School to Work Transition in Japan: An Ethnographic Study

by Dr. Kaori Horne Okano, Okano

Japan is a society where schools almost guarantee a job for all their graduates, even the academically least successful. In School to Work Transition in Japan, Dr Kaori Okano, an educational sociologist, presents a fascinating picture of how schools guide their students through the crucial stage of transition to the world of work. Dr Okano spent 12 months observing the experience of students and teachers in two urban vocational high schools. Following on from her detailed research, she critically examines the complex relationships existing between school and community which ensure that every student makes a successful transition to employment. This is a first study of youth employment issues in Japan from the perspective of the students themselves. Its focus is on explaining individual variation in the career decisions of this group of students, who share both relatively disadvantaged family backgrounds and low academic achievement. Drawing on Bourdieu's analytical framework, Okano argues that each student, through their personal understanding of the world, selectively interprets various forms of school, family and individually possessed resources, and consequently employs them in a variety of ways, which leads to divergent career decisions. This book gives an insight into the relationship between social values, family ethos, industry, school, and economic 'success' in Japan, and addresses many questions asked by educationalists, sociologists, anthropologists and labour relations specialists.

328 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1992