This book examines why Japan has one of the highest enrolment rates in
cram schools and private tutoring worldwide. It sheds light on the
causes of this high dependence on 'shadow education' and its
implications for social inequalities. The book provides a deep and
extensive understanding of the role of this kind of education in Japan.
It shows new ways to theoretically and empirically address this issue,
and offers a comprehensive perspective on the impact of shadow education
on social inequality formation that is based on reliable and convincing
empirical analyses.
Contrary to earlier studies, the book shows that shadow education does
not inevitably result in increasing or persisting inequalities, but also
inherits the potential to let students overcome their status-specific
disadvantages and contributes to more opportunities in education.
Against the background of the continuous expansion and the convergence
of shadow education systems across the globe, the findings of this book
call for similar works in other national contexts, particularly Western
societies without traditional large-scale shadow education markets. The
book emphasizes the importance and urgency to deal with the modern
excesses of educational expansion and education as an institution, in
which the shadow education industry has made itself (seemingly)
indispensable.