Speechless at the Morning Study Rate: The Reality of Middle School Entrance Exam Prep Where '1 in 2' Have It as Standard Equipment

“Wait... everyone is doing that much!?”
The moment I saw the data, I couldn't help but speak out loud.
I was interested in education and thought I was confident in my child's 'self-propulsion mechanism,' but when held up to the 'mirror' of objective data, it reflected the terrifying standard of the middle school entrance exam world.
In this article, I will share a 'situation report' that shook me, as someone who has only recently managed to make my child's longed-for morning study a habit.

The fact that '1 in 2' are fighting from the morning

First, the morning study implementation rate for general elementary school students remains at about 22%.

(*Source: Refers to various data such as the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's 'National Assessment of Academic Ability and Learning Situation')

However, when narrowed down to middle school entrance exam candidates, the landscape changes completely. According to one survey, the morning study situation for exam candidates is as follows.

(*Source: Integrates results from Benesse Educational Research and Development Center and questionnaire surveys from major prep schools)

Including the more relaxed group, about 45% of households have made morning study a habit. 'It's too amazing that half of them are doing it!!' was my honest reaction, as someone who was sleeping soundly until three months ago, thinking that studying in the morning was from another world.

The 'cruel truth' presented by the deviation score range

Furthermore, when narrowed down to those who pass top-tier schools (deviation score of 60 or higher), this implementation rate jumps to 70%–80%. On the other hand, the volume zone (around a deviation score of 50) is about 40%. For those breaking through to difficult schools, morning study is not a special 'effort' but a 'standard.' It has become so routine that it's at the level of 'I feel uncomfortable if I don't face my desk in the morning,' which is the common language of children who stand at the top.

What the 'gap' with general students means

Compared to the '20%' of general students, it's 'about 50%' for exam candidates and '80%' for the top tier. This difference is not just a difference in study time. It manifests as a difference in human ability itself—'presence of purpose,' 'degree of parental involvement,' 'self-control'... in other words, 'whether they have a mechanism to control themselves.'

Doubt the content of 'doing it'

However, don't be overwhelmed by the numbers here. What is important is the 'quality of learning.' Many in the group that answers 'implementing' in surveys are mainly doing 5–10 minutes of simple tasks. Even if they are grouped under the same word, I am convinced that there is a several-fold difference in the density of that learning.

Mechanisms are warmer than 'willpower'

Morning drowsiness is not sweet enough to be defeated by willpower alone. That is why, rather than parental nagging, I invested in a mechanism that reliably keeps the habit, such as 'booking online lessons.'

Elegantly, yet strategically.

What about adults???

Adult morning activity implementation rate
• People currently doing morning activities: 13.3%
• People who did them in the past but are not currently: 11.0%
• People who have no experience but want to try in the future: 24.0%
• People who are not interested in morning activities/do not intend to do them: 51.7%

(*Source: From Cross Marketing Inc.'s 'Survey on Morning Activities (2023)')

Adults who are currently in the process of making morning activities a habit remain at about 13%. This is a number very close to the morning study implementation rate of the general middle school students (12%) and high school students (10%) mentioned earlier. Perhaps it is often the case that it becomes a habit as it is.
Even for adults, daily fatigue recovery and sleep are easily prioritized, and this data suggests that 'turning morning time into self-investment' without strong willpower or a clear system is extremely difficult.
Considering that, all the middle school entrance exam candidates out there are really, truly doing their best!!!

Editor's Note

As an aside, I remember feeling relieved when I saw a YouTube video where even the legendary figure in the education world, Sato-mama, laughed heartily and said, 'Morning study? I tried it a little, but it was a total failure!'

In the world of education, there are always as many correct answers as there are children and families.
There is no need to burden your child with unreasonable demands by being bound by the extremely limited 'n=1' information heard from the neighbor's yard. What is important is not to trace someone else's correct answer, but to quietly observe the child in front of you and continue to design the 'optimal solution' for them. I want us to strategically search for a comfortable rhythm that is unique to our parent-child relationship.

By the way, my younger child, who is in nursery school, recently started making 'Todo English' a morning habit because they admire their older sibling who speaks English. (Todo English is quite good, so I wish I could have told my battered self about it back when my older child was running away from online English lessons...!)
Once you establish one 'standard (system),' it becomes the norm in the household, and the next gear starts turning naturally. Raising siblings has been very difficult up to this point, but the interesting thing is that the burden is not simply 'x2,' but rather that the compound effect of the system comes into play.
How about your family? Please let me know in the comments.

With love, from Kitori 🪭