Japanese schooling has the usual elementary,
secondary, and upper division of high school education. Beauchamp
and Rubinger (1989) reported, "Education Law of March 29, 1947, which laid
down 6-3-3-4 school ladder i.e., six years of elementary schooling followed
by three years at 
lower
secondary, three years at upper-secondary school, topped off by a four-year
university"(p.119). Japanese students are to focus on guidance and
proper manners to develop skills in obeying orders.
In the elementary grades, students
have a homeroom teacher who are, as Leestma and Walberg put it, "skilled
in class management and student guidance"(p.71) Student guidance is important
to Japanese education to help achieve high academic achievement.
There are reasons for the differences at each level of education.
Leestma and Walberg (1992) stated, "The first
concerns the mental development of elementary school-aged children.
The younger a child is the easier and more effective it is to give moral,
social, and behavior guidance"(p.70). The homeroom teacher teaches
all subjects and guidance concepts. As Duke (1986) reported, "Classroom
guidance is designed to help students adjust to school life, with special
emphasis on interpersonal relations and to acquire academic skills and
abilities, with special emphasis on motivation and attitudes"(p.30).
According to Duke (1986), the school curriculum consists of three areas:
regular subjects, moral education and special activities
