Inequality of effort under the meritocracy

• Published in: Education Reform and Social Class in Japan pp. 112 - 129
• Main Authors: Kariya, Takehiko, Burtscher, Michael
• Format: Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: United Kingdom Routledge 2013; Taylor & Francis Group
• Edition: 1
• Subjects: Educational strategies & policy; Social classes; Society & culture: general; Social Class Disparities; Father's Occupation; Dummy Variable; Class Disparities; Mother's Level; Social Reproduction; Talk Of The Town; High School Rank; Multiple Regression Analyses; Social Class Background; Social Class Origin; Circuitous; Ascriptive Factors; Study Effort; SSM; Social Class Differences; Entrance Examination Competition; Social Class Factors; Social Class; Class Differentials; Basic Scholastic Ability; Diachronic Change; Learning Time; Educational Aristocracy; Scholastic Ability
• ISBN: 1138851779; 0415556872; 9780415556873; 9781138851771
• DOI: 10.4324/9780203076996-9

As the analyses in Chapter 4 showed, a tide of reform driven by critique of an 'education solely for taking exams' and based on demise of the pre-war 'educational aristocracy' washed over Japanese education in the 1990s. The problem addressed by these reforms, as reflected in calls for leaving children 'room to grow' (yutori ゆとり), was 'excessive cramming' due to 'an overheating of exam education' (juken kyōiku no kanetsu 受験教育の過熱). These demands for a 'more relaxed educational style' or a 'liberal, flexible and comfortable school life' as the term yutori no kyōiku ゆとりの教育 has been alternately paraphrased in English, were informed by the perception that 'excessive examination competition' had led to a 'situation where students, including even elementary school children, are attending cram schools until late into the night'. 1