2022 Volume 18 Issue 1 Pages 39-55
With the massification of higher education in Japan and China, making rational selection of universities is an important issue for many young people in both countries. Japan has diversified its entrance examination system after years of reform. In China, on the other hand, the diversification of the entrance examination system is not as advanced as in Japan. It is interesting to see whether there are differences in the university decision making behaviors of high school students in Japan and China, where the degree of 'diversification' is different. This study aims to compare the actual university decision making behaviors of high school students in China and Japan as of 2019. A questionnaire survey was conducted focusing on the information gathering behaviors of high school students. The results reveal significant differences in the information gathering behavior between Japanese and Chinese high school students when selecting universities. The Japanese high school students tended to gather information earlier and more frequently than the Chinese high school students and appeared to confidently make their decision on which university to attend with clear reasons. This outcome might be due to differences in the university admission policies and resultant career guidance systems of the two countries.
