When I was reading Education in the People’s Republic of China in American Education in a Global Society, written by Gutek, I found many interesting facts about Chinese education. Based on my previous knowledge, I thought that Chinese students would probably spend most of hours to study like Korean students. In addition, I thought that they would take many academic subjects, instead of involving in PE classes or extracurricular activities. Some of my previous knowledge was correct; however I was not completely right. When reading chapter 16, I found myself comparing the Chinese education to the American education. In China, there are about fifty to sixty students in one classroom, and there are many classrooms, while there are relatively small numbers of students in one classroom in the United States. Moreover, Gutek comments that the secondary schooling in China is based on the official ideological shifts.
The big difference between American education and Chinese education is the number of opportunities for students to enter colleges. In order to enter college, Chinese students should take an exam called “Gaokao,” which is similar to SAT. Since “gaokao” is the most fundamental and important factor to enter a college, teacher-determined grades and recommendations from teachers are not considered important. However, in the United States, the teachers’ recommendations are significant. Gutek mentions that “passing or failing the examination has serious lifelong consequences. Those earning hifh scores have a better chance to enter prestigious universities. Those who fail are unlikely to find appropriate employment and may even be unemployed (381)”. After I read this portion, I felt that American education gives more chances to the students, because Chinese students can take only one exam in a year, while students in the States have multiple chances to take SAT. Then, I realized that this was why Chinese students spend more time to study academic matters, instead of involving in extracurricular activities, which were not considered important to the college admission.
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I find it very interesting to hear that Chinese universities to not stress extracurricular activities, because it is such an important part of a balanced application in the United States. There is probably some cultural significance to this fact. This may add to the high pressure system that China has, because everything is focused on one aspect, instead of spread throughout a few (i.e. grades, SAT's, school involvment, community service).
ReplyDeleteI think that this is really a shame. I feel that stressing the importance of extracurricular activities would be beneficial and relive some of the high stress that is so prevalent in the Chinese education system. I also agree with Jung Yoon's sentiments about Americans having more chances - if we bomb the SATs it doesn't mean we are destined to fail.
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