Juvenile Delinquency and Education Reform in Japan Hidenori Fujita, Ph'D' International Christian Un

1
Juvenile Delinquency and Education Reform in
JapanHidenori Fujita, Ph.D.International
Christian University, JapanApril 2003

• 1. Age of Education Reform since the 1980s
• The 3rd Major Education Reform since 1984
  ----- Why?
• Some common images on Japanese economy and
  education in other countries
• - Economic success ----- Competent work force
• - High standard of education ------
  TIMSS, PISA (Figure 1 2)
• Irony
• - When many other countries started to pay
  attention to the Japanese education and - When
  school education reached to a peak of the
  expansion, the media and critics started to
  criticize it, stirring up the sense of crisis
  and the government launched the third
  major education reform.

2
Figure 1 International Comparison of Scholastic
Achievements (IEA, TIMSS 1995)
Mathematic/Junior High school 2nd
grade Science/Junior High school 2nd grade
Full marks1000 Full marks1000
3
Figure 2-1 International Comparison of
Mathematical literacy and Scientific
literacy (OECD, PISA 2000)
4
Figure 2-3 International Comparison of Reading
Litaracy (OECD, PISA 2000)
5
(2) Background Aspects underlined by the
reformers ?School disorder and maladjustment
problems since the late 1970s ?Features of
the Japanese schooling Severe entrance
examinations and their negative
effectsHierarchically rank-ordered
schools and universities and degree-o-cracy
Centralized and unified system of schooling
(single-track, open system) National
curriculum and authorized textbooks ?Needs and
Concerns in a Changing, Affluent Society
IT revolution, globalization, international
economic competition Individuality,
creativity, freedom of choice, and
accountability
6
Figure 3 Educational Expansion and
Educational and Juvenile Problems
7
(3) Reform measures ( ? Marks indicate that
Fujita has criticized them) ?Five-day school
week and its associated curriculum reform
(??) ?Change in the school system
Introduction of six-year secondary school (??)
School choice in elementary and secondary
Education level (??)
Diversification of high schools- Academic,
vocational, and comprehensive
Expansion and diversification of higher and
life-long education institutions
Relaxation of grade systems (?) ? Reorganization
of Curriculum and teaching practices
Child-centered, progressive orientation in
teaching and guidance Expansion of
individualized learning (? If too excessive)
Introduction of cross-curricular subjects
(? If at the expense of basics ) Cut
down of the contents and lesson hours of basic
subjects (??) ?Reorganization of school
management and Governance Emphasis on
site-based management Introduction of
school evaluation and teacher assessment
(?) Expansion of school choice and market
competition (??)
8
(4) Cautions Is it true to say that Japanese
schooling is bad,outmoded and
inefficient? My answer is NO
EqualitySingle-track, open system---equal
opportunity and meritocratic
system EfficiencyHigh enrolment ratios, low
dropout rates and high
graduation rates, High daily
attendance rates, high academic
achievements Functionality Comparatively
low level of maladjustment
problems- Bullying and violence
Comparatively low rates of adolescent and youth
crimes Fairly high satisfaction
of school life among
students (5) Features and Rhetoric of the
current reform movements Reformism
Reformers are not interested in the facts,
evidence and simulation
Sensationalism, self-righteous, moralistic
arguments and Populism
Neo-conservative and neo-liberal ideology
advocated by the urban intellectuals
Elitism and egoism of the urban upper middle
class ?Unfortunately, I think all of these are
true.
9
(6) Logical consequences of these reforms
Institutional differentiation of educational
opportunities Ranking of lower secondary
schools and parents concerns with school
ranks Earlier Selection and more cramming
education Diversification/polarization and
decline of academic standards and levels of
efforts Undermining the foundations of
learning and caring community Undermining the
foundations of collaborative and dedicative
teaching culture.
10
2. Questions to Be Asked in a Japanese
Context (1) Substantial questions Motivation
crisis Decline of incentives for learning in an
affluent society Functional problems
Linkages between schooling and work place
in a post-industrial and highly schooled society
Curriculum validity Basic and generic
knowledge vs. Creativity Pedagogical
questionSubject-based learning vs. generic
and situated learning Crisis of legitimacy
in public education public goods or
private goods (2) Juvenile Crimes as an
Illustrative Case International Comparison of
Major Juvenile Crime Rates (Figure 3)
?Why Japan can maintain such a low level of
juvenile crime rates? Educational
Composition of Detention Home New Inmates
(Figure 4) ?A Possibility of Social
Exclusion in Japan (3) Four Approaches to
Juvenile Delinquency and School Disorder
Problems Disciplinary Approach
Remedial/Therapeutic Approach Educational
Approach Environmental Approach ?Who
cares our Children and How? Importance of
Caring Community
11
Figure 4
4-1 Change of the major juvenile crimes rates
19871996
4-2 Change of the juvenile homicide rates
19871996
4-3 Change of the juvenile robbery rates
19871996
Note It is based on the statistics document of
next each country. U.S.A Crime in the United
States, Data of a U.S. Department of Commerce
economic-statistics office U.K. Criminal
statistics England and Wales, Data of the British
Central Statistical Office Germany Polizeliche
Kriminalstatistik, Data of the German Statistics
Bureau France Aspects de la criminalité et de
la délinquance constatées en France, La
Slluation Démographique Korea South Korean
criminal analysis, South Korean criminal white
paper, South Korean statistical yearbook
Japan Statistics of the Police Department,
Population data of Statistics Bureau of the
Management and Coordination Agency Source
Criminal white paper 1998 (Japan)
12
Figure 5
13

• 3. How to Design Education and Society in the
  21st Century?
• Four Major Values or Organizing Principles of
• Education and Society
• Efficiency
• Equality of Opportunity
• Civic Symbiosis (co-living and caring,
  Acceptance and participation)
• Self-realization
• (2) Forms of Symbiotic Society and the Associated
  Forms of Knowledge, Learning and Curriculum in
  Common Education
• Embracive or Convivial Symbiosis
• - Undifferentiated knowledge
• - Shared common values
• - Learning embedded in the daily life
• Segregated or Segmented Symbiosis
• - Hierarchically differentiated and specialized
  knowledge
• - Segregated life space and segmented work place
• - Curriculum and ability tracking
• - Individual appropriation of knowledge

14
Figure 6 Four major organizing principles of
life space, education and society
15
References Fujita, H. (1991). Gakkoka/Johoka to
Ningen-keisei- kukan no HenYo The irony and
contradictions of the highly schooled and high
information society as educational
environment. Gendaishakaigaku Kenkyu
Contemporary Sociological Studies, Vol.4,
The Hokkaido Sociological Association,
pp.1-33. Fujita, H. (1997). Kyoiku-Kaikaku
Education Reform. TokyoIwanami
Shoten. Fujita, H. Wong, S-K. (1999).
Postmodern Restructuring of the Knowledge
Base in Japanese Mass Education Crisis of
Public Culture and Identity Formation.
Education Journal, Vol.26, No.2 (Winter
1998)/Vol.27,No.1 (Summer 1999), The Chinese
University of Hong Kong, pp.37-53. Fujita, H.
(2000). Education Reform and Education
Politics in Japan. The American Sociologist,
Fall 2000, pp. 42-57. Fujita, H. (2000).
Shimin-Shakai to Kyoiku Civic Scoeity and
Education. Seori-Shobou.