<論文>推薦入試・AO入試の利用に対する文化資本の影響

Abstract

Cultural capital needs to be considered in relation to fields where it works, such as school education and selection systems. In Japan, although the use of a standardized written entrance examination for higher education was prevalent until the 1980s, since then the use of “non-written” examinations has been increasing and many students can now choose to take either type. In admission processes involving an admissions office (AO) and based on recommendations by high school teachers, high school grades, essays, and interviews, cultural capital could be expected to have more impact than in written examinations. This paper examined the impact of cultural capital on the use of these non-written examinations. Using data obtained from a 2012 survey of high school students and their mothers, the author analyzed the relationship between cultural capital in childhood and the educational aspirations of students and the type of entrance examination they prefer. The results showed that (1) cultural capital in the arts and reading was not significantly related to any preference for non-written examinations, (2) these examinations were more likely to be used by those with lower levels of academic ability, and (3) there was no difference in the amount of cultural capital between students who wanted to enter higher education and those who did not. This suggests that cultural capital plays relatively little role in the educational choices of high school students in Japan’s institutional context, and that the widespread use of examinations that are not based on academic ability could be a way for lower-achieving students to enter higher education.