Family financial status affects understanding in class, academic aspirations: Japan survey

OITA — Children from families under harsh economic circumstances tended to be more likely to have trouble understanding classes and are reluctant to enter college, according to a survey conducted by the Oita Prefectural Government.

Since many of the survey items asking about study and daily life were found to be related to economic status, the prefectural government will consider support measures that take the economic burden on families into account in the future.

The survey, aimed at ascertaining children’s learning and living conditions, was conducted from June to July for the first time in five years, targeting a total of approximately 20,000 fifth graders and second-year junior high school students, as well as their parents.

For the results analysis, households that had experienced multiple instances of being unable to pay utility bills or purchase daily necessities in the past year were defined as “distressed households” and compared to households that did not.

When asked if they have trouble understanding classes, 14.8% of second-year junior high school students from non-distressed households responded “often,” while 21.9% of their counterparts from the distressed households answered the same. In terms of the use of learning support services, 41.2% of the former group indicated that they attend cram schools, while only 23.0% of the latter group said so, showing a gap of approximately 20 percentage points.

The family’s economic environment was also found to be related to children’s career aspirations and to parents’ intentions in this regard. When second-year junior high school students were asked about their future educational aspirations, 48.0% of those from non-distressed households selected “university,” while only 31.0% of those from distressed households did so. The same trend was observed when parents were asked which educational level they would like their children to advance to.

Regarding daily life and how often they eat breakfast, children in financially challenged households were less likely to answer “every day.” As for whether they have rules regarding time spent playing games and the use of smartphones, the percentage of respondents who answered “yes” was higher among non-distressed households than among the other group.

In all cases, the trend of responses was similar for both second-year junior high school and fifth-grade students. The prefectural government’s child and family support division noted that many parents cited financial burdens as a reason for not being able to send their children to cram schools or other lessons, and that there are growing calls for financial support for child-rearing. It then said, “We will carefully analyze the results and consider the budget and other steps for our support measures.”

(Japanese original by Yongho Lee, Oita Bureau)