著者

山本 宏樹 Hiroki YAMAMOTO 一橋大学大学院 Graduate School Hitotsubashi University

出版者

日本教育社会学会

雑誌

教育社会学研究 = The journal of educational sociology (ISSN:03873145)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.83, pp.129-148, 2008-12-15

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Researchers seem to agree unanimously on the unreliability of official statistics on futoko children (school refusers), making it difficult to uncover the social factors behind the phenomenon. Though many researchers have questioned whether the official statistics can explain the reality of futoko, there has been no verification of the reliability and validity of the statistics. The aim of this study is to examine this issue and formulate an alternative plan for statistics. To achieve this aim, the author used the "School Basic Survey" from 1966 to 2006 and examined futoko rates within the "Long absentee" data from 47 prefectures, which is divided into subclasses by the following reasons: "Illness," "Economic reason," "Futoko" and "Others." The actual differences between areas were then analyzed using a five-number summary. As a result, the two following facts were clarified. Firstly, it is impossible to compare the data on "Futoko," "Illness" and "Others" between prefectures because of differences in the investigation methods. From the beginning, the classification standards differ from prefecture to prefecture, and this leads to local differences. Secondly, the method for sorting data was changed in 1998, comparisons across time periods invalid. In conclusion, the author recommends using data on "Long absentees" as a measure for the futoko phenomenon because the official statistics on futoko have already lost validity. Statistics on long absentees are much better than those on futoko to show the reality of the phenomenon. Finally, the author discusses both the advantages and disadvantages of using data on "Long absentees," confirms the existence of differences among regions at the prefectural level for long absentees, and considers future prospects and tasks.