明治後期東京における私立中学校の機能 : 入学動向・入学者の経歴の視点から  [in Japanese] Functions of Private Junior High Schools in Late Meiji Era Tokyo : Focusing on Entrance Trends and the School Careers of New Students  [in Japanese]

The purpose of this paper is to clarify the situation of private junior high schools under the old system in modern Tokyo, by analyzing the tendency of entrance into schools, the students' motives for entering, and the students' school careers. The paper then discusses the social functions of schools in the late Meiji Era. The paper begins by examining entrance trends of junior high schools. In the third decade of the Meiji Era (1888-1897), most new students entered at a grade level above the first year, and very few of the graduates had been in the school for the entire five-year enrollment period. This aspect stands out compared with public junior high schools. However, the number of students entering from the first grade of junior high schools gradually increased in number, and the rate reached 60% of total new students in the early Taisho Era (beginning in 1912). The paper then analyzes the school careers of new students. Many had failed to enter private junior high schools directly after graduating from elementary school, and on the other hand a high number of students transferred from other junior high schools and from lower secondary schools. This is because private junior high schools had the following functions: they tended to confer diplomas easily, accept dropouts and let students skip grades. However, the articulation between private junior high schools and elementary schools gradually stabilized after the end of the Meiji Era. In the background of this change was an amelioration policy carried out by the Ministry of Education against the junior high schools, with the Ministry ordering the closure to some schools. Consequently, the above-mentioned functions of private junior high schools were weakened. In a word the private junior high schools in the late Meiji Era were places for "comeback matches," which gave a second chance to junior high school dropouts and to students in lower secondary schools. In addition, they offered a shortcut to obtaining a diploma. In conclusion, the paper emphasizes that the centripetal force exerted by Tokyo was based not only on the knowledge available there for students preparing for higher education, but also by the status and privilege conferred by the status of junior high school graduation.