A r c h i v e d I n f o r m a t i o n
The Educational System in Japan:
Case Study Findings
June 1998
Table of Contents
Title Page
Acknowledgments
Executive Summary
Chapter 1 - Introduction
Rationale of the Study
Training Session
An Overview of the Japanese System of Education
The Field Sites
The Schools
The Current Climate in Education
Outline of This Volume
Chapter 2 - The Development and Implementation of Education Standards in Japan
Research Methodology
Monbusho and the National Curriculum
Elementary Schools
Junior High School
High School
Standards Based on Content
Societal Responses to Student Competition in the Education System
Equity and National Standards
Conclusion
Chapter 3 - Individual Differences and the Japanese Education System
Introduction
Field Research Methodology
Japanese Perceptions of Individual Differences
Sources of Difference
Compulsory Education as Whole Person Education
Lack of Instructional Grouping
Whole Class Instruction
Tracking and High School Education
High School Instruction
The High School Experience
Societal Response to the Stratification System
Supplementary Education
Special Education
Conclusion
Chapter 4 - The Role of School in Japanese Adolescents' Lives
Introduction
School Structure and Adolescent Participation in Schooling
A "Thin Slice:" Life in the High Schools
Family Influences on Adolescent Development and School Participation
Peer Relations
Math and Science Classes
Transitions to Work and Higher Education
Chapter 5 - Teachers and the Teaching Profession in Japan
Research Methodology
Introduction
Why Become a Teacher?
Becoming a Teacher
A Typical Day
School Structure
Learning From Each Other
Responsibility and Freedom
More Than Academics
Teaching
Differences Between Schools
Conclusions
Glossary
References
-###-
Return to Publications page