The study of the mechanisms of educational inequality using the data from the Survey of Japanese High School Students and Mothers, 2012

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24730417
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Sociology
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo (2013-2014); Osaka University (2012)
• Principal Investigator: FUJIHARA Sho 東京大学, 社会科学研究所, 准教授 (60609676)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 教育機会 / 社会階層 / 教育選択 / 高校生 / 社会調査 / 合理的選択理論

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We conducted the Survey of High School Students and Mothers, 2012 in Japan. By using the data, I tested the validity of the relative risk aversion hypothesis in Japanese society, which was proposed by Richard Breen and John H. Goldthorpe to explain the mechanism of educational inequality. I analyzed the educational expectations of high school students and showed that the relative risk aversion works well in Japan, but it does not explain the relationship between socioeconomic background and educational expectations. I reached the same conclusion when I analyzed occupational expectations.
I also analyzed the change in inequality of educational expectation between 2002 and 2012 and found that the pattern of the inequality has not changed very much.

Free Research Field

社会学