Learning to Go to School in Japan: The Transition from Home to Preschool Life
Peak (Ph.D., Harvard School of Education) explains the socialization process that occurs during the indulgent home life of Japanese youngsters, and the structured school environment for which it prepares them. The Japanese educational system sets clear objectives and expectations for both parent and child. Children are assigned to class by age regardless of maturation or handicap. Classes range from ten to 40 students, and large classes are preferred because they encourage interdependence and "give and take." Children ages three and four are taught self- reliance, conformity, and appropriate behavior, and given a high standard of expectation. Solitary or maverick behavior is quietly but persistently discouraged. Because of the increasingly common comparisons between the Japanese and U.S. educational systems, this is a timely book. Less comprehensive education collections owning Joseph Tobin's Preschool in Three Cultures ( LJ 5/15/89), which covers some of the same points, may pass. For others, this is a mandatory purchase. See also the review of Bruce Feiler's Learning to Bow , in this issue, p. 114.--Ed.- Annette V. Janes, Hamilton P.L., Mass.Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.