Leiden University Student Repository

Janssen, Kirsten (2019)

Inside Japanese Cram Schools: The Workings, the Outcomes and the Experiences

Master thesis | Asian Studies (120 EC) (MA)

This study sets out to understand the workings, uncover the outcomes and shed light on the insiders’ experiences of cram schooling in Japan. Cram schools are an intertwined part of the Japanese education system, with the majority of Japanese students being enrolled in cram school at some time in their education. The seemingly necessary but in reality voluntary cram schools lead to several issues: one of them, referred to in this study as the first dimension, is the dimension of cram schooling causing a lot of stress for and pressure on the students, and depriving them from much-needed free time. The second dimension focuses on the accessibility of cram schools, and brings the debate of inequality and social immobility to this study. The third dimension is based on original interviews and provides an inside look into the experiences of cram school students and teachers, in a search for an answer to the research question: “How do the participants of Japanese cram schooling experience...Show moreThis study sets out to understand the workings, uncover the outcomes and shed light on the insiders’ experiences of cram schooling in Japan. Cram schools are an intertwined part of the Japanese education system, with the majority of Japanese students being enrolled in cram school at some time in their education. The seemingly necessary but in reality voluntary cram schools lead to several issues: one of them, referred to in this study as the first dimension, is the dimension of cram schooling causing a lot of stress for and pressure on the students, and depriving them from much-needed free time. The second dimension focuses on the accessibility of cram schools, and brings the debate of inequality and social immobility to this study. The third dimension is based on original interviews and provides an inside look into the experiences of cram school students and teachers, in a search for an answer to the research question: “How do the participants of Japanese cram schooling experience the cram schooling system and do their opinions match the criticisms voiced by outsiders?”Show less

Japan

Education

Cram school

Cultural capital

Social immobility

Juku

Socio-economic background

Author

Janssen, Kirsten

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Specialisation

Japanese Studies

Supervisors

Winkel, Guita

ECTS Credits

15

Language

en