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Primary and Secondary Education in USA and China: Comparison of Approach and Purpose

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Primary and Secondary Education in USA and China: Comparison of Approach and Purpose MASARYK UNIVERSITY Faculty of Education Department of English Language and Literature Primary and Secondary education in USA and China: comparison of approach and purpose (Bachelor thesis) Brno 2014 Supervisor: Written by: Michael George, M.A. Anna Ziklová Declaration I declare that I worked on my Bachelor thesis on my own and that all the information sources I used are listed in the bibliography. I agree with storing my thesis in the library of the Faculty of Education of Masaryk University in order to make it available for study purposes. In Brno, 20. 4. 2014 Anna Ziklová Acknowledgement I would like to thank my supervisor Michael George, M.A. for his valuable advices, supervision and encouragement. Special thanks go to my family and friends for their advice, moral support and tolerance during the writing of this Bachelor thesis. And last but not least I would like to extend my thanks to James Marsh for his consultation. Bibliografický záznam Ziklová, Anna. Primary and Secondary education in USA and China: comparison of approach and purpose: Bakalářská práce. Brno: Masarykova univerzita, Pedagogická fakulta, Katedra Anglického jazyka a literatury. 2014. 62 stran. Vedoucí Bakalářské práce: Michael George, M.A. Anotace Bakalářská práce s názvem „Primary and Secondary education in USA and China: comparison of approach and purpose,“ se zabývá zkoumáním vzdělávacích systémů v Číně a v USA v návaznosti na neobvykle rychlý a úspěšný růst ekonomiky v Číně. Bakalářská práce srovnává strukturu školských systémů, metody zvolené ve výuce a přístupy studentů ke vzdělání. Mimo jiné, bakalářská práce také zahrnuje porovnání role rodiny a historický – filosofický vývoj obou kultur v návaznosti na vzdělání. V závěru je také nastíněn vhodnější školský systém. Klíčová slova Srovnání, USA, Čína, vzdělání, systém školství, primární vzdělávání, sekundární vzdělávání, zkoušky, rodina. Annotation The bachelor thesis entitled „Primary and Secondary education in USA and China: comparison of approach and purpose‟, is based on the comparison of Chinese and American education as a matter of fast and successful growth of Chinese economy. The bachelor thesis compares and contrasts the structure of educational system, teaching methods and students‟ approaches to education in general. Besides the comparison, the thesis also includes a distinction between the family role and a historical/philosophical development of both cultures regarding the progress of creating the education. There is also mention a suitable system of education in the conclusion. Key words Comparison, USA, China, education, system of education, primary education, secondary education, examination, family. Table of contents 1. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 1 2. HISTORICAL IMPACT ON NOWADAYS EDUCATION....................................................... 2 2.1 Confucius ................................................................................................................................... 2 2.2. Thomas Jefferson and John Dewey ........................................................................................... 6 2.2.1 Thomas Jefferson ................................................................................................................ 6 2.2.2. John Dewey ........................................................................................................................ 7 3. CURRENT FAMILY STRUCTURE .......................................................................................... 10 3.1. Chinese families ...................................................................................................................... 11 3.1.1 The role of women in society ............................................................................................ 12 3.1.2 The role of men in society ................................................................................................. 13 3.1.3 One child policy ................................................................................................................ 14 3.2. American families ................................................................................................................... 17 3.3. Summary of American and Chinese families .......................................................................... 19 4. SYSTEM OF EDUCATION IN USA AND CHINA .................................................................. 20 4.1. Chinese system of education ................................................................................................... 20 4.1.1 Primary education ............................................................................................................. 23 4.1.1.1 Teaching Methods .................................................................................................. 23 4.1.1.2 School regulations .................................................................................................. 25 4.1.1.3 School curriculum .................................................................................................. 25 4.1.2 Secondary education ......................................................................................................... 27 4.1.2.1 Teaching Methods .................................................................................................. 28 4.1.2.2 School regulations ................................................................................................. 29 4.1.2.3 School curriculum .................................................................................................. 30 4.2. American system of education ................................................................................................ 34 4.2.1 Primary education ............................................................................................................. 36 4.2.1.1 Teaching Methods .................................................................................................. 37 4.2.1.2 School regulations ................................................................................................. 39 4.2.1.3 School curriculum ................................................................................................. 39 4.2.2 Secondary education ......................................................................................................... 40 4.2.2.1 Teaching Methods ................................................................................................. 40 4.2.2.2 School regulations ................................................................................................. 41 4.2.2.3 School curriculum ................................................................................................. 42 4.3. Summary of Chinese and American system of Education ...................................................... 45 5. CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................. 48 BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................................. 58 1. Introduction Two political world powers, China and the United States of America, have been competing for the lead position in the field of economics, business and politics since the end of the Second World War. These two countries have many differences such as a historical background, cultural heritage, the political system etc. on one hand, and one important similarity on the other. Both China as well as USA are competing for the position of leading the world economically, politically and also for holding the most military power over the world. The United States of America with its 317 million inhabitants has represented a leading economic, political and military power since the Second World War, when European countries were not strong enough to take responsibility and deal with damage after the war. China is a large country with a long history and unique cultural habits, which is inhabited by almost 1.4 billion citizens. The ingrained ethical tradition, respect, obedience and the matter of competition between such an enormous amount of people resulted in the growing economic power of China. The aim of this thesis is to compare and contrast educational systems of both countries with an influence of history and social - family background resulting in the fast economical growth of China. As the education is included in the successful development of a state a thought of the better educational methods is also included. 1 2. Historical impact on current education In both Chinese as well as American historical contexts, persons can be found whose ideas, way of observing the world and methods left an irreversible impact on current education. Some of these thoughts are deeply ingrained in humans‟ minds and pass from generation to generation. The others are criticized for their inappropriate and old-fashion approaches. Either way the footprint of the educators thinking cannot be obliterated. 2.1. Confucius The Ancient History Encyclopaedia introduces Confucius as a Chinese philosopher who lived in the 6th Century BC and whose thoughts, expressed in the philosophy of Confucianism, have influenced Chinese culture and systems of education right up to the present. Confucius‟s philosophy and thus its reflection in his education were mostly based on morality and the ethical
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