① Backgrounds and Attributions of the Respondents
Thanks to the cooperation from both Japan and the United States, we managed to collect many samples through the Internet. The total number who accessed the web site exceeded 1,000, but we found incomplete responses as well as frivolous ones, and thus some had to be dropped. The data we refer to for this report employs the following population:
valid total number: 976 (Japan 545, USA 418, other 13)
gender: (male: 357, female: 619)
Primary Participant Schools
Participant School Profiles
<Participant Schools in Japan>
In this study, we targeted high school and college students of both countries. One college and two high schools from each country were requested to answer our survey. In addition to the above mentioned six schools, those individuals who directly made access to the questionnaire were also included.
<Participant Schools in the USA>
N public high school (98 / 45 male, 53 female students): It is a mid-sized urban school whose students are predominately middle-class. While its graduates have a hard time getting accepted by prestigious universities, it is a very typical and standard public high school in Japan.
S private girls' high school (248 students): Located outside the greater Tokyo area, it demands less competitive admission scores. The tuition level is somewhat higher than that of other schools, and many students are from the upper middle class. Numerous graduates go on to attend the college within the same system.
T private university (140 / 116 male, 24 female students): It is an engineering institution situated in downtown Tokyo. Overall, students are expected to score a little above B to be accepted. Nine out of ten students are male. Students have a reputation of being meek and serious, and the graduates usually manage to get the job of their choice.
NW public high school (76 / 26 male, 50 female students): It is a rural school situated about a one-hour drive from a mid-sized city. The majority of its residents have Northern European roots, but a number of Native Americans live in the area as well. Without having major local industries to which to apply for jobs, many tend to leave their hometown behind after they graduate.
I public high school (47/ 20 male, 27 female students): It is located in a major campus town in the Midwest. Many parents work for the nearby university. Visitors from overseas make the racial makeup of the area more heterogeneous. Japanese language courses are offered in the school.
M public college (267 / 78 male, 189 female students): A one-hour drive from Atlanta, it is located in a medium-sized city along a major freeway. The school is in the midst of changing from a junior college status to a full four-year college. With an army base nearby, some students commute to take courses along with their service duties. The percentage of African Americans is somewhat higher than in similar colleges.
