Nintendo DS Educates Kyoto Youths

The Mainichi Daily News has the scoop on the latest use of educational software titles for the Nintendo DS. In Kyoto, Japan the Yawata Municipal Board of Education has approved the Nintendo DS for use by junior high students studying English. This follows a test showing that using English vocabulary training software, increased the student’s English vocabulary by 40 percent over a five month period.

Makoto Ikeda, an associate professor in English literature at Sophia University, said, “The students attained a level equivalent to level 3 in the Eiken Test in Practical English Proficiency, which is held by only 30 percent of junior high school students nationwide. The results are impressive,”

The software used in the experiment was Chuugaku Eitango Target 1800 DS, which was produced by IE Institute. It’s an interesting situation when parents tell their children to play their video games.