The Differences of Higher Education between China and U.S
The Differences of Higher Education between China and U.S
Abstract: The paper elaborates the difference of higher education between China and America. it has carried on the contrast analysis on the social environment and cultural tradition between China and America, and emphatically analyzed differences of the education system and graduates’ ability between both countries.
Key words: higher education; difference; US; China
1、introduction
Due to the development of science and technology, connections between higher education and national politics, economy, science,culture, military relation is day by day closer. The higher education is vigorous and upward, and it not only simply performances for the growth of quantity, but especially has had the huge change in the nature[1]. The advanced level of higher education has become a thesymbol of national strength. With more intense international politics, economic struggle and military competition day by day, its key often lays on the competition of science and technology which changes everyday.In the view of the long term and personal factor, it also has no alternative but to sum up to fosters talent's education.This intrinsic mutual relation especially performances in the aspect of higher education.Therefore,various countries' governments all devote themselves to higher education reform. This article has mainly carried on the elaboration on the difference between Chinese and American higher education.
2、comparison of the social environment and cultural tradition between China and America
2.1 contrast of social environment between China and America
US is open social. The society's openness urges the American college to abandon the old education thought which the European traditional university sticks to, adopt open policy to absorb all advatanges from other countries and establishes diverse and open education control system which emphasizes the actual effect. US is the biggest imigrant country which has very strong containing nature in the culture. American economy ephiseizes on the practical value, matter reward as well as individual value realization with fast development, rich material life, strong material idea and etc. The American advocates the independent way of life and work. The American owns full creative humanities spirit, the innovation is the forever subject in their brains. They pursue the high-tech and prefer to competes.Contrast with young US, China is the great nation with glorious history and cultural traditions. The Chinese people has the excellent moral of modesty, rigorous and implicit, but also has been over cautious and conservative. Though Chinese economy and technology is quite backward, it has very strong potential development, therefore, China implements the policy of opening up, abundantly absorbs the benefit and enriches itself[2].
2.2 contrast of tradition education idea between Chinese and American
Us’s higher education was considered as the best education in the world. Comparing the elementary education between American and China, people's universal view will be: China's elementary education aims to build the foundation of education with more study and less thought; while US's education aims to bulid such an education to raise the creativity with less study and more thought. Now the Chinese students are generally regarded as intalents with few intelligence and high scores. Why causes for such a view? Because the Chinese students study more, actually pay little attention to the practice, and cannot study for the purpose of application. Therefore, cultivating the idea of unifying the study and prctice is very important for Chinese higher education.
The China and America’s education has extremely different traditional. China's education pays more attenion to the instilling and accumulation of knowledge, cultivating the students’ respect to the knowledge and authority and building the ability to inheri the knowledge system.Compared with Chinese higher education, US pays great attention to train the students’ practice ability to utilize the knowledge, cultivating the students’ question to the knowledge and authority and building the ability to extend the knowledge system. That fact that 1/3 numbers among all Nobel prize winners in the world is the American is very good illustration. These two kinds of educations expressed two different manners of treatment with knowledge. The accepts China's education expresses is state acceptance to knowledge, while the accepts US's education expresses is dynamic changes to knowledge. Such a difference of static and dunamic state had reflected the different knowledge views. Thoughtfully, superiority union from the two kind of educations patterns will be next education reform direction.
US's education pays attention to raise student's self-confidence,independent,spirit of supporting oneself, but China's education emphases on training the student to be strict,strict,rigorous spiritual.Obviously, Chinese education may fruitfully develop and ultilize the function of cerebrum, but US’s higher education could expand the function of cerebrum by ultilizing and synthesizing the information outside.In the view of developing the ability of creation, China's students prefer to be self- fetter, self-control, as well as accustomed to conservative idea because of worry about the mistake .Indeed, the good foundation may be the innovation advantage, but simultaneously also may become the barrier to fetter the creative thought; The rigorous quality may bring the complete ponder, also may become the enemy of unevenness thought. Now, one new trend appears in the American education field. They carry out the reform in the orientation of emphasizing foundation. This action aims at altering the codition of insufficient foundation from the US education. Opposite with US higher education, the present situation in the higher education of our country is full foundation with insufficient innovatation, therefore, our higher education must be innovated to make up for the lack.
3、contrast of higher education system between Chinese and American[3]
3.1 different establishment of curricula and specialty
Each national higher education is its economic system reflection and must serve for the economy; US education aims to adapt for society demand, they explicitly stipulate three big functions including education’s service for the economic development, and the scientific research and teaching. The manifest of service in the establishment of specialty curriculum is to meet the social need, set up special curriculum and specialty which the society needs; In China's universities, during quite long period of time, the establishment of specialty curriculum lacks the change and couldnot follow social demand. In the last few years, the majority of Chinese universities all started to pay great attention to the transformation and renewal of establishment of specialty curriculum so as to satisfie the need of society.
3.2 different choice of specialty curricula
In order to adapt the society, the American universities has established many specialties and curriculum of choice for students; The students choose or transformating specialties and schools according to own interest and hobby. The American higher education system is extremely diverse and flexible, which is solo in the world higher education; In China, the student may choose the specialty according to own interest and hobby, but change of specialty in the school is not easy, transformation of schoolthen is more difficult. In American universities, the compulsory topics are few, and elective topics are rich. While in Chinese universities, the compulsory subjects occupy the major part, and many schools（especially for technical colleges and universities）have the serious phenomenon on more ephasizing the Science subjects, little on the liberal arts.
3.3 different styles of inspecting students’ result
When American school inspects the result of student, they emphasize more on the ability to analyze and solve the question but not the ability of memory or description. The American students donot need the mechanical memorizing, but displays creative thought as far as possible; This can cultivate student's study interest, raise the ability of doing it byself and make the study be one kind of creative active.Many teachers still adopted old teaching ways in the Chinese universities, thus takes a test which needs mechanical memorizing. Such a inspection method has seriously attack the students’ enthusiasm of studies, caused the student one-sidedly to pay great attention to the theory and neglect the practice ability.
3.4 different styles of students’ management
In the United States, after making a registration and pay tuition, the student would be the registrator. Unlike American students, Chinese students also needs arrangements of classes and hostels.In many universities, such as the University of Michigan, students at the school could conveniently take the IC card with a photo, which role is tantamount to our domestic student card and library card. The cards can be used to enter various book and computer rooms and other facilities such as gymnasiums and other coliseum throughout the academy. In addition of simple teaching activities, the relationship between students and the school means nothing. Experienced consultants equipped by the school would help students to determine their main direction (major, a bit like our domestic professional) and guide students to choose specific classes. After selecting courses, in accordance with the school timetable, the spefic time, place,classroom and course is entirely controlled by individual which means that everyone has the right of their own curriculum.
As for the accommodation of students, some schools have a limited number of student dormitories, school district also has a restaurant and fast-food shops, But most of them are always operated by outside operators which management are independent of schools. Most of students prefer to share a house and live outside. So their dinner and lodging almost have no relationship with the school.
Compared with the teaching system of American universities, China's higher education has its unique advantages, such as neat basic, standard’s agreement, stronger collective concept and etc. However, schools are too rigid to students, students can only passively accept the learned and professional courses and they have a very little room for choice. Much management imposes schools a heavy burden and also occupied a lot of human resources; Too meticulous control objectively ignored the students’ personal characteristics and inhibit their learning initiative which gradually formed the bad passive habits of passive learning. Also the emphasis on the rote of scores examination, to a certain extent, caused some students tired of learning and cheating in examinations which deteriorated higher school’s learning atmosphere and education environment.
3.5 different methods of teaching lessons
In the United States inspiring students is great important for teaching. In classroom teachers will specially put forward some inspiring questions for students. In such a teaching mode, the students in the classroom has a higher degree of freedom, and they can be ready to make their own doubt for teachers which made the teaching atmosphere lively and vivid. This method of teaching helps to develop students’ abilities of independent thinking and solving problem, However, this approach has a high demand to teachers which easily lead to a decrease in teaching qunality and depth.
China's higher education pay more attention to the systematic study. When teaching the curriculum teachers should follow in accordance with certain teaching programs. Although students have certain interactive questions, but this question tend to be concentrated after the class, rather than in the classroom. It is the main mode that class are taught by teachers and students just listen to the records. This approach is conducive to help the students learn systemic knowledge, and classroom content is quite rich, but they have less sense of innovation.
3.6 differences between public and private schools
American's public institutions of higher learning have more than 1500 and private institutions have more than 1600. Both the public and private schools have a good reputation and high quality of the university. Very few Americans judge the quality not from the perspective of public and private schools, but from his teacher,courses and history. But many Chinese believe that private schools can not be unmatched with the public schools, and they are belittling or making a exclusion of private schools in heart. In the treatment of public and private schools, Chinese people indeed should learn from the Americans, abandon the prejudice and make a correct and fair assessment for private schools.
4．difference of quality and ability of graduates between China and US
4.1 similarity of fostering goal
Sino-U.S. higher education has a great similarity with the objective of fostering. That is to foster complex talents with strong international competitiveness, high moral accomplishment, a strong sense of cooperation adn higher learning ability. And both the United States and China will implement the sustainable development of education as to upgrade the quality of education to a more ideal conditions.
4.2 difference of actual talents fostered
In actual talent fostered, the ability of adapting to society from American students was stronger than the Chinese Students. The opportunities to participate in social activities is much, Almost all the students have the experience of working outside. At the same time, civic education, campus cultural activities and community service activities in America increase the students’ ability to grasp and adapt to the community. While the Chinese Students stay under the closed campus for a long period , have little direct ties to society and poorly understood the community, which therefore results in just adapting to working atmosphere after two to three years.
5．difference of reform measures
5.1 American reform measures
Currently, American progress in the field of technology and knowledge occupys about the 80% of productivity increasement.The date is higher than one of the developed countries in Europe. Institutions of higher education should make indelible contribution to such a data. To meet the challenges of the 21st century, since the mid-1990s, the United States accelerates the reform of higher education systems which aimed at improving the quality of teaching and management efficiency and make greater contribution to for the development of community and economy.
Unprecedented expansion of social function of American University has become the power source for social development and progress. Therefore, the United States government policy-makers set off a new round of the 21st century-oriented reform of higher education to promote the development of higher education as a national goal of the important strategic initiatives. In the 21st century, the key point of American higher education reform is to achieve universal higher education and make all over 18-year-old American youth have access to higher education.
The overall idea of American Education reform is to build a high-quality higher education system which adapt to times’ demands. The most important is the reform of basic education and secondary education, so as to meet the demand of adapting to the multiple reform in future. To implement a strategic goal of universal higher education, the United States made a number of very innovative reform measures based on a substantial increase in funding for education. These reform measures include: (1) implement small class teaching; (2) strengthen bilingual teaching, make college graduates more competitive and more adaptable; (3) improve the quality of teachers; in the system of employing teachers, take both styles of short-term contracts and tenure rights. In teaching evaluation, mainly take the targeted management to make control of the teaching quality. In teaching methods, teachers must adopt the modern teaching methods with integration of traditional media and modern media together for teaching.
5.2 Chinese reform measures
Regarding the quality education as the most important thing, China's higher education implements the strategy of sustainable development, broaden the area of knowledge base, promote the integration of cross-disciplinary and connection between schools and society. Such a style aims at cultivating talents with a strong sense of pioneering spirit, self-confidence, originality and boldly challenging the authority. For a long time China has been adhering to the reform of higher education. One of the initiatives is the merger between institutions of higher education. The most notable effect from the college merger is improvement of teaching effect. The College merger resolves some problems from the current teaching system uncoordinated with the international trend of socialization and market and enables educational resources to promote the effective allocation. The second measure is to set up the college courses in a market-oriented direction and adapt to the needs of society. Now in many school curriculas is diverse, the initiative measures are took to meet the needs of the market, at the same time a number of professionals closely related to social life are set up. The third initiative measure is based on the target of student-oriented.
Since the 20th century, China's higher education emphasized the training of personnel ability, including the ability of acquiring knowledge, ability of analysis and problem-solving, ability of creating and certain organizational ability. At the same time the concept of quality education is put forward which emphasizes the ideological and moral qualities, cultural quality, physical and mental quality. As a main part, students are not only educated ones, but also participants of education.
6. enlightenment from the concept of American higher education
Nowdays, China's higher education is shift from the "examination-oriented education" to "quality education". Indeed what kind of education principles and practices to chooose is not only related to quality of education, but related to the future of the Chinese nation and all young students’ life develepment. The reform of higher education should respect history and national conditions with compatible absorption and innovation.
The Individualized education in the quality of education is also stressed. The Individualized education seems the individual development as the fundamental, discover and tap the expertise of each student in the process of advocating and advancing individualized teaching, fully respect each student's individual value and acquisition needs. Advanced management concepts and practices from American higher education have brought a lot of inspiration for our successful implementation of "Individualized education".
1. Higher Education should establish a "people-oriented" education concepts. Adhere to the people-centered education and upholding of education services in the community is a dialectical unity. human personality development is a prerequisite for social development and infrastructure. social progress and innovation is realized through the cultivation of the talents adapting to the needs of community. Therefore, in the choice of goals of higher education, education should really oriente toward modernization, the world and the future, establish a scientific talent values, truly reagrd students as a principal in the practice of educational reforms, full respect the student's personality and character, and make students a new generation with the innovation capability.
2. Teaching management should achieve the reunification of system and flexibility. Teaching management system is a set of regulations and criterions to ensure the normal functioning of teaching and extracurricular life. System management is necessary, the key issue is whether the system itself is merely to manage people or just possessed by people. Recently, many colleges and universities still hold the alienation of people from the management. In the development of teaching management system, standard and uniformity nature of the system is often focused, while the humanities, reasonableness and flexibility is consider insufficiently. "Individualized education" needs the adapting of management system which can not only cater to groups, but also take into account the individual. For example, the Maintenance management system should be more flexible, allowing students to leave half-way and return to school economic resulting from family or other reasons. Meanwhile, we should respect the right of students to choose the professional, allow students to freely change the professional.
3. Student's sense of participation should be fully prominent in teaching practice. The stress of "Individualized education" is to awaken and mobilize students’ main principal, promote students’ initiative and creativity. It not only emphesizes the lead role of teachers in the process of teaching, but also give the main role to students in the process of learning. Therefore, teaching should focus on taking an individualized teaching methods, strategies and techniques, widely apply the science teaching methods such as "free discussion", "self-study", make teachers and students exchange their ideas free, train students to learn initiative and creativity, persuit for the nature of difference and challenges, and encourage students to make bold innovations.
4. To establish and perfect the diversified evaluation system on students. "Individualized education" is essential for the shfit of our students’ evaluation criteria. It is undeniable that for a long time the evaluation criteria on our students is single which will naturally lead to the failure of inner character of development requirements for students. American university’s evaluation on students is worth our careful consideration, such as Princeton University, its evaluation on students has four main indicators, that is the quality of mind (IQ, learning ability, creativity, etc), moral quality (responsibility, values, judgment, etc.), the capacity to make a contribution for the schools, and the potential to take the lead role in the community in the future. Therefore, the "personalized education" should break the restrictions of the single-scale evaluation on students, shfit from "a fraction of the foundation" to "personality-based", from "the supremacy of knowledge" to "the ability supremacy" and from "examination-oriented education" to "quality education", really understand the different characteristics, different hobbies, different needs of students and creatively take responding customization based on different levels of teaching .
5. Improving overall quality and achieve the perfect combination between "character education" and "general education". The socialist market economy is a integrated entity combination with diverse economic forms, It includes not only all factors involved in the aspect of market-related material, also includes a credit economy, moral economic, cultural economic and other spiritual level. A healthy society requires not only persons with ability, but also need persons with quality. Therefore, the "Individualized education" should respect the development of students’ personality, at the same time it must pay great attention to cultivating students’ heightened sense of social responsibility, good cultural qualities and high moral quality and help them establish a correct world outlook and outlook on life and values.
We should clarify the difference of higher education between China and American, at the same time absorb the advantges to profit from the American higher education so as to faster the reform andthe development of our higher education.
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