The Chinese Educational System and its Affect on Student’s Behavior in the Work Environment

Patrick Huang The Chinese Educational System and its Affect on Student’s Behavior in the Work Environment By: Patrick Huang 1

Patrick Huang Abstract This paper will begin to discuss the impact of the relationship between the Chinese schooling system and the Chinese work environment. It is based on empirical and relevant studies and personal experiences on 2 years of living and working in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. This paper will argue how the Chinese grading system of ranking students against one another has had a negative effect on the way Chinese students are able to work in groups when graduating university. It also will explore how the grading system has almost “brainwashed” students into believing that working in groups is not beneficial to one’s mobility and success. It will investigate how the Chinese schooling system has promoted a sense of individualism for the people; its implications on ideas and behavior, and what this means for Chinese people and policies enacted by the government. Finally, I will go into how foreign companies in China can work around this and foster group work. Introduction “Cultures do not talk to each other; individuals do. In that sense, all communication is interpersonal communication and can never be intercultural communication.”1 The Chinese educational system has been developed and transformed through generations, along with changes in their government. From early Zhou Dynasty to Confucianism teachings to the Cultural Revolution, and finally to the post-Mao era teachings the Chinese educational system has taken many twist and turns. The Chinese educational system has been molded around the idea of economic development and social progress, particularly the narrowing 1 Scollon, R. and Scollon, S. (1994) The Post-Confucian Confusion. Research Report, no.37 pg 125 2

Patrick Huang of the gap between the poor rural populations and rich urban populations. During the Chinese Cultural Revolution of the 1950’s, the idea of social equality and universal education was a key goal; providing the people of China, regardless of location and social standing with, an equal and equivalent education. In 1985, China made one of the most important decisions regarding education. The government decided on nine years of compulsory education for students around the country. Since then China’s education system has flourished with public, private schools, and higher learning institutions which have also grown into some of the world’s leading universities. Today Chinese education is one of the most important arenas of public policy; in 2008 it received almost 30% of the total budget for the year. The Chinese education system was developed to give everyone an equal opportunity to succeed. Chinese educational system has had a profound effect on the way students conceptualize and understand problems and issues. It has had an everlasting effect on a student’s natural propensity to work alone through rote memorization. The educational system has also engrained a work ethic which is not beneficial to most Chinese businesses and corporations. Loosely, it has also created a sense of individuality rather than a sense of community for many Chinese citizens. Background Information First, it is essential to understand the Chinese education system. Although similar to its Western counter part, there are key differences between the two educational institutions. One of the most important differences is the grading system in schools and universities. The Chinese use a rank-based grading system, which is based on a ranking of its students in a class. Teachers and 3

Patrick Huang professors for a given class are only allowed to give out a certain number of A’s, B’s, C’s, D’s, and E’s; this number is determined by the total number of students enrolled in the class. This distribution is based on the bell curve, as the top percentage of students in the class get an A while the bottom percentage of the class receive an E This system causes students to compete against one another for higher grades. “Denigration of others - competition among the comrades - became endemic”2 This is unlike the Western standard based grading system, where teachers and professors are able to give out as many A’s, B’s, C’s, D’s, and E’s based on the students performance. While with the Western grading system students are not competing with one another, it is an outcome based learning system. An additional important difference between the two institutions is the teaching style through which information is provided to the students. In Chinese schools and universities, concepts are taught to students through lecture and rote memorization. Students take notes on what teachers and professors say during the lecture then memorize the information. “They [Asian-born students] learn through rote memorization. There are hardly any experiential and interactive learning activities in the Asian classrooms. Asian students usually listen to a teacher’s lecture, take notes copiously and answer teachers’ questions. The classroom talk is dominated by the teacher. There are hardly any small group activities.”3 Students are almost fed the information by the instructors. “Students in Hong Kong… expect lecturers to teach them everything that they are expected to know. They have little desire to discover for themselves or avail for themselves of the facilities which are available to them within the teaching institution. 2 White, T. Lynn. (1984) Review, The China Quarterly, No. 97 pg 135 3 Clara C. Park, Russell Endo, A. Lin Goodwin (1998) Asian and Pacific American Education pg79 4

Patrick Huang They wish to be spoon fed and in turn they are spoon fed. Lecturers are under pressure to feed the students with a certain amount of academic and community needs information and the simplest way to do it is to adopt the old and traditional approaches to teaching.”4 Chinese professors teach students what they need to understand a topic while Western professors teach how those concepts can be applied and used. “A study by Pratt (1999) revealed significant differences in the perceptions of Hong Kong Chinese teachers and Western expatriate teachers as to what constituted ‘effective [university] teaching’. These Chinese teachers stressed the importance of foundational knowledge. They felt students needed to attain mastery of this as a first step in any discipline. The teacher was perceived to be the authoritative source whose job is to take students systematically through a set of tasks, step by step, varying the pace according to students’ understanding” “Whereas the Western expatriate teachers working in Hong Kong tended to view their job as the elaboration, application or critique of foundational knowledge. By encouraging discussion, their aim was to facilitate independent learning so as to bring about a qualitative change in students’ thinking.”5 While Western schools provide more of an interactive atmosphere to learning this allows students time for questions and small group activities. “Thus, Asian American [Asian-born] students come from a highly controlled and structured classroom environment to a more open and flexible American classroom environment where small group activities and free discussions are encouraged.”6 Interactive learning is encouraged by instructors 4 Minutes of the Course Planning Committee (1989) pg 13 5 Kennedy, Peter (2002) Learning cultures and learning styles: myth-understandings about adult (Hong Kong) Chinese learners Int. J. of Lifelong Education, Vol. 21, No. 5 pg 439 6 Clara C. Park, Russell Endo, A. Lin Goodwin (1998) Asian and Pacific American Education pg79 5

Patrick Huang and is used as a constructive tool. Interactive learning facilitates abstract thought and imagination. “Good learning in the West typically revolves around the use of ‘deep approaches’ where students are taught, for example: to use abstract frameworks for conceptualizing the task, to be ‘metacognitive’ in planning and monitoring their own progress, and that their outcomes are well structured and integrated.”7 Students are expected to form their own opinions and thoughts on different issues. Another key difference between the two educational institutions is the emphasis the education system puts on the state administered tests. State administered tests are the emphasis of a student’s education life. Answering problems which are on the test become more important to the students than the actual theories behind the problem. Although some might argue Western also cater their learning to standardized tests, it is not on the same degree. Chinese students are told what to study and what not to study; classes are never taught information which is not on the standardized test. Analytical and creative thinking are not encouraged as these are not parts of the test. Key concepts which needed to be understood and applied by students are merely getting memorized by many Chinese students. Rank-Based Grading and its Impact on Students China’s rank based grading system was brought about through the Cultural Revolution in the 1950’s. It was implemented to give all people of China an equal chance at succeeding. The rank based system also provided social status for gifted students a way for them to shine out from the rest. “In traditional society, status was ascribed, for example, by inheritance. Under 7 Chan, Sally. (1999) The Chinese Learner- A Question of Style, Education and Training pg 300 6

Patrick Huang such circumstances, education reproduced the existing social stratification and educational institutions were vehicles for the preservation and transmission of life styles.”8 However, China’s rank based grading system is not looked on by other countries as proficient grading system. The rank based system put students against students; everyone has to compete against one another for a higher grade. It causes high amounts of competition and aggressive behavior as each student wants to beat the other student to achieve a top grade. “Rank-based grading systems are mostly out-of-favor in the contemporary United States. When rank-based systems are used, in education or employment situations, cutthroat behavior and cheating become rampant. In some situations, high-scoring students are disliked by their classmates for raising the curve.”9 This competitiveness can also bring about high levels of stress and pressure for the students. As pointed out above rank based grading systems can also promote cheating and deceitful behavior. Students not only have to worry about studying and doing well on tests but students also worry about getting a higher grade than their classmates around them. This makes a very tense atmosphere and can easily lead to cheating or plagiarism. “Cited as a case against rank- based evaluation specific to employment, Enron used a rank-based evaluation scale; it was argued that the cutthroat environment created there resulted in the disgrace and downfall of the corporation.”10 While doing research I found many examples of dishonest behavior. I found cases where university students were reported of hiding library books, so no other students could 8 Takeuchi, Yo. (1997) The self-activating entrance examination system – its hidden agenda and its correspondence with the Japanese “salary man”, pg 184 9 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academic_grading_in_North_America 10 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academic_grading_in_North_America 7

Patrick Huang use the information. Many see getting a high grade in a class as a tournament; one bad grade will cause students to fall down against their peers. Rosenbaum describes it as “Tournament mobility is a selection system in which only the winners at each stage can go on to the next match; losers are out of the tournament.”11 The competition in the rank-based grading system is fierce as Chinese students realize how important it is for them to do well in the class. This kind of pressure can have devastating effects on students, which can range from illnesses to suicide. “One in four university students from Hong Kong, for example, have been found to suffer high rates of psychological disorders.” 12 With only a certain number of high grades students become cutthroat in order to ultimately do better later on in life. “Competitiveness and the need to perform well academically is reinforced in children by social conditioning from family and peer members but could also come in the form of limited education places available. The result is that students are often taught in large numbers with class sizes of over 40 and that examinations are often used to measure their performance frequently”13 Schools Affect of Behavior Does a school’s environment mold a student? Are students permanently affected by the way they are socialized in school? Learning is defined as the act or process of acquiring knowledge or skill. The process of learning is not only done through the classroom but also 11 Takeuchi, Yo. (1997) The self-activating entrance examination system – its hidden agenda and its correspondence with the Japanese “salary man”, pg 192 12 Yee, A. (1989) Cross Cultural Perspectives on Higher Education in East Asia: Psychological effects upon Asian Students, Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, Vol. 10, No. 3 pg 213-232 13 Bond, M.H. (1991) Beyond the Chinese Face- Insights From Psychology, Oxford University Press 8

Patrick Huang through everyday experiences and environment. “Learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience.”14 People take information in from all sources and apply it to how they behave and how they learn. “Education is a public phenomenon and provides public recognition for learning’ whereas learning can be more individualistic, and take place outside educational institutions at work or at a distance without a teacher present.”15 Mundane and daily activities can be a source of learning and education. “Every (social) situation is a potential learning experience—though that potential is not always realized—even miseducative experiences may be regarded as learning experiences.”16 People learn through their surroundings and what they see going on around them, these being parents, siblings, home, friends, and school. Many sociologists believe that students are socialized through the institutions of grade school and university. Sociologists believe educational institutions have a resounding impact on a person’s life and how they interact throughout that life. “Such an institution [educational institutions] clearly has an impact on society over and above the immediate socializing experiences it offers the young.”17 Educational institutions mold a student and tell them how to behave in the real-world. Educational institutions set up social norms and standards which students will follow throughout their lives. “The dominant view has it that the schools process 14 Kennedy, Peter (2002) Learning cultures and learning styles: myth-understandings about adult (Hong Kong) Chinese learners Int. J. of Lifelong Education, Vol. 21, No. 5 pg 438 15 Ball, C. (1994) Lifelong learning in a learning society: Who pays? Who benefits? Pg 13 16 Kennedy, Peter (2002) Learning cultures and learning styles: myth-understandings about adult (Hong Kong) Chinese learners Int. J. of Lifelong Education, Vol. 21, No. 5 pg 436 17 Meyer, W. John. (1977) The Effects of Education as an Institution, The American Journal of Sociology, Vol. 83 No. 1 pg 55 9

Patrick Huang individuals. They are organized networks of socializing experiences which prepare individuals to act in society. It has a network of rules creating public classifications of persons and knowledge.”18 Educational institutions are essential to a person’s growth and development. People are socialized through the institutions and learn many skills and abilities which they will take on throughout life. “Education is a central element in the public biography of individuals, greatly affecting their life chances.”19 Efficient Learning Styles Learning styles are the way people learn different techniques and strategies used to retain information. It is defined as “Individuals perceive and process information in very different ways. The learning styles theory implies that how much individuals learn has more to do with whether the educational experience is geared toward their particular style of learning than whether or not they are smart.”20 Many scholars have concluded one of the most effective ways of teaching and educating students is through group and collaborative learning environments. “Slavin (1983) and Kagan (1986) observed that cooperative group learning produced gains in academic achievement, especially among African and Latino students, and developed social skills and better race relations among all participating students.”21 Group learning allows students to discuss with their 18 Meyer, W. John. (1977) The Effects of Education as an Institution, The American Journal of Sociology, Vol. 83 No. 1 pg 55 19 Meyer, W. John. (1977) The Effects of Education as an Institution, The American Journal of Sociology, Vol. 83 No. 1 pg 55 20 http://www.funderstanding.com/content/learning-styles 21 Clara C. Park (1997) Equity and Excellence in Education, Vol. 30, No. 2 pg 70 10

Patrick Huang peers and really conceptualize different theories and issues. “Student-initiated collaborative learning strategies have been found to foster the adoption of a deep approach to learning and the use of high-level cognitive strategies.”22 Group learning provides a perfect learning atmosphere as students are able to go through problems step by step explaining each step taken. Students become attentive to other issues and are given a new lens to look through as other group members are able to bring up viewpoints which might have never been thought about prior. “[Students] become aware of different perspectives on controversial issues, form judgments through critical thinking . . . rehearse, organize and clarify information in order to be able to communicate with the other members.”23 When students work in a group it also invites the idea of a collective good. Students no longer feel as though they need to compete against their classmates rather they have an outlet to work with one another. They are able to see themselves as the group and are readily available to share and divulge information. “For group projects the main influence is the collective affiliation referred to above. When students have been taught to value communal goals, they should find it easier to form a coherent and committed team than those who have only been exposed to an individual competitive ethos.”24 Collaborative learning reinforces the idea of team and working together to achieve a certain goal. It also brings an easier, less tense atmosphere to the classroom where students are not competing against one another. 22 Flowerdew, L. (1998) A cultural perspective on group work. English Language Teaching Journal, 52(4), 323– 329. 23 Tang, C. (1996) Collaborative learning pg 183-204 24 Kember, David. (1999) Misconceptions About the Learning Approaches, Motivation and Study Practices of Asian Students, Pg116 11

Patrick Huang My Observations and Experiences with the Chinese Educational System During my time spent studying in Hong Kong, I made many observations about the Chinese educational system and its delivery of information. One major difference between United States schooling and Chinese schooling I observed was the lack of group work and collaborative learning Chinese students participated in. While studying in the United States I participated in group work or group study session regularly throughout a semester, working on homework collectively or pooling together information for tests. Chinese students were neither willing nor available to work in groups. After talking with other exchange students and seeing that they also encountered the lack of interest in group study sessions from Chinese students I began to wonder why this was the case. I came to find out through my roommate, Chinese students did not participate in group study session because the students did not want to share and exchange their information which they had gathered throughout the semester; essentially they did not want to help other students. Unlike American students, Chinese students saw group study sessions detrimental to their overall grade in a class. Helping other students learn and understand concepts from class was hurting them and lowering their own chance at a top grade in the class. As I discussed this topic further with my fellow classmates and my roommate I learned group work has never been looked at as beneficial throughout a Chinese student’s educational career. Students are discouraged from participating in groups not only by the professors but also by the institution itself. Due to the rank-based grading system students did not want to help other students. Instead of students grouping together and helping one another learn and understand 12

Patrick Huang concepts in class; students end up studying alone, keeping their own information to themselves ultimately to benefit them the most. Why would Chinese students help other students? Helping other students understand topics would make others do better on tests which in turn meant more competition for higher grades in the classroom. It has made Chinese students individualistically orientated, and has pushed students away from thinking about the greater good, collective thinking. The Chinese grading system has put a negative correlation on students working together and has increased a student’s will to be individualistic. Propensity to Work in Groups Through my research I have found contradictory studies on Chinese student’s ability to work in groups and discuss topics. A lot of research and study has gone into how Chinese students are actually very efficient and capable of learning differently if given the opportunity. “Hong Kong City University students who took part in a worldwide computer-mediated simulation developed some of the attitudes that are said to characterize autonomous learning. Traditional teacher–learner roles were redefined for the activity, students were no longer told what to do but had to plan, make decisions, debate, deal with people from other cultures, handle unpredictability, time management and conflict issues. In the event, they were able to rise to the challenge and take responsibility for their own learning.”25 In this study Liu and Littewood found Chinese students could make decisions and handle unpredictability when traditional roles were redefined. “There is also ample evidence that Asian students are not inherently resistant to innovative teaching strategies so are perfectly capable of participating actively in their own 25 Liu, N. and Littlewood, W. (1997) Why do many students appear reluctant to participate in classroom Learning discourse? System, 25(3), 371–384. 13

Patrick Huang learning. Perceptions that they resist forms of teaching, other than traditional didactic ones, probably arose because the students were not given time and support to adapt from teaching styles they had experienced a great deal towards others which they were fresh to.”26 Kember found Chinese students were able to participate actively in their own learning if new and innovative teaching strategies were used in the classroom. However, I have to remark about these studies. These studies show Chinese student’s ability to learn differently and their capability to use other methods of learning like group learning and collaborative learning. These studies are only finding Chinese student’s aptitude to study differently if forced or made to study differently through experiments. These studies are not finding Chinese student’s propensity or willingness to use these different styles of learning in everyday work. All of these studies have shown Chinese students inclination to avoid participating in group learning and collaborative learning. The studies have shown Chinese students have the highest propensity to learn individually and through rote memorization. “Concluded that the Chinese display five characteristics which can be taken to summarize Chinese thinking and behavior: Emphasis on perception of the concrete, non-development of abstract though, emphasis on particulars not universals, practicality as central focus, and concern for reconciliation, harmony, and balance”27 Chinese students may be proficient at using group learning and different learning strategies but because Chinese student’s tendency is to work individually they will never use these strategies unless made. Having the ability does not mean that ability is going to be used. “However, students will not be able to develop new study skills 26 Kember, David. (1999) Misconceptions About the Learning Approaches, Motivation and Study Practices of Asian Students, Pg117 27 Nakarama, Redding, G. (1990) The Spirit of Chinese Capitalism 14

Patrick Huang and learning styles if their teachers believe them to be capable of only rote-learning (and related assessment): ‘if the goal of education is deep learning, then educators in Hong Kong should adjust their teaching . . . teaching students study skills that the ecology of the classroom does not support is simply a waste of time’.”28 If the teaching style in the classroom does not foster collaborating learning, students will revert back to rote memorization and being individualistic. My Observations and Experiences with the Chinese Work Place Environment While working in Shanghai I was able to observe first hand how the Chinese job atmosphere was affected by the schooling system. I worked at a cell phone marketing company. The department was divided into four different groups. I was stationed in a group with eight other members. Our group was supposed to study and research Thailand’s need and use for cell phones in daily life. We were able to use different sources found over the internet and also we were able to use old sales figures from partner companies. One thing I found very odd about this was the lack of group meetings. Because of my work experience in the United States I found group meetings were very helpful when planning which group member was going to do what. For example while working in the States our group regularly met seven or eight times a day to discuss our findings and to pool together helpful sources. However, while working in China our group of eight met once or twice a day. And our regional group of South-East Asia marketing met three to four times a week. During these group meetings there was not a lot of sustainable work accomplished. The meeting was to make sure everybody was doing work. Our group rarely pooled together information regarding research or 28 Ho, I., Salili, F., Biggs, J., and Hau, K. T. (1999) The relationship among causal attributions, learning strategies and level of achievement: a Hong Kong case study. Asia Pacific Journal of Education, Vol. 19 No. 1, pg 44–58 15

Patrick Huang ideas. Most of the group members were working on the same things; we would be searching on the same website gathering the same information. Our group could not allocate our resources efficiently. While working in Shanghai, I never felt a sense of belonging to the group. In the United States most groups at work go out after work to relax and chat. While the entire three months in Shanghai, not once did I go out after work with my co-workers. There was no sense of unity in our group. Lack of group communication and allocating of group resources is not beneficial to a corporation as wasted time is wasted money. It is essential for associates in a company be able to facilitate and allocate the companies resources efficiently. Through the Chinese education system the lack of group work and collaborative learning has had a negative impact on corporations in Asia. “University graduates in Hong Kong who depended on rote learning methods have been found to lack the originality in their thinking to the extent that the government is now disputing the applicability of such learning to real-world problems”29 Associates use individual learning, which was learned through the Chinese educational system, and bring that train of thought to the work environment. Students associate group work and negatively as in school. While in the work environment managers do not want employees who withhold important information from other employees, as this is seen as not the most efficient or economically sound employee. 29 Chan, Sally. (1999) The Chinese Learner- A Question of Style, Education and Training pg 300 16

Patrick Huang Conclusion “If A>B and B>C then A must be greater than C” -Schools use a rank based grading system. Schools affect a student’s behavior. So, rank based grading systems affect a student. As shown through my previous sections I found rank based grading systems, used in Chinese schools, fosters more individualistic thinking against the collective good, support of selfish behavior, it promotes competition, cutthroat and aggressive behavior, and a tendency to cheat. I also found schools affect a student’s lifetime behavior, because schools use a rank based grading system. Consequently a student’s behavior is going to be affected by the competitiveness and individuality found in rank based grading systems. Through my research I was also able to determine group and collaborating learning style was one of the most efficient methods of teaching. Students were able to remember the most knowledge; students could conceptualize and understand issues and concepts with greater retention. I can now relate everything back to the rank based grading system which is the original cause of: not using the most efficient method of teaching group learning, for students to become more individualized over the collective good, and for the selfish behavior shown due to the high amount of competition throughout a student’s life. These findings above also corresponded with my personal experience with the Chinese educational system and the Chinese work environment. This rank based grading as shown above has a much deeper effect on a student than not being able to socialize with peers in groups. Students grow up for the first twenty-two to twenty- 17

Patrick Huang three years of their life believing group work and sharing information with their peers is negatively correlated with doing better. “But Korean (16.15), Chinese (16.39) students show negative preferences for group learning, showing significant ethnic group differences among the Asian groups. These findings reveal Korean and Chinese students' rugged individualism and a competitive spirit in Korean and Chinese classrooms as was expected, which these two Asian groups appear to bring with them, given that 64 percent of Asian American students were born in their native countries and almost 47 percent of them were in the United States for less than 10 years. On the other hand, Korean and Chinese American students' negative preferences for group learning style could be a reflection of lack of exposure to small group activities in Korean or Chinese classrooms prior to their immigration to this country, or a reflection of their relatively limited exposure to such instructional activities since their immigration, or a reflection of who their teachers are even in the same schools, given such a wide variety of teaching styles”30 If a person has grown up for twenty years believing group work is bad, after completion of school, he or she cannot be expected to value group work. “Teachers need to be careful when placing newly arrived Korean or Chinese students in small groups. They might want to put them in pairs rather than in groups during their initial adjustment period.”31 Due to the change in teaching styles newly arrived students from China or Korea have a hard time adjusting and 30 Clara C. Park (1997) Equity and Excellence in Education, Vol. 30, No. 2 pg 75 31 Clara C. Park (1997) Equity and Excellence in Education, Vol. 30, No. 2 pg 76 18

Patrick Huang contributing to group work. During a person’s schooling years they are almost “brainwashed” from the idea of grouping together to complete a specific task. “Reid's (1987) findings suggested that virtually none of the college ESL [mostly Asian] students chose group learning as a major learning preference.”32 In a study done on learning styles Chinese and Korean students both were negatively correlated to learning in groups33 Chinese and Korean students marked that being in groups was negatively correlated with the learning and efficiency. This “brainwashing” also has a negative effect on the student’s orientation toward group thought and the collective good; it makes students more individualistically orientated, more selfish. “In general, Chinese and Korean students tend to be highly competitive and individualistic”34 “As a whole, Asian American students who were born in their native countries prefer more individual learning (17.58) than Asian Americans who were born in the United States (17.09) or Anglos (16.75)”35 This is a very large problem in the Chinese educational system. China needs to have citizens who care about China and its progress and not about the progress of the individual. China needs to emphasize it nationality and exploit the nationalism in its citizens. Not only does it have a negative effect on the job atmosphere, who expect co- workers to work together to solve problems, but also has a negative impact on the society as a whole. 32 Clara C. Park (1997) Equity and Excellence in Education, Vol. 30, No. 2 pg 70 33 Clara C. Park (1997) Equity and Excellence in Education, Vol. 30, No. 2 pg 73 34 Clara C. Park, Russell Endo, A. Lin Goodwin (1998) Asian and Pacific American Education pg79 35 Clara C. Park (1997) Equity and Excellence in Education, Vol. 30, No. 2 pg 75 19

Patrick Huang What can be taken from this essay? Companies and teachers need to take steps around this problem, of lack of group work and involvement. There are ways which a company or teacher in China can help foster and develop a students propensity to work in a group environment. Chinese students are good at working in groups, the only problem is Chinese students tendency not to work in groups. If forced, Chinese students are very good and proficient at working in groups. “Design teaching, curricula and assessment to foster a deep approach…It is desirable that course make use of teaching and learning methods which require active participation of the students”36 Using teaching styles which make students work in groups would familiarize students with working in groups. “Students accustomed to more teacher-centered classrooms will need to be given time and support to make the transition to new forms of learning: ‘any teacher, Western or Eastern, who plans to use methodologies which inevitably involve students’ participation must make sure that the students are familiar with and accept such methodologies’ (Cheng 2000: 444). The crucial element is building what Kegan (1994) calls a ‘consciousness bridge’ between the students’ previous learning experiences and the new approaches.”37 This information can also be brought into companies and the work environment in China. Forcing employees to work together with one another will have positive outcomes. Companies can begin to mandate group work between employees and mandate the number of times groups meet a day. Companies can also have outing events which help employees get to know one another and where employees begin to feel more and more comfortable with one another. These techniques will be able to increase productivity in the work place and make a work environment much more comfortable and easier to work in. 36 Kember, David. (1999) Misconceptions About the Learning Approaches, Motivation and Study Practices of Asian Students, Pg118 37 Kennedy, Peter (2002) Learning cultures and learning styles: myth-understandings about adult (Hong Kong) Chinese learners Int. J. of Lifelong Education, Vol. 21, No. 5 pg 442 20

Patrick Huang While researching this topic I began to see how this idea of individualism versus the collective good could be used to describe Chinese society as a whole. I thought back to my time spent in China and some differences I noticed in society. The lack of lines in Chinese society stood out to me as something very different. Lines were not used when getting on the bus, getting on the subway, or even to order McDonalds! I began to wonder, could be traced back to the lack of collective thinking taught through school or was this due to something else in Chinese society? This also made me think about a bigger issues going on in China. I began to think about Chinese workers. The Chinese government has made steps on improving a worker’s wages and work environment, but due to the Chinese worker’s propensity to work at a lower than the minimum wage, and lower standards in their work environment. They were undermining steps made by the Chinese government to help the collective good of all Chinese workers. Could this problem be traced back to the grading and educational system, reinforcing selfish, help yourself behavior or was this tied to something else in Chinese society? I hope further research and investigation is done on this topic. As there are many questions still unanswered. 21

Patrick Huang Bibliography Ball, C. (1994) Lifelong learning in a learning society: Who pays? Who benefits? Pg 13 Bond, M.H. (1991) Beyond the Chinese Face- Insights From Psychology, Oxford University Press Chan, Sally. (1999) The Chinese Learner- A Question of Style, Education and Training pg 300 Clara C. Park (1997) Equity and Excellence in Education, Vol. 30, No. 2 pg 70, 73, 75-76 Clara C. Park, Russell Endo, A. Lin Goodwin (1998) Asian and Pacific American Education pg79 Flowerdew, L. (1998) A cultural perspective on group work. English Language Teaching Journal, 52(4), 323– 329. Ho, I., Salili, F., Biggs, J., and Hau, K. T. (1999) The relationship among causal attributions, learning strategies and level of achievement: a Hong Kong case study. Asia Pacific Journal of Education, Vol. 19 No. 1, pg 44–58 Kember, David. (1999) Misconceptions About the Learning Approaches, Motivation and Study Practices of Asian Students, Pg116-118 Kennedy, Peter (2002) Learning cultures and learning styles: myth-understandings about adult (Hong Kong) Chinese learners Int. J. of Lifelong Education, Vol. 21, No. 5 pg 436, 438-439, 442 Liu, N. and Littlewood, W. (1997) Why do many students appear reluctant to participate in classroom Learning discourse? System, 25(3), 371–384. Meyer, W. John. (1977) The Effects of Education as an Institution, The American Journal of Sociology, Vol. 83 No. 1 pg 55 Minutes of the Course Planning Committee (1989) pg 13 Nakarama, Redding, G. (1990) The Spirit of Chinese Capitalism Scollon, R. and Scollon, S. (1994) The Post-Confucian Confusion. Research Report, no.37 pg 125 Takeuchi, Yo. (1997) The self-activating entrance examination system – its hidden agenda and its correspondence with the Japanese “salary man”, pg 184, 192 Tang, C. (1996) Collaborative learning pg 183-204 White, T. Lynn. (1984) Review, The China Quarterly, No. 97 pg 135 Yee, A. (1989) Cross Cultural Perspectives on Higher Education in East Asia: Psychological effects upon Asian Students, Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, Vol. 10, No. 3 pg 213-232 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academic_grading_in_North_America http://www.funderstanding.com/content/learning-styles 22