Learning to go to school in Japan : the transition from home to preschool life / Lois Peak.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Peak, Lois, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Education, Preschool--Japan.

Education, Preschool.

Nursery schools--Japan.

Nursery schools.

Child rearing--Japan.

Child rearing.

Home and school--Japan.

Home and school.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xviii, 210 p. )

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Berkeley, California : University of California Press, [1991]

Summary:

Japanese two-year-olds are indulged, dependent, and undisciplined toddlers, but by the age of six they have become obedient, self-reliant, and cooperative students. When Lois Peak traveled to Japan in search of the "magical childrearing technique" behind this transformation, she discovered that the answer lies not in the family but in the preschool, where teachers gently train their pupils in proper group behavior. Using case studies drawn from two contrasting schools, Peak documents the important early stages of socialization in Japanese culture. Contrary to popular perceptions, Japanese preschools are play-centered environments that pay little attention to academic preparation. It is here that Japanese children learn their first lessons in group life. The primary goal of these cheerful--even boisterous--settings is not to teach academic facts of learning-readiness skills but to inculcate behavior and attitudes appropriate to life in public social situations. Peak compares the behavior considered permissible at home with that required of children at preschool, and argues that the teacher is expected to be the primary agent in the child's transition. Step by step, she brings the socialization process to life, through a skillful combination of classroom observations, interviews with mothers and teachers, transcripts of classroom events, and quotations from Japanese professional literature.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

List of Tables and Figures

Preface

Acknowledgments

Introduction

PART 1. FAMILY SOCIALIZATION OF SCHOOL-RELATED BEHAVIOR

1. The Different Worlds of Home and School

2. Preparing the Child for Preschool

3. Behavior Expectations in the Family and in the Preschool

PART 2. THE WORLD OF THE JAPANESE PRESCHOOL

4. The Physical Setting of the Preschool

5. The Roles of Teachers, Parents, and Students

6. The Goals of Preschool Education

7. Daily Activities and Routines

PART 3. ENTERING PRESCHOOL

8. Pre-Entrance Events and Ceremonies

9. Opening Ceremony

10. The First Weeks of School

PART 4. ADJUSTMENT PROBLEMS

11. Problems at Home

12. Problems in Adjusting to Classroom Life

Conclusions

Appendix: Background on Preschools as Institutions

References

Index

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 25. Nov 2020)

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9780520914285

0520914287

9780585131474

0585131473

OCLC:

1224278262