ERIC Number: EJ1411102
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 22
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1466-4208
EISSN: EISSN-1747-7506
Shadow Education, Bourdieu, & Meritocracy: Towards an Understanding of "Juku" and Inequality in Japan
Current Issues in Language Planning, v25 n1 p45-66 2024
Private educational activities designed to enhance student outcomes outside the formal schooling system are increasingly referred to as shadow education. In Japan, shadow education traditionally consists of for-profit cram schools or "juku." "Juku" take many forms in Japan, yet their primary function is to offer students extra educational opportunities. As such, there is a strong belief that investment in shadow education leads to a higher educational level, thereby strengthening educational inequality by unfairly advantaging families of higher socio-economic status (SES). By applying Pierre Bourdieu's theories of social reproduction and symbolic violence, this study seeks to elucidate the extent to which neoliberal policies and a lack of guidance from the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT) have allowed shadow education in Japan to sustain anti-meritocratic access to higher education. The study critically analyses how laissez-faire policy-making decisions, a reliance on "juku" attendance, and an emphasis on English language as a test subject operate in conjunction with neoliberal policies to disadvantage lower SES families through uneven access to educational opportunities.
Descriptors: Tutoring, Socioeconomic Status, Decision Making, English (Second Language), Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction, Foreign Countries, Private Education, Social Differences, Neoliberalism, Access to Education, Public Agencies, Educational Policy, Policy Analysis, Attendance, Language Tests, Educational Opportunities
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Japan
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A