As I am currently living and teaching in Japan, I would like to reflect a bit on both the academic and behavioral expectations held of students in secondary school, the level at which I may be teaching one day. In doing so, I want to first discuss why it is important to hold high expectations in the first place as a way to provide context for my interest with Japan. Additionally, I want to compare my perceptions of student performance, and the reasons for it, with the Programme For International Student Achievement’s (PISA) triennial survey of 15-year-olds which tests mathematics, reading, science, and general problem solving skills.
First of all, I should make it clear that as Marzano (2010) states, a teacher’s behavior towards students is ultimately a reflection of their thoughts regarding their performance expectancy. For instance, if I truly believe a student to be not capable of doing well, I am more likely to avoid eye contact, call on, or generally praise them in general. On the other hand, if I am able to treat each student as if I believe they are capable of improvement and eventual high-performance, I will be more likely to engage with them positively.
Having lived in Japan for a while now, I have come to have to perceptions about the expectations of teachers, schools, and parents of middle school students. For instance, a vast majority of teenagers I have met attend an after-school supplementary institution known as a juku (i.e., cram school) to ensure they pass their tests and entrance exams for both high school and university. To me this is a reflection of the importance parents place on high academic performance in conjunction with their teachers at school who do not hold back on the amount of homework they provide.
Similarly with regard to behavior and general attitude towards school, I have mostly noticed positive evidence in Japan. For example, when I ask students about school, they often reply that they truly enjoy it, love their lunches, and appreciate their after-school sports clubs. To me this indicates a strong sense of belonging which I know as an American student was absent from the educational culture. Additionally, generally speaking, I witnessed consistent punctuality and completion of assignments when working in private language schools.
In short, the advice Marzano provides seems to be common knowledge in Japan as it is clearly reflected in students’ academic and behavioral performances, as far as I can tell.
Next I would like to look at the results of PISA’s 2012 exam in Japan, along with Germany and the United States to garner a more global perspective, and see how they relate to my subjective perceptions. Furthermore, when discussing the reasons these results, I would like to pay particular attention to the role of the teacher in setting high or low expectations.
Overall, Japan found itself to be one of the highest PISA performers in 2012. Out of the 65 participating nations and economies, Japan’s 15-year-olds ranked seventh in math performance and fourth in both reading and science. In Europe, Germany ranked between 13th and 17th in math, between 13th and 22nd for reading, and between 8th and 17th for science. Finally, over in North America the USA ranked 26th in math, 17th in reading, and 21 in science.
So what might account for Japan’s performance? One indicator is that Japan tends to ensure equity in education opportunities. This means that students across the nation are generally able to have access to the same quality of materials and teachers who invest in their learning both financially and emotionally. Additionally, while socioeconomic factors are in play, Japanese students tend to beat the odds even in less fortunate situations as their resilience level is at 11.4%. That is, there must be another factor responsible for their performance.
The answer to this may have to do with the high behavioral expectancies (e.g., classroom management) and adherence to them. For example, Japan reported only 9% students arriving late for school out of 35% OECD average in 2012. Additionally, students tend to have a very strong sense of belonging in school, which may be a result of the extremely orderly classrooms. Finally, a third finding from the PISA 2012 report is that Japanese schools enjoy a high level of autonomy in terms of resource allocation. That is, the administration and teachers were able to choose what they felt best matched the needs of their students.
What these results demonstrate to me are high levels of academic and behavioral expectancy first and foremost from teachers, but from the parents as well who reinforce school norms and procedures. However, unsurprisingly, it is not expectancies alone which lead to high PISA exam performances, but the combination of a dedicated effort by the government to provide equal opportunities for everyone despite their individual socioeconomic status.
References
Marzano, R. J. (2010). The art and science of teaching: A comprehensive framework for effective instruction. Alexandria, Va: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
PISA 2012 Results. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.oecd.org/pisa/keyfindings/pisa-2012-results.htm