This study was designed to examine upper level and lower level relationships between seven (or eight) subjects of every grade in elementary school. Seven subjects were Japanese Language, Social Studies, Arithmetic, Science, Music, Art & Handicraft, and Physical Education. Eight subjects were composed of Home making and the seven above.
Method: A total of 67 children comprised the sample, and they were all members of the graduating class of 1980 from an elementary school in Yonago. A longitudial method was employed. Factor analysis and Cluster analysis were used to treat the data from this sample. The relationships of seven subjects were analyzed from the first to the fourth grade, and that of eight from the sixth grade.
Result: The followings are the results of this study:
1) One factor was found to be statistically significant in every grade. Four subjects composed one factor in the second grade, but six subjects comprised it in the other grades. The four subjects were Japanese Language, Social Studies, Arithmetic, and Science. The six subjects were Music, Art & Handicraft besides the four above.
2) One cluster was found from the first to the third grade. Various subjects made it up. There were two clusters from the fourth grade to the sixth grade. Each cluster was made up of a pair of subjects: One was composed of Japanese Language and Arithmetic, and the other of Social Studies and Science.
Considering these results, we may conclude the following two points:
1. Subject clustering above the fourth grade is different from that below the third grade.
2. There is a difference in factor components between the second grade and the other.