A Sociological Study of Club Activities in Junior High Schools on Transition : Based on a Questionnaire Survey in six prefectures and the Tokyo metropolitan area

Abstract

In our previous research, we have tried to illuminate the factors that affect secondary school students\u27commitment to their schools and the planning of their future education and career, by examining how they have been involved in the school\u27s club activities. In doing so, we proposed "a plural model of school culture." We are convinced it is now the time for education in Japan to renovate its fundamental nature. The new national curriculum (course of study) which is coming into force from April 2002 may prove to be one of the most concrete examples of this change. This has led us to carry out a series of research surveys that will show what sort of effect the new national curriculum will have on the students\u27school life, especially on the club activities. The purpose of this paper is to construct a hypothetical analysis in order to prepare a survey for use in the reinvestigation of the matter in 2004,and to propose the agenda for schooling which should take account of what form club activities should take in the future. Our methodology has comprised the analysis of questionnaires collected from 4000 students in six different prefectures and the Tokyo metropolitan area in March 2001. More precisely, in this paper we have examined four questions. 1. Dividing the students into four clusters based on the differing levels of commitment, we aim to develop a plural model of school culture by discussing the relationships between students\u27differentiation and the clusters. 2. Considering the students\u27attitudes towards their clubs, we aim to clarify the process by which students build relationships among their peers through club activities. 3. Focusing on the students\u27experiences before entering junior high school, we examine how their family backgrounds may have influenced their commitment to club-activities. 4. We examine students\u27responses to the changes in school education and discuss the questions of what constitutes the most pressing issue in school education in order to explore what club-activities ought to be in future