In Chinese culture, there appears to be an alignment between academic descriptive norms (e.g. Chinese students typically choose to go home and study instead of hanging out with friends after school or during the weekends) and injunctive norms (e.g. You might receive harsh words from your teacher or parents if you come home with low grades, hence the popular stereotype of anything less than A as an “Asian F”). Furthermore, these norms are enforced strictly through strong situations given the relative tightness of Chinese culture. As such, students are under constant pressure to perform according to a certain standard and would probably experience disapproval from peers and significant others if they do not. On the other hand, American students …show more content…
Social norms constrain situations available within a broad cultural context (e.g. harsh punishments towards underperforming students may be more acceptable in Chinese families and schools). At the same time, situations drive the formation of and interactions among groups (e.g. limited places in prestigious Chinese universities create competition among students from different high schools). The effects of groups and situations on behavior, however, are mediated by social cognition, which transforms “objective realities” into subjective perceptions. This mediating relationship serves two functions: (1) to describe how group (social norms, group membership) and situational factors shape the way people make sense of what’s happening, and (2) to explain individual differences in behavior among people within the same group or within the same situation (e.g. two Chinese students from the same school may still react differently to the same environmental input). Motivation, on the other hand, can be another mediating variable to explain the link between social cognitions (e.g. attitudes) and academic behaviors. As suggested earlier, a person with highly external motivation for academics but is under high group and situational pressures (e.g. I don’t see the point of studying but I have to or else my Chinese parents will get mad), may be driven to …show more content…
At present, many modern societies are constantly bombarded by consumerist ideals (e.g. get a better everything—car, house, and even body) and encourage people to prioritize the attainment of material goods as symbols of happiness. However, if you come from a culture that strongly emphasizes the maintenance of interdependent relationships, these effects may be mitigated. Although one aims to acquire material goods (e.g. a big house), one may subjectively represent these in terms of relationship-centered benefits (e.g. a big house where everyone in the family can live comfortably). I would then expect that collectivist cultures will fare better in terms of psychological well-being, as long as their extrinsically motivated behaviors are internalized for their relationship-oriented values (e.g. it is good to be a provider for the family). Individualist cultures, on the other hand, may be more susceptible to the influences of materialism, because one is more likely to chase these aspirations for oneself and would not be pushed to internalize this culturally-enforced closeness to others. These predictions are mostly consistent with the self-determination theory, given that they are still related to need fulfillment and the internalization of extrinsic
I never even thought about this word “individualism” before I came to America. Instead of collective, normal is the way I considered as my culture, and for American culture, I would say they are selfish and unkindly sometimes back then. However, after my 2-year study here and all the research I’ve been read for this paper, now I say that neither individualism nor collectivism is purely bad or good.
1200CE. The Tang Dynasty Tales and The Diary of Lady Murasaki helped surface the Chinese
As the evidence shows that, "The Chinese value education as a stepping stone to success, and children - especially only children - are under a lot of pressure to excel in school. There is also an unspoken code of conformity, and there is a lot of pressure to fit in, for to be singled out is the penultimate in humiliation, causing students to 'lose face' in front of their peers. In addition to academics, parents also try and enroll their children in a wide variety of after-school activities to enhance their overall development."("History of Chinese Education, Five Necessities of Chinese Culture", Paragraph 2) This evidence shows not only teachers but also parents or students from China are still keeping the traditional mind to study. Thousands years ago in ancient China, schools are competitive, students needs to have high quality of studying and good relations with the school as well. Even they might feel stressful on learning when they are in elementary school. Nowadays, parents still think their kid must have the best education, more strong points. Childrens are learning lots of skills and knowledge when they are extremely young. In Canada, it's totally different. Students like team-work, they don't have bias on any schools. They study breezily without any pressure. So, more traditional makes Chinese education different from Canadian
My mom would always say, “American born Chinese students have it easy in America.” One key difference between the American education system and Chinese education system is the way they are taught. Being raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, I went to school to understand the idea of analyzing and understanding concepts. After reading Only Hope, I realized that their education is based on more memorizations. To Chinese students, understand the concept and apply it is not the most important, you must just memorize it for the exam. Many parents in China would say that going on vacation and relaxing is a waste of time because they need to focus on learning. In Greenspan’s article, it mentions that a student in China is the top of her class and is fluent in English, yet she cannot go on vacation because her mother wants her to spend time learning, many students in China
A strong work ethic and high expectations in education are values of many Asian-American parents. Their children are not only expected to get good grades but to be at the top of their class or get straight As. Many Asian-American children experience test anxiety due to their fears about pleasing their parents or shaming the family.
The Cultural Revolution was a revolution that had happened between 1966 and 1976 and had a great impact on China. The Cultural Revolution used to be known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution but was changed after many years. The main goal of this Revolution was to preserve true communist mainly in China by purging remnants of capitalist and traditional elements from Chinese society. It was also used to re-impose Maoist which was thought as the dominant ideology within the Party. The Cultural Revolution was basically a sociopolitical movement. But it was mainly for the return of the leader, Mao Zedong, who was the leader of the revolution on and off. Which had led him to a position of power after the Great Leap Forward which paralyzed
Amy Chua (2011) names off three reasons that support her argument in why Chinese children are more successful. First, she mentions that Westerners worry too much on how their child will accept failure, whereas Chinese parents assume only strength in their child and nothing less. For example, if a Western child comes home with a B on a test, some parents will praise the child on their success and some may be upset, while a Chinese parent would convince their child they are “worthless” and “a disgrace.” The Western parents hope to spare their children’s feelings and to be careful not to make their child feel insecure or inadequate, while Chinese parents demand perfect grades because they believe their children can get them (Chua, 2011). Secondly, Chinese parents believe their chil...
There are some cultures that are similar in terms of geographical region and as more in similarities than differences. For example, by historical influence, Latin American countries share culture between them and also with Spain, as well as Europeans who share certain cultural, tastes in food, manners and customs, because some countries had influences of past kingdoms and conquests. It can be said that no culture is like the Chinese culture, neither in language, customs, or personality; the Chinese culture is so unique that is a whole world to know. Chinese cuisine is adapted to the climate and the characteristics of the geographical area, meaning that Chinese food cannot be eaten the same or in the same way as in other countries. In fact, it is said that the tasting of traditional Chinese recipes in their home is a
It is human nature to see those who are different and group them into distinct categories. The distinction of Individualism versus Collectivism is one that is currently being studied extensively. On one side, individualism sees individuals as the fundamental unit of a society. Individuals are supposed to be unique, independent, and most importantly, willing to put their own interests above all others. On the other hand, collectivism views the basic building block of society as social groups, stressing the interpersonal bonds between people. Collectivist values dictate that group goals and values have higher precedence than an individual’s. Due to the seemingly polar opposite nature of these ideologies, it is inevitable that they will be compared to see which is more beneficial to the country and its people. Some might point to the success of the US, an extremely individualistic country, in support of individualistic values. They will point to the freedom of choice and diversity that individualism boasts of. Others stress the flaws of the US in response, and while both sides do have their truths, the costs that come with individualistic values are too great to be ignored. Highly individualistic attitudes have caused many large scale problems which have long been identified as difficult to resolve issues. These problems include, but are not limited to, promoting aggressive acts, creating an obsession with social power, and allowing a system of injustice to be born.
(1994). Beyond Individualism/Collectivism: New Cultural Dimensions of Values. In U.Kim, H.C. Triandis, C. Kagitcibasi, S. Choi & G. Yoon (Eds.). Individualism and Collectivism: Theory, Method, and Applications. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, pp. 112-115.
In Japanese schools, from elementary schools to universities, teachers direct what students should do or how they should be. Students follow the school rules and the directions of teachers. In American schools, on the other hand, students have to be more independent than Japanese students in many ways. Because of differences between Japanese and American schools, Japanese students who begin to study in an American school are shocked, and they take a pretty long time to adjust themselves to the way of American schools. Differences between schools in the two countries are seen in classrooms and during classes: the style of lectures, the relationship between student and teachers, and the style of examinations.
Chinese-Americans authors Amy Tan and Gish Jen have both grappled with the idea of mixed identity in America. For them, a generational problem develops over time, and cultural displacement occurs as family lines expand. While this is not the problem in and of itself, indeed, it is natural for current culture to gain foothold over distant culture, it serves as the backdrop for the disorientation that occurs between generations. In their novels, Tan and Jen pinpoint the cause of this unbalance in the active dismissal of Chinese mothers by their Chinese-American children.
Comparison of American and Chinese Cultures Cultural differences are apparent from one group of people to another. Culture is based on many things that are passed on from one generation to the next. Most of the time, people take for granted their language, beliefs, and values. When it comes to the cultural differences of people, there is no right or wrong. People should be aware of others culture and respect the differences that exist between them.
The very first important development for a successful country is to have a respectable education system for those who need it from the first day they are born into the world. We have to instill what we want in our people to reflect how we want our to development to appear. In china their school system has more of a strict structure for example, at Harbin Number One High School; students begin school at 7:00 a.m., and remain until 8:20 p.m. The seniors, preparing for their final examinations, stay later, even until 10:00 at night.(Rybak) In a Chinese school the day are much longer than an American school day. This means that Chinese student spend a lot more time in school which bring us to conclusion that Chinese are more advantaged then the American student in long run. This prepares them for college or even the young adult can be bio-lingual. Most American student usually attends school for seven hours each weekday and may forget what they have learned because it in instilled into the young adults’ heads like the Chinese do with their students.
Personality is shaped by biological and cultural influences. Culture shapes patterns of socialisation, which shapes variance in personality (Triandis & Suh, 2002). The study of personality across cultures is useful as it informs us of variation between cultures, and similarities within cultures, thereby offering evidence of aggregate cultural characteristics (John & Srivastava, 1999). Culture may be considered as society's collective memory (Triandis, 2001), and important aspects of culture are termed cultural syndromes(Triandis, 2001; Caldwell-Harris & Ayçiçegi, 2006), and Individualism and collectivism are examples. Collectivist culture refers interdependency within in-groups and prioritising the needs of the group above the individual. Conversely, individualist cultures, which favour autonomy and independence, giving priority to their personal goals (Triandis, 2001). Personality refers to an individual's stable characteristic patterns of thought and behaviour and includes characteristics of collectivism and individualism (Yamaguchi, Kuhlman & Sugimori, 1995). A person with individualist characteristics is termed idiocentric, and someone with personal collectivist characteristics is termed allocentric (Caldwell-Harris & Ayçiçegi, 2006). This review aims to assess the available research regarding