Perceptions of School Environment among Japanese Junior High School, Non-attendant, and Juvenile Delinquent Students

Abstract

Scales to assess Japanese school environment were constructed based on the Classroom Environment Scale (CES) (Moos & Trickett, 1974) and a Japanese scale (Hirata, 1994). Factor analysis revealed four factors extracted from 61 items: Teacher Control, Sense of Isolation, Order and Discipline, and ‘Wa’ Affiliation. The resulting Classroom Environment Scale (CES-J) consists of 29 items. In Study I, 635 pupils from four junior high schools were compared on the CES-J, and statistically significant school differences were found for Sense of Isolation, Order & Discipline and ‘Wa’ Affiliation. In Study II, the CES-J was administered to 266 junior high school students, 106 juvenile delinquents and 11 non-attendant pupils. Delinquents showed a stronger sense of isolation in the classroom, and non-attendant students reported more maladjustment regarding affiliation with classmates. The results suggest that the CES-J is useful for assessing students' perceptions of the characteristics of their schools. It was necessary to modify the CES for use in Japan, as well as for the factors which delineate the Japanese school environment.