Chinese vs Western education – a guide to success

Academic differences

The differences between the Chinese and Western education models are vast
Firstly, both systems appear to work equally well. Students within China are adequately
prepared for universities here, and this also applies to students in the West.
The most interesting thing is that parents and students in China have a great desire to get to
universities in the west, and western governments are watching closely and even copying the
Chinese, Korean and Singaporean educational model more and more, seeing the academic
results as superior. Results in international rankings certainly show these nations as doing
particularly well in Mathematics and the Sciences.
When students meet me for their entrance interview, I have often been on the receiving end
of a memorised statement about how wonderful our school is and that Western education in
general is amazing. I tend to follow this up by asking ‘in what way is it different?’, to which
on most occasions I get a blank face. To aid those students, and their parents, the following
are just a few of the differences. They are likely to be generalisations and will not cover all
differences, but this should serve as an overview.
Rote learning and collective opinion versus independent thought and the “thinking outside the
box”
Learning facts by heart. Chinese teachers favour repetition, while Western education systems
push for lateral thinking as well as some rote memorization. And since the Chinese writing
system has nearly 50,000 characters, this method has clear benefits. What we see when
students come to our school from the Chinese state system are students who have learned lots
of facts – knowledge – and have highly developed skills (through intensive rigour). Western
educational systems now place a much greater emphasis on the third type of learning –
understanding, sometimes to the detriment of the former. It is no surprise whatsoever,
therefore, that Chinese students applying to Western universities to study Mathematics or
Physics, subjects that require high level skills, do particularly well and are often a year or two
ahead of their counterparts. There is no doubt that the Chinese education system provides a
strong foundation for future learning, both in terms of skills and attitude. I am often surprised
by just how much self-control young Chinese students have, as compared to their western
counterparts.
It also leads to a kind of “democracy” of learning, whereby pupils of all abilities reach goals
together. In the freer Western system, it is easier for less bright students to fall by the
wayside.

Economic development plays a large part in the current educational models. As China grows
economically, there is a desire to emulate, to replicate, what has been successful elsewhere.
 Chinese vs Western education – a guide to success
This is strangely noticeable when visiting places such as Li Cun Wanda Plaza, where around
the outside they have built a mock English high street, with pretend London bus and red
telephone box. It is a very strange sight for a Westerner, but to Chinese this will be seen as
trying to be more Western, and thus hopefully successful. Equally, having a western
university education is perceived as superior, rightly or wrongly. Having a strong command
of the English language is certainly seen as beneficial to a future career.
Specializing early versus broad, more flexible, holistic education –preparation for university
or preparation for life.
In the west, a student might take 10/11/12 GCSE’s, and then specialise at A Level taking 3 or
4. Specialisation happens much later. The can be seen as a hindrance for university entry,
where a passion and the actual grades are of upmost importance. Top grades are surely easier
to achieve if a student specialises, and therefore spends more time studying, their chosen
subjects. It is widely reported, and written about by such authors as Malcolm Gladwell, that
to become an expert in something takes around 10,000hours of practice. The Chinese state
education system specialises a little earlier in that students are selected to follow a science
route or an arts route through high school. Chinese schools also place more emphasis on the
core subjects (Mathematics, Science, language) from much earlier on. China develops
experts very well indeed.
Then again, having a broad skills-set to GCSE gives a student more options to change courses
and have greater flexibility in their future careers. They can be seen as more rounded
individuals. This may be of interest to future employers. What do you think…? Many
young adults have not yet decided upon a career, and many will change their minds later on
in life. Early specialisation may reduce their options.
Teacher-student relationships – differences at school; preparation for independence
Another huge difference is the role of the teacher. Widely speaking, teachers in Western
countries are afforded far less deference than they are in China, where the lao shi is edified
and obeyed to the letter. So strong is the pupil-teacher bond that many students stay in touch
with their tutors long after they have left school. Western teachers by in large do not keep
contact with their students, and only see them in classes or for a few extra tutorials around
exam time. Chinese teachers are expected to give far more of their time for individuals, and
thus the student receives a high level of care and attention, ensuring the best exam grades.
The flip side of this though is that schools have to employ more teachers, as Chinese teachers
do not lead nearly as many classes as Western teachers (who tend to teach classes for 80-95%
of their time in school).
Also, in terms of the type of homework that is given, in China there is a large amount of
written homework, whereas in the west there tends to be more research or reading. Chinese
students often struggle if they are given reading to do as their homework, and they often will
not do it, believing that if it does not need to be written down, they do not have to do it.
Students will often get into trouble in our school, for instance, for not researching. If the
student is going to go on to study in a western university though, they need to develop these
independent research skills.
The other negative here of providing too much support is that the student relies on the teacher
for everything, thus is not being prepared for independent life and learning. When students
 Chinese vs Western education – a guide to success
leave China to go to a Western university, they are very much on their own, and have to have
developed a large amount of initiative and self-direction if they are to be successful. Many
Chinese parents and students have cited that they would wish for a western style education
because it would encourage them to think more as individuals.
Analogy: ‘baby bird syndrome’. Watch a 4 week old sparrow with its parents nearby,
standing on the grass. It will naturally flap its wings, open its beak and squawk like a new-
born, waiting for the next worm to be popped into its mouth. If the parents fly away, the
young bird will search for food by itself, as by that age it is quite capable of doing so. Which
is better (course of action by the parents): Feed the baby as often as it demands, ensuring it
survives, becomes fat, and so on; or feed some of the time, ensuring survival, but leaving the
baby to fend for itself more to develop its independence; third option is to leave the baby to
fend for itself entirely, but this would be akin to not having school at all for anyone. Think
we should cancel school forever….? Which option would you choose?
Role of the parent
The role of the parent is also largely different in China, with mum and dad playing a greater
role in encouraging (some might say “pressuring”) their children to learn. The difference is
most likely down to the fact that China is an up and coming nation, with lots of new money
around and a fast developing education system, and therefore parents now have the ability to
improve their offspring’s chances in life, and the desire not to ‘miss the boat’. Parents invest
all their time and attention into one basket (i.e. one child), thus often have only one chance to
get it right. Getting good grades is essential, and hobbies are sacrificed in favour of
homework. While this sort of set-up can spawn less well-rounded adults, the importance of
striving for excellence cannot be denied in a country with few graduate and post-graduate
employment options than the West.
There is also the family system in China of children coming back and looking after their
parents as they get older, thus having a successful child could be perceived as their pension!
This level of vested interest and family ties no longer exists in the west to this level, and thus
the level of encouragement by western parents is not as high.
It is well understood by educators world over that the stronger the home school ties,
communication between teachers and parents, the better students will perform at school.
Home school contact in western schools generally happens only in emergency situations,
when a student is doing particularly badly or has a social or health issue. Reports go home
two or three times a year, and parents would meet teachers once or twice a year. Those in
boarding schools would have more. In China by contract, we see parents calling tutors or the
Headmaster regularly in some cases, just for an update on ‘how is my child doing?’. Reports
go home with grades far more regularly, as this is what parents expect.
Finally, because Chinese teachers and parents expect that all students have the ability to
succeed in all subjects, students themselves tend to believe that they can succeed as well.
This is a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy, as when adults believe in a child's ability to do well,
the child in turn is likely to believe in himself as well, and therefore work to succeed.
Because Chinese teachers and parents expect more from their students, students succeed
more. This seems to be the key to success within China, but may unravel if the support
 Chinese vs Western education – a guide to success
network suddenly disappears, as is the case when a student moves abroad to study. They are
suddenly on their own, in so many ways.

University
20% of Chinese students quit university in their first year. This is high. Why might this be?

- Faked grades / dodgy agencies writing personal statements that are not accurate reflections
of the student?

- Too much assistance whilst in China. Students not prepared for independent learning,
independent life.

- Level of English too low? IELTS might not prepare students for the wider level of
vocabulary and comprehension necessary for trips to the bank or how to get out of a tricky
situation on a night out, for instance.

- Culture shock. The drinking culture in the UK, for instance, may make Chinese students
feel very unsure of how to act. Many Chinese students feel scared and alone when they first
arrive in the UK.

- The need for ‘understanding’ at university level.

So how can a Chinese student best prepare for a western university education?

1) Learn to speak, read and write English, and not just to the minimum IELTS / TOEFL
standard. Practice as much as possible. Watch western programs, especially the BBC.
You will develop a broader vocabulary, and also pick up some western culture.
2) Think for yourself and be proactive. Do not rely on parents and teachers to do
everything for you. In western education it is largely up to the student to put in the
effort to excel.
3) Question what you are learning. Ask ‘why’ questions. Do not just wait to hear "the
answers" from your teachers. You will not be given these at international schools or
at university. Read about the subjects you are interested in.
4) Choose a subject YOU enjoy, not what your parents want you to do.
5) Realise that you are not special. There are hundreds of thousands of Chinese students
looking to go to the west for university. Most will have teachers and parents that are
supportive. What will make you stand out? Mostly, be realistic about the type of
university, the subject and the level of English you need to be really successful.
 Chinese vs Western education – a guide to success
http://www.echinacities.com/news/An-Education-How-Chinas-System-Differs-from-the-
Wests?cmteditid=#page_cmt

http://sitemaker.umich.edu/vanschaack.356/comparison_of_teachers_and_teaching_strategies

http://www.iesglobal.com/article/difference-between-east-and-west-classrooms

http://www.echinacities.com/china-media/A-Chinese-Teachers-Perspective-China-and-the-
US-Education-Systems-Compared

http://answers.echinacities.com/question/whats-difference-between-western-educational-
system-and-chinese-educational-system?type=alatest

http://www.attainmagazine.co.uk/magazine/currentissue/learning-chinese-early/