Tatsuya Fujimura

Assistant Professor, Graduate School of Education, Kyoto University *Profile is at the time of the award.

2023Inamori Research GrantsHumanities & Sociology

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Research topics: The massification of competition for university admission and the rise of private tutoring industry in post-war Japan

Keyword

Summary: With the proliferation and intensification of university entrance exam competition, the private tutoring industry has undergone a metamorphosis into an information industry, resulting in a significant augmentation of its influence during the latter half of the 20th century in Japan. In light of this historical backdrop, the research endeavors to elucidate the factors that have contributed to the industry's exceptional dominance over Japan's education system.

Comment

The Japanese educational research has long been centered around schools, and private tutoring has often been overlooked, despite its considerable influence. In contrast, the English-speaking world has accumulated a substantial body of research on private tutoring, yet the tendency towards Western-centric perspectives has resulted in a neglect of the distinct histories and cultures of various countries and regions, leading to theoretical constraints. This research project aims to broaden the horizons of the educational research, both domestically and internationally, by examining the historical development of Japanese private tutoring industry.

Outline of Research Achievments

In Japanese society, ‘juken’, or the preparation and competition for school or university admission, is not only a social and educational selection process, but also a life course experience enriched with various cultures and values. This paper aims to reveal the characteristics and functions of juken culture formed and shared through media and to trace its transformation resulting from the massification of university entrance exams, with a focus on Zōshinkai, one of Japan’s largest correspondence course companies. In the Zōshinkai Junpō (Zōshinkai bulletins) during the 1950s and 1960s, communication among members was facilitated through the reader’s column, forming a community called “Z-kai”. Based on this sense of community, the Zōshinkai Junpō heightened competitive awareness through rankings, functioning as a mechanism to boost learning motivation. However, from the 1970s onwards, the increase and diversification of members changed the role of the Zōshinkai Junpō as learning media, leading to a decline in community spirit and, as a consequence, learning motivation. In its place, learning management emerged as a significant factor in enhancing learners’ drive for study.

Tatsuya Fujimura (November 2024) The Function and Transformation of Juken Culture in Media: The Case of the Correspondence Course by Zōshinkai Sociologos vol.48 pp.84-103

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