|
|
A View of Japanese Socialisation through a study of its Kindergarten practices A fundamental part of this study is to observe the ‘yoochien’, which is the literal equivalent of the western worlds ‘kindergarten’. The institution’s main aim is to provide a learning process that imparts Japanese social skills to children. Investigative studies of this topic disprove the strict military conventions that I had previously believed to dominate Japanese schooling. Yoochien’s preoccupations are to develop; 1. The underpinning of a sound body and mind and the attitudes needed for a safe and happy life. 2. Morality, a trust in and affection for other people. 3. An interest, concern and respect for the natural world. 4. An interest and enjoyment of learning language. 5. A creative, emotional character. (Monbusho, 1989) I believe that, universally and across societies, parents want what is best for their children. Japanese parents especially regard kindergarten as a vital part of a child’s life. The anthropologist Joy Hendry interviewed Japanese parents from Tateyama Kindergarten. Findings revealed a common aspiration among them was to provide their children with a chance to integrate into complicated Japanese social contexts; “…preschools offer their children their best chance of learning to function in a large group and of becoming, in Japanese terms, truly human.”(1989:3) From the age of 3 years children join one of the main institutions of preschool education, which are hoikuen ‘day care centres’ and yoochien ‘Kindergarten’ The concern of most Japanese parents is ‘shitsuke’ a practice of rearing children to conform as part of a group.
|
