Author Information
Tomohiro Inagaki, Hiroshima University, JapanNaohiro Chubachi, Takasaki University of Commerce, Japan
Kazuki Kawamura, Tokyo International University, Japan
Yuko Murakami, Hiroshima University, Japan
Abstract
In Japan, the introduction of “Information I” into the Common Test for University Admissions in 2025, together with its adoption by many universities, marked a major shift in informatics education. This development followed the establishment of “Information I” as a compulsory subject in high school curricula under the revised Course of Study, implemented from the 2022 academic year. This systemic change is expected to reshape the information skills of incoming freshmen and necessitates an evidence-based redesign of general informatics education at universities. Using longitudinal results from the Information Placement Test (IPT) administered at Hiroshima University between 2022 and 2025, together with student-level response data from 2023, this study analyzes trends in correct, incorrect, and unknown responses. We demonstrate that a sharp improvement occurred between 2024 and 2025, accompanied by extremely large effect sizes (Cohen’s h). Student-level analyses further reveal that uncertainty (“unknown” responses) constitutes a distinct and more severe learning state than incorrect answers. Across all content areas, learning gains are driven primarily by reductions in uncertainty rather than by decreases in incorrect answers. These findings underscore the central role of uncertainty reduction in the post-2025 context of general informatics education.
Paper Information
Conference: IICE2026Stream: Higher education
This paper is part of the IICE2026 Conference Proceedings (View)
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To cite this article:
Inagaki T., Chubachi N., Kawamura K., & Murakami Y. (2026) Information Skills of University Freshmen and General Informatics Education ISSN: 2189-1036 – The IAFOR International Conference on Education – Hawaii 2026 Official Conference Proceedings (pp. 85-94) https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2189-1036.2026.9
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2189-1036.2026.9
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