2023 Volume 74 Issue 1 Pages 105-121
As a result of globalization, the number of people with immigrant backgrounds has increased for decades, globally. Along with the influx of immigrants to Japan, children with immigrant backgrounds attending Japanese public schools face serious challenges. One is the educational achievement disparity between native Japanese students/pupils and students/pupils with immigrant backgrounds.
This article examines how an immigrant status influences educational achievements through a TIMSS analysis. It focuses on the effects of immigrant generational status and whether parental birthplace is in Japan or not, on educational achievement.
The result suggests that the educational achievement disparity between native Japanese and first- generation immigrants is significant, but that between native Japanese and second-generation immigrants is not. Pupils with both parents who were born outside Japan score significantly lower than Japanese pupils, after controlling householdsʼ socioeconomic status. Though, this effect of parental birthplace is mediated by generational status. Therefore, generational status is more crucial for the educational disparity in Japan compared with parental birthplace.
