	Shinji Kurihara & Hiromi Tsuyama
Year & publisher	(2006) Japanese Annals of Peer Support.
Aims	To explore teachers and researchers’ views on peer support training and their managements.
Type of Peer Support	n/a
Samples	Samples were 227 teachers and researchers from Japanese Peer Support Association. Response rate was 22% (n=50).
Method	By using the questionnaire survey, teacher and researchers were questioned about their experiences and management of peer support programme. The study employed t-test and factor analysis.
Findings	The study found that generally teachers felt more difficulties about management of peer support programme than did head and vice head teachers. Also the study showed that it is hard for teachers to obtain cooperation form other teachers. Regarding the benefits of peer support, most teachers mentioned that peer support encourage peer supporter’s mental and behavioural developments, and school climates were positively improved after the implements of peer support.
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Title	Memorial lecture “World view of Peer Support”
Author	Dr. Trevor Cole
Year & publisher	(2006) Japanese Annals of Peer Support.
Aims	n/a
Type of Peer Support	n/a
Samples	n/a
Method	n/a
Findings	n/a
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Title	A methodological study of effectiveness of peer support training for high school students 2
Author	Shoko Sakai, Kazuaki Kamachi, Kaori Oka & Kenichi Kodama
Year & publisher	(2007) Japanese Annals of Peer Support.
Aims	To explore the effectiveness of 4 research methods (i.e. pre- and post test, self-report method, case study method and evaluation) to examine the impacts of peer support programme.
Type of Peer Support	n/a
Samples	The selected 23 high school students who joined the peer support training.
Method	The peer supporters were questioned about their emotional and behavioural changes after the peer support training sessions. Also the evaluation of peer support was conducted by 5 school teachers. Pre- and post test, self-report method, case study method and evaluation were employed with using t-test and chi-square-test.
Findings	The study found that pupils, who received the training, significantly increased their scores in self approval, communication skills, providing support to others, and receiving support from others. Regarding the training, peer supports frequently mentioned positive feedbacks such as “it help me to understand how others feel”, “I could joyfully communicate with others in school”, and “I could understand myself”. Also teachers mentioned that most peer supporters improved their communication skills and they could actively take actions for creating caring relationships in daily life.
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Title	Some relations between the attitude to peer relationship and active listening, social skill. – the basic research on the university student’s peer support -
Author	Kazuki Kamachi, Shoko Iwakiri, Kaori Oka & Kenichi Kodama.
Year & publisher	(2007) Japanese Annals of Peer Support.
Aims	To deepen the knowledge of student’s psychological aspects for providing help to others.
Type of Peer Support	n/a
Samples	Samples were 237 university students (70 male, 139 female). The response rate was 88% (n=210).
Method	The university students answered various questionnaire surveys about their social skills and thoughts on caring others. The questionnaire surveys consist of “fellow feeling scale, peer relation scale, active communication scale, and social skill scale. The study employed ANOVA, factor analysis.
Findings	The study found that generally most university students were not willing to do a volunteer job. Also the study found that pupils who strongly worried about peer pressure, had comparatively lower scores in social skills and active communication skills. This seemed to mention that pupils who feel less peer pressure, tend to more actively communicate with others and also they have comparatively higher levels of social skills.
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Title	A study of the measurements of effects o peer support activities by PAC analysis
Author	Hironobu Konno & Tokuhiro Ikejima
Year & publisher	(2007) Japanese Annals of Peer Support.
Aims	To explore how the experience of being peer support give impacts on peer supporters.
Type of Peer Support	n/a
Samples	Samples were 13 university students (3 male, 10 female).
Method	PAC analysis was conducted before and after the peer support activities among peer supporters. Peer supporters were 13 university students and they joined supporting activities in secondary school. The study employed ANOVA.
Findings	The study found that through the supporting activities, university student could improve their ability to think about the background at a deeper level. After the supporting activities, university student could have wider views and they could use it for their daily life.
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Title	A study on the introduction of a peer support programme in a Japanese elementary school
Author	Chie Onuma & Koichi Takahashi
Year & publisher	(2007) Japanese Annals of Peer Support.
Aims	To explore how supporting activities influence children’s emotional and behavioural developments.
Type of Peer Support	After the training, all the year 6 pupils (11-12 year old) did activities together with nursery school children and younger primary school pupils. Types of Peer support were befriending and recreational activities.
Samples	Peer supporter; 104 year 6 primary school pupils (response rate was 85%; 88 pupils) Control group; 147 year 6 primary school pupils
Method	Pre- and post test was conducted before and after the peer support activities using 2 questionnaires; school satisfaction scale (Questionnaire – Utilities) and Kikuchi’s Social Skill Scale. The study employed ANOVA.
Findings	The study found that as to “school satisfaction”, peer supporter increased their scores after the peer support activities, but there was no significant difference between peer supporters and control group. Also as to “Social skill”, peer supporters significantly increased their social skill scores comparing control group. have comparatively higher levels of social skills.
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Title	A study of peer support programme with school counsellors and teachers in a junior high – From its start to the succeeding process -
Author	Fumikon Kamiya
Year & publisher	(2007) Japanese Annals of Peer Support.
Aims	To explore how peer support activities give impacts on peer supporter and users in school.
Type of Peer Support	Peer supporter; Select pupils in junior high school Types of peer support; befriending, having lunch together, greeting activities and peer counselling.
Samples	Peer supporter; 29 junior high school pupils (14 male, 15 female) User: 12 junior high school pupils.
Method	Questionnaire survey and interview were conducted after peer support activities. (The study did not employ any statistical test).
Findings	The study found that peer supporters frequently mentioned they could improve their communication skills and also cold gained confidence. Some peer supporter mentioned that they could understand others’ feeling, they could stop bullying, and they could have new friends in school. Generally users mentioned positive feedback, such as “I want to be a person like a peer supporter”.
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Title	A study o peer support in the two senior high schools – an effectiveness mainly from psychometric tests -
Author	Mitusyo Kondo & Makoto Sakai
Year & publisher	(2007) Japanese Annals of Peer Support.
Aims	To examines if there are any differences in peer supporters’ relationship skills and psychological aspects between before and after peer support training.
Type of Peer Support	Peer support training were mainly active listening skill and trust walk. Types of peer support were not specified.
Samples	Sample were 18 peer supporters (17 males and 1 females) and 21 pupils (20 males and 1 females) as a control group in an upper secondary school.
Method	Pre- and post-tests were conduced before and after the training. The study applied three scales; Relationship scale (Kokubu, 2003), Rosenberg’s self-esteem scale (Rosenberg, 1965) and General health questionnaire (GHQ) (Goldberg, 1978). The study employed ANOVA, Mann-Whitey test and Wilcoxon signed-rank test.
Findings	The study found that after the training and activities, peer supporters clearly increased their scores on both relationship skills and self-esteem. Also after the peer support activities, peer supporters clearly decreased their score on GHQ, and this seemed to indicate if the levels of relationship and self-esteem were improved, peer supporter’s mental health conditions were also improved.
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Title	Memorial lecture “School that supports Peer Support Programme”
Author	Shizuko Kameyama Barnes
Year & publisher	(2007) Japanese Annals of Peer Support.
Aims	n/a
Type of Peer Support	n/a
Samples	n/a
Method	n/a
Findings	n/a
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Title	Practice of a peer support programme that school nursing -teacher guides
Author	Mitsuyo Kondo & Makoto Sakai
Year & publisher	(2008) Japanese Annals of Peer Support.
Aims	To summarise the authors’ last two studies of peer support.
Type of Peer Support	n/a
Samples	n/a
Method	n/a
Findings	The study concluded that any types of peer support programme can be adapted to any kind of Japanese school.
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Title	Approach to peer support in a junior high school
Author	Hiyoshi Yamada
Year & publisher	(2008) Japanese Annals of Peer Support.
Aims	To report how teachers run the peer support activities in a junior high school.
Type of Peer Support	Exchange meeting between 6 grade primary school pupils and junior high school pupils (peer supporters).
Samples	Peer supporter; 6 female junior high school pupils. User: 6 grade primary school pupils (n = n/a). Teachers; the details are not specified.
Method	Questionnaire survey and self assessment about peer support programme. The study employed ANOVA.
Findings	The study found that most teachers had positive feedback on peer support activities. Users frequently mentioned that they could enjoyed the activities with junior high school pupils. Also through the activities, pupils could improve their social behaviours.
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