Two questionnaire surveys were conducted in order to: (a) clarify the current situation with regard to the informatization of education, which the Japanese government has been promoting, and (b) identify elements that promote the informatization of education and elements that impede it. Questionnaire surveys of 5,000 elementary lower secondary and upper secondary schools were conducted in February 2004 and December 2005. Responses were received from a total of 8,190 classroom teachers and a total of 4,731 executive teachers such as school principals. By comparison of the results of these two surveys it was showed that IT use by classroom teachers in schools has in fact been promoted. Through the surveys of executive teachers, it was also identified elements that serve to promote informatization and elements that tend to impede it. In addition, by means of factor analysis of answers relating to elements impeding informatization, five factors were extracted and showed that the provision of environments and conditions conducive to IT use, and improvement in the ability of teachers to provide guidance in IT use, are important.
