Results of attending selective junior high schools on educational attainment and standard of living: a social survey in Japan

Abstract

Some families opt not to enroll their children in free public junior high schools, choosing instead those requiring rigorous entrance examinations. Attending selective junior high schools facilitates better education, employment, and higher salaries. To evaluate the significance of junior high school entrance examinations, this study investigated whether attending selective junior high schools was associated with higher educational attainment, perceived standard of living, and personal income. An online survey was conducted with 450 young Japanese individuals aged 25–39. Overall, we found that attending selective junior high schools contributes to a higher standard of living as well as to obtaining higher education; however, its effect on increasing income was found only among women, which might be influenced by sociocultural factors such as prevalence of singlehood and working style in Japan. Additionally, the differences between the effects of attending selective junior high schools and those of higher educational attainment were discussed.

Keywords:

• Entrance exams
• education
• social class
• gender

Reviewing editor:

• Sammy King Fai Hui, The Education University of Hong Kong, HONG KONG

Subjects:

• Middle School Education
• School Psychology
• Sociology of Education

Acknowledgments

We thank the participants who assisted us in this study. We thank Dr. Tomohiro Suzuki (Tokyo Future University) for advice regarding the analysis. We would like to thank Editage (www.editage.com) for the English language editing.

Ethics approval

The study was approved by Tokyo Future University ethics committee (No. 2022-17). At the beginning of the survey, it was explained that responses were voluntary, their anonymity was ensured, and the results would be published in a statistically analysed form, with the name of the survey administrator clearly stated, and those who agreed to these statements responded to the survey.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available in Author’s cite at https://www.researchgate.net/publication/370403163_EntranceExamExperienceStudyData_Dec2022_inJapan.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by a special research grant from Tokyo Future University.

Notes on contributors

Megumi M. Ohashi

Megumi M. Ohashi is a Professor at Tokyo Future University. She got her PhD (social psychology) at the University of Tokyo. Her research focuses on Japanese sense of self, child rearing, and group psychology of youth sports.

Etsuko Togo

Etsuko Togo is a Professor at Tokyo Future University. She got her PhD at Tsukuba University. Her research interests include community psychology, problems in youth sports, and parents’ education.

Yumiko Iume

Yumiko Iume is an Associate Professor at Tokyo Future University. She got her MA at Ochanomizu University. She is a clinical psychologist. Her research interests include family problems and children with mild developmental disabilities.