Chapter 1: 1997: 14-year-old 'school killer' kills 11 and 10 year olds, injures three others felt school "erased" his existence gave fictional name: 'Sakakibara Seito' adults shocked, he was a good student, surprisingly, or perhaps not, 30/35 said that they had often wished to kill someone incredibly low percentage of students, less than 30%, answered that they trust their politicians Two things have increased steadily since 1980's ijimi (bullying) Tokokyohi (school phobia/refusal) Chapter 2: Argument: that Japan's education system was the primary factor to its financial success Not true: shown after financial problems in 1991, but education has been unable to change The book takes an interactionist approach instead of the functionalist approach Functionalist: society is a system, where parts serve to maintain the whole Interactionist is just the opposite, focusing on the individual's roles they play to fulfill the social whole Schools were seen as the institution that makes Japanese, and is similar to the functionalist model Socialization and competition are commonly seen to be the main function of school Suppresses critical awareness among students, they're forced to use outlets like ijimi and tokokyohi Book is divided into two parts: Part 1: discusses social structural milieu of Japanese high schools, examined from the viewpoint of the nature of school as a social institution, used to help understand schools and other institutions in general Part 2: focuses on how students in Japan respond the to the extreme alienation that is present in schools, and problems that have ensued Tokokyohi: defined as "school burnout which can manifest as school phobia or school refusal" Not the same as a dropout Causes include anxiety, difficulty in school, emotional upset. Compares with schools in Australia, a base for Western schools in general Data was taken from secondary school students Comparability is high enough Types of schools were compared, frequency of attending universities at various types of schools It seems sometimes that women often don't have as many opportunities or high percentages, but that's because of the society, which is changing, as opposed to more equality in Australia Meritocracy with ranking of everyone based on academic merit, as compared to a more democratic school system in Australia Chapter 3: Student-Teacher Relationships Hierarchy exists of faculty and teacher, then students who are on student government associations Similarity to iemtoto a concept called shido or 'guidance' from a paper by LeTendre: Learner is dependent on teacher Learner imitates teacher, who models correct interpretation or skills Balance and harmony must exist Teacher is expected to have already completed the path or be more advanced than the learner His survey: Students mostly said it was never easy to discuss personal problems with teachers but they want them to do that Often there is censorship, blocking and containing information and no interest in their needs and feelings Although results were not high in Australia, they were significantly more positive Trends of Education Japan: increasingly autocratic less democratic 1947 Fundamental Law of Education Education was no longer used to promote nationalism, and became a constitutionally guaranteed right of the people opposite in Australia Students are restrictive in answering questions, most vocal ones are tokokyohi students Chapter 4: Discipline & Punishment difference between Japan & Australia is qualitative, not quantitative corporal punishment Australia: mostly abolished in mid-1980s Japan: some students have been actually killed or injured it's woven into the fabric and ideas of school in Japan Parents approve of it It's increased over the years Examples: Boy killed by home room teacher because he had brought an electric hair dryer on the trip when it was forbidden to do so A girl was caught in a closing school gate and crushed with fatal injuries because the gates are closed so late students can't get in Several students accused of alleged extortion were buried in the sand on a beach Students are often beaten with a steel bat if they're awake after lights out Legitimized violence toward tokokyohi: to rehabilitate them The biggest crime: presenting a counter argument leads to coerced silence Chapter 5: School Rules Usually complicated rules exist, such as dress code rules students often think administrators and teachers have no reasons Sometimes a reason exists: with hair style (cropped hair required) restrictions control crosses over even after school, deprives individuality and demands obedience Authoritarianism (control) and groupism (conformity) and closely related and even symbiotic While often students in committees and student governments are used to make announcements about decisions, the decisions are always made in advance by the teachers Chapter 6: Achievement Pressure and the meaning of study academic pressure is felt about the smae among students in all kinds of schools Australia: dependant on the types of schools but actually students feel that they feel pressure far less ranking according to their talents (perceived talents) society: achievement of high marks is a fundamental value Japan: Many students feel that school work is uninteresting most of the time and useless for them at all while Australian students feel mostly the opposite Chapter 7: Ijime (Bullying) not the same as bullying in America Ijime has caused several suicides with media exposure high for two, two 13-year old boys: Shikagawa Hirofumi in 1986 and Ohkochi Kiyoteru in 1994 extortion, beatings, threatening phone calss since similar methods of bullying exist elsewhere, comparative perspective is necessary some experts think that: students basically feel that human difference justifies bullying Act of over-conformity rather than social maladjustment, as other places They're copycatting teachers Hidden function: Stamp out indviduality legitimizing the power-dominant society and creating the power-docile mind Students usually feel that teachers are unable to do anything substantial about ijime Ijime occurrs when too much pressure exists to excel socially and academically in such a closed, prison-like space. Chapter 8: Tokokyohi (Burnout and Resistance) causing a mass exodus of students from school different from, although sometimes including, 'hiko' or delinquent behavior has increased substantially since the 1970s in both primary and secondary school 4 groups of futoko (school nonattendance): over 50 days under 50 days by lateness by sentiment alone Controversy over whether to consider tokokyohi a disease or not, and whether it comes from family problems or societal problems Psychiatrically: a matter of the individual's maladjustment and maladaptation to society used to be very influential, now not as much with more theories arising Behavioral: as laziness, idleness, lack of discipline So solution is increased discipline