Chinese and American students have very different behaviors, ways of thinking, and study method. Also, teachers in the two countries have diverse teaching style. Moreover, education management in two countries’ school is totally different. The differences are not only about two countries’ disparate history or language. The most important is two countries’ different education system. Chinese and American education is different because two countries have very different educational politics, economic and cultural systems.
First of all, different politics make two countries’ students have different goals of studying. Chinese students always try hard to get a good score on the test, but American students want to discover something by themselves. In China, Yin and Yang almost knows by everyone, even famous in the world now. However, LI (2004) said, Chinese education only has Yin, there is no Yang. Everyone evaluate students by their test score; parents, teachers, companies, even students evaluate who is good students by score. So students all focus on the text book, try to memorize everything from the book, and then get a good score to make everyone happy include themselves. If they can have a good score at the end of high school, then they can get in a prestigious university. As a result, they do not need to study hard in the university, still can get a good job with a high salary without practical experience.
However, American students are trained by practical when they are in the elementary school. Students do lab homework, group work to find out the answer by themselves. The progress forces students to explore their potential abilities. That is why Americans are keeping inventing new technology, such as Apple, Microsoft and military weapons. It is one of the important reasons that American is the most powerful countries in the world. Here is a sharp example is of different between American students and Chinese students.
Chinese students consistently outperform American students in academic achievement. In the Third International Mathematics and Science Study which took place in 1995. Students in Hong Kong scored fourth place in the international rankings, while the U.S. student scores were barely good enough to earn them twenty-third places. A study conducted by Stedman suggests that poor U.S. performance in international assessments, like the Third International Mathematics and Science Study in 1995, is an illusion that is created by sampling biases and the deceptive nature of rankings. This study argues that international achievement differences are small, and should be of little concern to U.S. educators and policy makers. In addition, the results from Stedman's study conclude that U.S. reading achievement is among the best in the world, and that young students in the U.S. often score high on science tests. Stedman goes further to criticize the media for the insufficient attention they have paid to strong academic performances in the U.S.
Secondly, American and Chinese culture determines the method of teaching and studying. Moreover, teachers’ education backgrounds are important on the method of teaching and influent students’ studying. According to Hudson (2009) said, Chinese teachers push students to study. Although teachers wondered and worried about many things, but they were comfortable in the thought that they were quite good at telling
students what they needed to know. Teachers also noticed that some older teachers seemed very good at yelling at their students with just the right words to make them to do their work, so they tried a few. The students began to work harder. Therefore, they thought of is simple. However, the way they are teaching, students are not supposed to like teachers, but they still study hard, then to be a good teacher as well. That means they can not do what they want, so no one can really create or invent something new (Hudson, 2009). For example, In China, if a student is having difficulty grasping concepts in math class; the teacher may ask the student to come in front of the class to try to solve a problem so that the teacher and other students can help the student to correct his or her mistakes. If the student needs additional help, he will stay after school and work one-on-one with the teacher. The student's parents will also be involved and will help him with his math homework when he gets home from school and on the weekends as well (Schaack, 2010).
On the contrary, American teachers always motivate students to find out answer by themselves, and develop students own interests. So, students feel more relax because they get knowledge from the game or practical. For instance, American students always choose the course they like, and sit together so discuss the questions; they have different ideas to share with each other. Some of them can find easier way to solve the problem then the text book.
In the U.S., teachers are prepared in four-year colleges and universities. Many of these institutions have departments or colleges of education whose primary mission is preparation of teachers and other professional educators. The U.S. pattern of teacher education differs from that of some other countries where there is a sharp distinction in the preparation of primary and secondary school teachers. In these countries, primary teachers are prepared in universities. While U.S. teachers have a bachelor’s degree as a minimum requirement for entry into the profession, this is not the case in China (Gutek, 2006). Nevertheless, in China, in order to become a teacher, it is necessary for senior-middle-school teachers to be graduates with two additional years of training in a professional institution. Primary-school teachers need to be graduates of secondary schools, not in a university.
Finally, base on the regime, China is socialism and America is capitalism, so they have different education system. According to Xia (2006), the People's Republic of China Compulsory Education law took effect in 1986 made requirements and deadlines for the public to receive a free education. The law guaranteed school-age children to the right to receive a nine year education; six years of primary education, and three years of secondary education. Further, the State Council created a bill that made it illegal for any organization to employ children before they complete their nine years of public education, and free education for students that come from families who have financial difficulties.
In the United States, children are required to attend school until the age of 16-18, depending on the state. There are three types of education the children in the U.S. receive: public, private, and home schools. The large majority of students attend public school since it is free, as opposed to private schools. Private schools often afford students the opportunity for a higher quality education, but for many people in
the U.S., private schools are not convenient and/or parents cannot afford to send their children to private schools (Wikipedia, 2006).
In conclusion, Globe is becoming a global village. Frequently, at gatherings of people interested in the same field, there usually has been a mixture of social studies educators and international students. However, Chinese education and American education still have huge different. Both of them have strengths and weaknesses. They have to keep finding the better way to reform the education system consider about culture, policy and teaching skills.
Reference
Gutek, G. L. (2006). American education in a global society: International and
comparative perspectives (pp. 187-211). Long Grove, Illinois: Waveland Press. Hudson, J.P., (2009). Pathways between Eastern and Western education (pp. 1-15).
Charlotte, NC: IAP, Information Age Pub.
Li, L. (2004). Education for 1.3 billion. Beijing: Foreign language teaching and research
Press.
Stedman, L. C. (1997). International achievement differences: an assessment of a new
perspective. Educational Researcher, 26(3), 4-15.
Tye, K.A. (1999). Global education: A world movement (169-200). Orange, California:
Interdependence Press.
Van S, T., Comparing U.S. and Chinese public school systems. University of Michigan.
Retrieved from http://sitemaker.umich.edu./vanschaack.356/reference_list.
Wikipedia (2006). Education in the People's Republic of China. Retrieved from
www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_the_People's_Republic_of_China.
Xia, C.L (2006). Migrant children and the right to compulsory education in China.
Asia-Pacific Journal on Human Rights and the Law, 7(2), 29-74. doi: 10.1163/157181506779891465.
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