Home > Policy > White Paper, Notice, Announcement > White Paper > JAPANESE GOVERMENT POLICICIES IN EDUCATION, SCIENCE AND CULTURE 1994 > PART I Chapter 1 Section 1 1

How are today's schools viewed by the children who attend them? In March 1994 the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture commissioned a private research agency to conduct the "Survey on Attitudes to School Education and the Five-Day School Week." The nationwide sample consisted of third- and fifth-year elementary school pupils, second-year lower secondary school students, and second-year upper secondary school students, together with the children's parents or guardians (81.6% of respondents in this category were women; hereafter, mentions of parents will be assumed to include nonparental guardians) and teachers. The survey covered all aspects of school education, as well as the five-day school week.

The results showed that 91.2% of elementary school children were satisfied with school life. (This figure represents the sum of those who were "satisfied" and "fairly satisfied." The same applies below.) The corresponding figures for lower and upper secondary school students were 70.6% and 64.3%, respectively. It appears from these findings that the majority of children were satisfied with their schools ( FigureI.1.1), although the percentage tended to decline as the level of school education rose.

Over 90% of children who stated that they were satisfied with their school life (94.1% at the elementary school level, 93.9% at the lower secondary school level, and 92.5% at the upper secondary school level) cited "playing and socializing with friends" as an aspect of school life that they enjoyed. The next most popular aspect at the elementary school level was "school events" (71.0%), followed by "contact with teachers" (38.3%) and "club activities" (35.6%) ( Figure I.1.2). "Club and extracurricular club activities" ranked second at the lower secondary school level (50.8%), followed by "school events" (42.0%) ( Figure I.1.3). At the upper secondary school level "school events" ranked second (40.1%) and "club and extracurricular club activities" third (39.8%) ( Figure I.1.4). These figures indicate that most elementary and lower and upper secondary school children regard socializing with friends and educational activities other than study of school subjects as their principal sources of enjoyment.

The percentage of children dissatisfied with school life rose with the level of school education, from 8.8% at the elementary school level to 29.3% at the lower secondary school level and 35.8% at the upper secondary school level ( FigureI.1.1). (Each figure represents the sum of those who were "dissatisfied" and "somewhat dissatisfied." The same applies below.) The aspect most cited by elementary school pupils as a source of dissatisfaction was "content and process of teaching and learning" (47.3%), followed by "friends" (41.1%) and "tests" (37.8%) ( Figure I.1.5). At the lower secondary school level the top three were "one's own grades" (49.7%), "school regulations" (48.6%), and "teachers" (40.7%) ( Figure I.1.6). Upper secondary school students cited "one's own grades" most frequently (53.1%), followed by "content and process of teaching and learning" (40.2%) and "teachers" (35.6%) ( Figure I.1.7). It is apparent from these results that grades and tests were major sources of dissatisfaction among elementary school pupils and lower and upper secondary school students. A high percentage of respondents at the elementary and upper secondary school levels also expressed dissatisfaction with the method and process of teaching and learning, while many lower secondary school students were unhappy about school regulations.

As far as can be gauged from the results of this survey, the vast majority of elementary school pupils enjoy most aspects of their school education. Concern about grades tends to increase at the lower and upper secondary school levels, however, indicating that students at these levels become more sensitive to entrance examinations.