Impact of high school tracking on educational choices: A quantitative analysis of Japanese data

• In Event: Policies and practices in secondary education in East Asia

Abstract

This paper examines the effect of high school tracking on educational choices in Japan. Tracking has been a popular issue in sociology of education, with repeated indication that it reproduces social stratification, because the choice of a course in high school correlates with the student’s social origin, and the course promotes the anticipated socialization after graduation. In addition, other studies have indicated that tracking is an efficient tool in training and education because there are small differences of ability within the same course. Junior high school students in Japan are required to pass an entrance examination to progress to a senior high school. Senior high schools have academic and vocational courses and are stratified on the basis of applicants’ academic scores. Once students enroll in a high school, they generally do not move to another high school; hence, it can be hypothesized that there is a high degree of anticipated socialization in school courses due to the rigid structure of the high school system. However, even if a regression analysis uncovers an effect of tracking on educational choices, it is doubtful whether that effect is actual or not, because the choice of a high school track correlates with social origin, which can only be interpreted as selectivity. In addition, tracking effects cannot be interpreted as homogeneous. For example, while students with a high SES may show a small effect of tracking because they generally are able to pay the costs to progress to higher education, students with a low SES may have a large effect of tracking (i.e., the school has a significant impact on their educational choices) due to family background and a less advantageous environment for study. Since economic disparities have recently been criticized in Japan, the role of education must be more important.
Although a correlation between high school track and social origin has been indicated in Japan, the heterogeneous effect of tracking has not been examined, and it has not been determined whether the tracking effect was actual or only the result of selection. Therefore, I will use the propensity score matching method to analyze the issues mentioned above. First, I estimate the logistic regression model to choose the academic course, and then calculate the anticipated probability of choosing the track. This anticipated probability is defined as a propensity toward choosing the academic course. Then, I allocate the respondents into several groups on the basis of this propensity. Finally, I compare the actual probability of progression to universities at the same level of propensity between respondents who graduated from the academic course and those who graduated from non-academic courses.
I will use the Japanese Life Course Panel Survey (JLPS) conducted by the Institute of Social Sciences, the University of Tokyo, which was started in 2007 and includes annual follow-ups with respondents. The original sample size was 4,800, and the target was men and women aged between 20 and 40 as of the end of 2006 living in Japan. This survey included detailed information about educational careers, the responses to which I will use in my analysis.
As mentioned, I expect that the effect of tracking is not simple but it is heterogeneous. For example, the low SES scores of those who could progress to the academic course may have a positive effect on progress to universities, particularly prestigious universities. On the other hand, the inequality of opportunity for higher education may be larger in non-academic course high schools. However, a high educational background cannot be always regarded as a factor for success. Even for those who were not likely to progress to higher education, those who completed vocational high school may have better occupational choices because they could obtain specific occupational skills through high school education, compared with those students who completed only non-vocational high schools. If time and resources allow, I will also examine the latter issue.
Finally, although this case study only covers Japanese data, tracking is a general issue in sociology of education. The tracking effect may be flexible in accordance with the structure of school system. I believe that this study can provide insight into the comparative study of educational systems and the effect of tracking.

Author

• Wataru Nakazawa, Osaka University