High School in Japan

HIGH EXPECTATIONS

        By the time Japanese children reach the educational stage of junior high to high school, the expectations placed on them are extreme. For students who attend private junior high schools, there are rigorous entrance examinations. Recently, more parents wish to send their children to these competitive private schools. Even the students who attend public junior high schools, though, which don't have entrance examinations, must work very hard to get into a good high school. Upon entrance into high school, students will be accepted into schools of varying prestige and quality based on their entrance examination scores and their previous grades. Therefore, their performance even in junior high is critical. Their performance in high school is then absolutely vital because it will determine what kind of job they will obtain or what university they will attend after graduation.

TYPES OF HIGH SCHOOLS

        There are two types of high schools that Japanese children typically attend. There are general high schools, which prepare students for college, and there are vocational high schools, which prepare students for employment immediately out of school. Once students are in a vocational high school, it becomes difficult for them to change their minds and decide to attend a university. It is uncommon for a student from a vocational high school to attend a university. This means that the children must have determined their future plans by the time they enter high school.
        Some believe that this inflexibility in the system does not allow Japanese children enough agency in deciding their futures. Once they pass a certain point, they virtually cannot change their minds about what they want to do. Also, teachers encourage students to be realistic about what they can do based on their grades. They try to discourage students from having high hopes for their career or university choices. Again, this leads to a reduction in agency for the children, but at the same time it forces them to stay grounded and be realistic about their aspirations.

EXTRA WORK IN HIGH SCHOOL

         For most students in Japanese high schools, success is an actively sought goal, and does not come without some extra effort. Most students put in time outside of school, in something known as shadow education, or juku. This extra work includes outside courses, tutoring, and practice examinations, which are all intended to improve students' performance on entrance examinations. Unfortunately, this shadow education puts some students at a disadvantage because their families cannot afford such extra help, and this outside work has become almost necessary to succeed. This demonstrates a diversity in experience among Japanese high school students who have different economic opportunities.

Sources used for this page:

Kariya, Takehiko and James Rosenbaum. 1987. "Self-Selection in Japanese Junior High Schools: A Longitudinal Study of Students' Educational Plans." Sociology of Education 60: 168-180.

Okano, Kaori. 1995. "Rational Decision Making and School-Based Job Referrals for High School Students in Japan." Sociology of Education 68:31-47.

Rosenbaum, James E. and Takehiko Kariya. 1991. "Do School Achievements Affect the Early Jobs of High School Graduates in the United States and Japan?" Sociology of Education 64: 78-95.

More Resources (pdf annotated bibliography).

The purpose of this site is to inform web users on the status and lifestyles of children in Japan. This site was designed by Joanna Boyle, Rachel Riezman, Hannah Wolod, and Ellen Vollmers as part of a collaborative web project for the first year writing seminar Children & Society at Tulane University taught by Professor April Brayfield.