ComparisonBetweenChineseandAmericanFamilyEducation.docx

ComparisonBetweenChineseandAmericanFamilyEducationAbstract The family education is related to a person''s life. Nowadays, social development needs high qualified talents and good family education is the key point to the high qualified talents. Because of the different social systems, culture backgrounds, education aims and so on, family education for the children is different in many aspects between China and America. In the education projects of training new century talents in the world, all the countries put family education in a very important position. Although family education now attracts social circles attention, especially educational circles attention, Chinese family education still had a lot of problems. This paper first introduces the definition of family education. Second, this paper points out the main problems in todays Chinese family education. Third, by comparing, this paper points out the different family education between China and America (mainly on aspects of family educations contents, aims and methods). Family education aims for training the children into what kind of person that the education contents and methods choose according to the aims. After comparison, the paper interprets the reasons of these differences. Finally, the paper puts forward some methods that suit Chinese family education. Key Words family education; comparison; American; Chinese 1. Introduction Entering twenty-first century, as one of the hottest spot, family education is becoming more and more important in peoples life. Family, as the cell of society, is the first place that children receive education and the first unit that the children get in touch with the society. Education is a highly complicated process which is connected with families, schools and society throughout ones whole life. A modern society, whether it can present its special education function, which is already the base of the power to push the society and creation of family happiness. In modern society, family education contents become various, it includes not only family life education, family relation education, family morality education, but also children education, parents education and so on. In this paper, I will discuss the education of the children. 2.The definition of family education “ Harry Chesters Schools for Children and Institutes for Adults (1860) says, Education is the development and training of the human being in all his capacities, spiritual, intellectual and physical”1P148 In the dictionary, the definition of family education explained in this way: Parents or elder generation educate the child or teenage in family. Different society needs different family education. “Zheng Qilong, in his work family education, explained it in another way: Education is a society use to educate new generation with aims and systems”2P6-7 Family education is parents educate their children, it is an important part of the whole education system. For the sake of the changing situation, the definition of family education should be extended: “(i) Family education is not only the action of family but concerns the whole society. (ii) Family educations aims are not only studying the family relation and living skills, but also the physiology and psychology of every family member and family members all-round development. (iii) Family education is not only the way that parents or elder generation educate the child or teenage in family, but all the family members educate each other. (iv) Family education is not only the education of the pre-school education, but also all life education.”3P52 3.Main problems in todays Chinese family education 3.1 Parents mistake in conception of value and wrong activities leading A childs conception of morality and value orientation learns from acquistion, especially from his parents. So parents affect the childs mind greatly.“(i) If parents always say some positive view, such as, Money makes the mare go or Money talks.”4P23 The child may form a conception that people live in order to make money which is a wrong view of value. (ii) Parents sometimes endorse some wrong behaviors, the child may form an idea that those wrong behaviors are right. 3.2 Utopian expectation of childrens education Chinese parents produce a great impact on childrens future. When a baby born in a Chinese family, his parents often design a future for him, no matter the child likes it or not. That is to say, Chinese parents would enforce their children living under the designed future instead of considering childrens feelings and abilities. “Just as Phierbaha says Parents biggest false is they stand in their position and interfere childrens nature development.”5P24 In China, we can find the following scenes easily: Parents take their children to various kinds of lessons after school. Children would be punished if they didnt get a good mark in examinations. 3.3 Harmful types of family education 3.3.1 A utocratic type of family education In some Chinese families, parents require their children should do whatever they want their children do. If the children didnt do as their order, they will scold the children, even worse, they will punish the children. “A questionnaire of 300 students in a middle school shows: Ninety percent of the students had been punished!” 6P24. They cant bear that children didt obey them. They restrict their children. They check their childrens cellphone. 3.3.2 Indulgent type of family education Parents love is very important for the psychology development of teenagers. However, in modern China, a child is probably the only child in a family, and parents give too much love to the child. It leads to a situation that the child cant live without their parents. They seldom run into troubles because their parents had already solved the problem for them before they meet the problem. This kind of children cant get along with other people very well. They consider themselves as the most important ones. Even worse, they may not have enough independent ability to live in the society without their parents help. When they go to society, they will feel depressed. “In a investigation of 4000 youth criminals, 16.3% of them receive this kind of family education. ” 7P24 3.3.3 Careless type of family education It usually refers to parents who lack of responsibility to take care of their children. Young parents are working hard to make money. They dont have enough time to get along with their children. According to a survey, the children whose parents are individual entrepreneur, taxi driver or labor contractor, break the law easily. The main reason is the parents mentioned above, who have few time at home. Even they are at home, they seldom put their hearts on their children. They simply think if they provides a good living condition for their children, who will become a talent. This type of family education is dangerous. Childrens thought is not mature enough to judge all the things in a right way. It is easy for children to choose the wrong way to go. 3.3.4 Changeable type of family education The children had been influenced greatly by this type of family education. For parents, the way to present this kind of education is self-contradictory. In other words, one parent is severe, another indulgent. Or the same behavior, is allowed today, but is forbidden tomorrow. A great number of research proved that childrens behaviors have a close connection with the changeable type of family education when they are young. 3.4 Bringing up by elder generation show more disadvantages Bringing up by elder generation means more chance to spoil the children. The popular situation is that children raised by grand-parents. In this way, there are more disadvantages than advantages. Grand-parents used the traditional view to teach their grand-sons or grand-daughters. The result of this will destroy the children. 4.Main problems in todays American family education 4.1 Indulgent type of family education Different from Chinese family education, Ameirican indulgent type of family education had more harmful effection. Because over indulgent, it made a lot of social problems.Such as, teenage crime. In radio or TV, we sometimes can get a information that a 15-year-old boy shot his friend in the middle school. 4.2 lack of communication American think that every member in a family, he or she should had his or her own space. In their opinions, they can''t interfere each other even they are in a family. And when a person is 18 years old, he may leave his parents. It means his has little time to stay with their parents. So they has less resbosibility to their parents. But, in Chinese peopleeyes, its no a good idea to leave their parents. It may lose the chances to communicate with each other. 4.3 pay too much attention on happy learning American take happy learning serious. But, in fact, happy learning is good when children are young. Only pay attention to happy, parents may find that childrens learning levels are declined. For example, some students who get used to happy learning, cant calculate without calculator. 5.The comparison of the family educations process between China and America From the results of the family education, we can find, in the process of family education, although it is not a kind of systematic education, it still has its educational aims, contents and methods, like the schools, which play an important role in the educational system. The aims of education are the most important ones which determine family educations contents and methods. 5.1 The comparison of the contents of family education The aim of education determines the content of education. “The contents of American family education are very plentiful. American parents pay attention to their childrens all-round study.”8 We called “qualified education”,which includes physical strength, cognition, social ability, emotion and so on. To enhance childrens physical strength, children do outdoor exercises, such as, playing on a swing, hiking. On the development of cognition, parents train childrens sense organs, enlarging their culture view and hobby. For example, when parents go to library for study or borrow some books, they always take their children with them. In this way, they can stimulate childrens interest. On the development of social ability, children are required to enjoy themselves and share things with their friends. On the development of emotion, with the help of the parents, children learn to enjoy music, art or dancing etc. Although the contents of Chinese family education are divided into morality, intelligence, physical, art etc. However, when the child at school age, intelligence is the most important. The contents of education become imbalance. In physical, Chinese parents pay more attention to childrens nutrition, they make great effects to prevent their children from diseases. Compared with American parents, this kind of education is a protection which is defensible, static and passive. Greenhouse-training can train a person strong; On intelligence, children are given knowledge, skills, such as, the books that are full of knowledge and interesting things, at the same time, they learn the skills of reading, writing and counting. When the children begin their school education, family education are inclined to the tendency of school education: parents supervise childrens study, check their homework, buy extracurricular exercises for the children. On art education, more and more parents realize the important professional skills. So they request children to learn drawing, dancing without childrens willingness. It is a blind action, it may kill childrens talent, even worse, they may pay a good deal of money and a lot of time but without good results. And doing this willgive too much pressure to children. By comparison, American family educations contents are substantial and scientific. On the contrary, Chinese family educations contents are narrow, limited and not scientific. For example, in Chinese family education, physical is less important than intelligence. Chinese parents pay more attention on childrens health from which is the low-level content. Children ignore physical training, lack of outdoor exercises, stay at home to watch television. Then the number of getting adiposity become larger. Intelligence includes practical ability and latent capacity. Practical ability is what you know, what skills and knowledge you should master. Chinese family education always ignore skills, such as, living skill, working skill, communicative skill etc. American people take these skills seriously instead of ignoring them. In their opinion, these skills are the basic quality to stand on the social stage. Chinese family education ignore not only some practical abilities, but also latent capacities which are divided into study ability and creativity. Chinese parents seem to think highly of knowledge study, in fact, they only pay attention to the low-level knowledge which just can deal with school examinations. In a questionnaire called “how to train teenagers creative ability.” There is a question , “If you find your children trying to take a clock apart, what will you do?” 40% of parents will scold the children. 48% of parents will use a way without patience.From this questionnaire, we can find out Chinese parents ideas of training creation should be improved. By comparison, American parents pay attention to childrens multi-hobby and creation-consciousness training. Most American experts adviced that not to learn knowledge without comprehension study. When children come back home from school, Chinese parents always ask a question “Do you remember what the teacher teach?” or “Do you get a good mark on todays test?” Yet, American parents will ask “Do you ask teacher some questions?” or “Is the lesson interesting today?” This present the different opinions on intelligence between Chinese parents and American parents. 5.2 The comparison of the aims of family education Family educations aims determine its direction. So the aims of family education are the core, which is the basic reason of the different family education between Chinese and American. Family educations aim is to train a child with some characteristics through family education. Once the aim is determined, education contents and methods should be chosen according to the aims. So whats the different aims of Chinese family education and American family education, or we can say the different expectations of the parents in the two countries. American family educations aims are to train the child into a social man, who can deal with all kinds of events and own independent ability. It is not a high expectation. “Social man” is not an utopia idea, but