The Politics of the Re-definition of “Zest for Living”

Based on Basil Bernstein's Theory of Pedagogic Device

Abstract

This paper examines the significance of the re-definition of “zest for living (ikiru chikara)” focusing on how the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) used the results of international academic assessments to justify a change in education policy. By redefining the “zest for living”, MEXT was able to allege a consistency of policy ideals despite a substantive policy change from relaxed (yutori) education to competitive education. Thus the re-definition of “zest for living” is important to MEXT. This paper shows that the validity of maintaining the ideal of “zest for living” (through the re-definition) depends on differential use by MEXT of the national results of two international assessments (PISA2003 and TIMMS2003).