论文最后定稿曹6

题目 A Comparative Study on Family
Education in America and China
作者姓名曹叶浩
指导教师赵俏梅
二级学院国际语言文化学院
专业英语
学号 5B091213
Abstract
As we all know, parents are our first teacher and the family environment we live in have direct influence on our future life. Family education plays a significant role in education system. As the rise of people‟s living standard, more and more Chinese aware of the importance of education, especially family education. Although the developed education theories provide family education with rich experience, there still exist many problems. Therefore, it is urgent for Chinese to solve these problems by referring to the valuable aspects of family education in other developed countries.
This paper includes five chapters and it tries to compare the relevant aspects of family education between China and America. Firstly, it introduces the literature review and then analyzes the differences between the two countries‟ education contents, methods and results. Chapter three mainly introduces some similarities of the two countries‟family education. Chapter four analyzes some characteristics of American family education. Through contrast, we try to analyze some advantages of American family education and take some suggestions to Chinese family education.
Key words:family education; America; China; comparison
摘要
众所周知，父母是我们的第一位老师。

我们所生活的家庭坏境对我们将来的生活有着直接的影响。

家庭教育在教育体系中起着至关重要的作用。

随着人们生活水平的提高越来越多的中国人意识到教育的重要性，尤其是家庭教育的的重要性。

尽管教育理论为中国家庭教育提供了丰富的经验，但是中国家庭教育仍存在许多问题。

因此通过借鉴其他发达国家的家庭教育的长处来解决中国家庭教育中存在的问题是中国的当务之急。

本论文共有五章节。

论文试从中美家庭教育的相关方面进行对比，首先介绍文献综述，然后就中美两国家庭教育的内容，方法及结果进行分析对比。

第三章主要介绍了中美家庭教育的一些相同点，第四章分析了美国家庭教育的一些特点。

通过对比来分析研究美国家庭教育的优点，从而为中国家庭教育提出一些建设性的意见。

关键词：家庭教育；美国；中国；对比
Contents Abstract (I)
摘要 (II)
Contents ................................................................................................... I II Introduction.. (1)
Chapter One Literature Review (3)
1.1 The aims of family education (3)
1.2 The importance of family education (4)
1.3 Social environment (5)
Chapter Two Differences (7)
2.1 Differences in the contents of family education (7)
2.1.1 On American family education (7)
2.1.2 On Chinese family education (8)
2.2 Differences in the methods of family education (8)
2.2.1 Criticizing and praising children (8)
2.2.2 Emphasizing on children‟s study (9)
2.2.3 Cultivati ng children‟s interests (10)
2.3 Differences in the results of family education (11)
2.3.1 American family education (11)
2.3.2 Chinese family education (12)
Chapter Three Similarities (13)
3.1 Moral education with the core of love (14)
3.2 Intelligent education of diligent study (14)
3.3 Habit education of being thrifty (15)
Chapter Four Characteristics of American Family Education (16)
4.1 The consciousness of independence (16)
4.2 The consciousness of democracy (16)
4.3 The consciousness of economy (17)
Chapter Five Suggestions on Chinese Family Education (19)
5.1 True love education (19)
5.2 Democratic education (21)
5.3 Open up learning education (22)
Conclusion (23)
Bibliography (25)
Acknowledgements (26)
Introduction
Nowadays, with the development of science and technology, international competition becomes increasingly fierce and more and more people pay more attention to education. As the primary stage of education, family education can not be instead by school education. Family, which is the place for the children to receive initial education, and it is the first environment for children to get in touch with society. So, family education has profound influence on children‟s future. That is the children‟s living habits, language development, personality and even their ways of behavior and thinking relate with the family education closely. Chinese family pay an increasingly attention to education, there still exist many problems. Different from China, America has famous education system in the world and it attracts a lot of overseas to study every year. What the reason it is? Why American children can be independent earlier than Chinese? How to set a right goal for children? How to cultivate children‟s ability of independence? How to cultivate children‟s interests? How to criticize and praise children properly? Why do parents should respect children‟s opinions? Why should parents give the right of failure to children?
There are five chapters in this paper. Chapter one introduces literature review briefly. It mainly includes the aims of family education,
the importance of family education and the different social environment of the two countries‟ family education. Chapter two makes a comparison about the different aspects of family education between America and China. This aspects mainly include the two countries‟family education contents, methods and results. Chapter three researches the similarities of family education between America and China. Chapter four analyzes the characteristics of American family education. Chapter five takes some suggestions to Chinese family education. Though these comparisons we try to analyze the advantages of the American family education and help Chinese family education get rid of the long-standing mistaken ideas. What‟s more, it also can put forward the enlightenment of educational reform in family education in China. We cannot say that people brought up in America families are ideal people, but the advantages of their family education are exactly what ours lack.
Chapter One Literature Review
Among parents, family education is a hot topic, and it has aroused the interest of the academic world in which researchers and educators have devoted themselves to this study for several years. Based on checking the extensive literature and summing up the evidence, it is clear that study about the family education between China and America has carried out a lot which mainly explains the differences and similarities from relevant aspects of family education between China and America. The similarities mainly include the aims and the importance of family education. The different aspects mainly include social environment, cultural tradition and family education concepts.
1.1 The aims of family education
Family education has its aims. By summing up the evidence, the detailed conclusions are listed as follows:
First, “helping children understand life and society, enrich their experience and lay the foundation of their future independent life, or, to be more specific, master the basic life skills and understand and understand ad obey the basic social regulations.”(Wang Jing, 2011) Second, “family education can help the children have a healthy personality, which includes their creativeness and abilities of thinking by themselves so that they can face difficulties and solves problems.”( Hu
Yushun, 2004)
Third, helping develop children‟s morality, including self-respect, self-love, confidence, accepting the multicultural society and appreciating culture and art.
Fourth, helping the children have a healthy body, including knowing their own bodies, mastering exercise skills and having good living habits.
Fifth, to guide children in their acquisition of knowledge, including their curiosity for learning and their basic ability of mastering and applying knowledge .
1.2 The importance of family education
“Education is the constituent element of people‟s life and is effected and restricted by a country‟s culture, political system and economic development.”(黄全愈, 2010) Meanwhile, education is the vital means of developing and improving people. This education includes school education, family education and social education. Among them, family education is more important.
The family is the …first environment‟for the young to contact, observe society, and acquire knowledge. It is said that first impressions are the most lasting. The foremost experience and initiative coming form family education influences the personal development of a young person profoundly, The living habits, language development, behavior mode, morality and personality of the children all relate with this first
environment closely. Being capable of thinking and independently, the family served as a filter that helps children acquire the values. The varied influence from other education forms are chosen and absorbed in reference to the knowledge acquired form the family at the early age.
1.3 Social environment
“The United States is a nation of immigrants with a short history, where old-fashioned ideas are seldom preserved and new ideas are accepted easily and developed unrestrictedly under the influence of multi-cultural values ”(Wang Jing, 2011) That is, the society's openness urges the American people to abandon old educational thoughts. In such historical backgrounds, America easily gets some advanced productive force and thus their economy is prosperous. American people have no living stress in such environment. That is, in such country, people have no living pressure and they don‟t worry the problems of looking for jobs. So, American parents pay more attention to bring their children up to be real men who are able to adapt to different surroundings. They try their best to cultivate their children‟s comprehensive ability, and they hope their children can be independent. They hope their children can have the spirit of exploration and have the ability to support themselves by their own labor.
“China is a country with a long history where values are mainly withdraw, conservative and lacking the venturesome and innovative
spirits because of the influence of old restraints and the small-scale peasant economy”(Wang Jing, 2011) In such historical backgrounds, China‟s economy is not booming. People‟s living stress is heavy and they form a traditional concept, that is the happiness of their whole life is own a stable job. Because the deeply affected by feudal culture, Chinese parents think good study achievement can bring a good job for their children. It is a smooth way of life, and it is also the best way of life. Just as Wang Jing says “Chinese parents hold that the best way of life is doing well in study and finding a good job”. (Wang Jing, 2011)“In China, parents should be breadwinner and earn money for their kids, and Chinese parents don‟t have the concept of financial education on their kids”.(Rong Lei, 2010)
Chapter Two Differences
Different family education concepts lead to different family education contents, methods and results.By summary, the detailed conclusions are listed as follows:
2.1 Differences in the contents of family education
The contents of American and Chinese family education are different, and it is necessary to make a comparison about it.
2.1.1 On American family education
The contents of American family education are rich and reasonable. “They attach importance to children‟s harmonious development of physical power, cognition, sociality, language and emotion, which is called competence-oriented education. ” (Wang Jing, 2011) For cognition development, they train their children‟s senses, broaden their horizons and they always encourage their children in their own interests and hobbies. “To training their sociality, they hope their children to do their own business with a team-work spirit”. (Wang Jing, 2011)The aim of American family education is to cultivate children to be men that can adapt to various surroundings by themselves. So, the contents of American family education is plentiful, and American parents care about most is to cultivate children‟s all-round ability that both in physiology and in psychology.
2.1.2 On Chinese family education
“Chinese parents usually take notice of children‟s figure shape but ignore physical exercise sometimes”(Wang Jing, 2011) They only pay attention to their children‟s future. The contents of Chinese family education only regard the study as core. Chinese parents would like to sacrifice anything if their children can get high scores. In order to care for children‟s daily life and offer children a better study environment, many parents even give up their own work. They only hope their children can be outstanding in study.
2.2 Differences in the methods of family education
There are many differences in the methods of family education between America and China. It is necessary for us to make a comparison. The differences of the two countries‟ methods are determined closely by the traditions, historical backgrounds and restricted by the education concepts.
2.2.1 Criticizing and praising children
Whatever one does, one should do it with confidence. If one has confidence, there is little possibility that one would ever achieve anything, especially when one is faced with drawbacks or hardships. That is to say, self-confidence is of great importance and value to a person.
Chinese people pay attention to the relationship between individuals
and groups. They put great emphasis on the awareness of groups. They like to use horizontal comparison to cultivate their children. “In Chinese family praise and blame is idiomatic methods”.(Rong Lei, 2010) Parents like to make a horizontal comparison, and they always praise other children to be an example. What they like to say is that “The kid of Zhang is better than you”“Look at others, so excellent”and “Why don‟t you like others?”“You are too stupid to solve so easy questions” “Other children are better you”. It consciously or unconsciously beats and destroys children‟s self-confidence.
On the contrary, American parents attach importance to kids vertical development. They try their best to avoid making a comparison between their own children and others. They think it can hurt children‟s self- respect and cause children‟s negative mentality. They like to encourage their children like this: “You are excellen t, but I know, you can do it better”, or “When I was your age, I was far worse than you”. They care most are individuals. In order to make their children be an unique individual, they cultivate their children according to children‟s own characteristics.
2.2.2 Emphasizing on children’s study
Knowledge is all that can directly decides national prosperity, and education stress study. Just like Chinese parents, “American parents also think highly of children‟s study.”(Wang Jing, 2011) But the two countries
put different emphasis on children‟s study. American parents pay more attention to children‟s learning processes. After school , American parents tend to ask their children : “Have you raised any questions today？or Have you thought over any questions today?”(黄桂英, 李凤云, 2007) However, in China, many parents hold that their children should memorize what they don‟t understand. Chinese children are usually asked “What scores have you got today?”(黄桂英, 李凤云, 2007). It regards that scores as only criteria to measure children. They only care about is children‟s learning results, that is scores. They seldom listen to children‟s learning processes or the activity processes. If their children get high marks, they will be highly praised by parents, otherwise, will be scolded or ignored. If children take some activities, Chinese parents tend to know their children‟s ranking number or whether their children get prizes.
2.2.3 Cultivating children’s interests
In America, children are encouraged to develop their interests and do the things they are interest in. American parents will not prevent their children from doing what they like to do, and also not force their children do what they don‟t like to do. American parents respect children and treat them as equal and independent individuals. “Children are encouraged to reserve their opinions or not to obey their parents”(Wang Jing, 2011) Children can choose interests freely according to their own hobbies. What parents do are guiding children in their choices and encouraging them to
observe life with their own eyes. They would not put their own opinions on their children. Most of time, their role is to lead their children to choose, or they only stand behind their children to give them the right of self-opinionated.
However, In China, parents never consider and respect children‟ interests, instead they kill children‟s interests. Because the historical and traditional reasons influenced their opinion, they think that knowledge can change one‟s fate. So, they think children should spend most of their time on studying. Chinese children are rejected by parents to develop other interests, because parents think it‟s a waste of time.
2.3 Differences in the results of family education
Different results of education are due to different concepts and methods, which can discovered after comparing.
2.3.1 American family education
American family education emphasize more on the ability to analyze and solve the question but not the ability of memory or description. The American children do not need the mechanical memorizing, but display creative thought as far as possible; This can cultivate children‟s study interest, raise the ability of doing it by themselves and make the study be one kind of creative action.Many American children are optimistic, calm and brave when they meet with
difficulties. In a word, they are mature and have strong ability. “Generally speaking, the character of American children and teenagers are active, independent, bold, creative and sociable”(Wang Jing, 2011) American children know how to spend the limited pocket money in plan, and how to try to find solution to earn money. When American children like something and they are eager to buy, they will always ask themselves “How much else do I have?”“Do I have enough money for it?”“What if I would see a better one?” American children‟s autarchy consciousness is earlier than Chinese children, just based on this kind of early economic concept education. American children understand the importance of relationship among people and they know how to cherish it. American children are close friends of their children, both sides can communicate equally.
2.3.2 Chinese family education
However, Chinese children grow up in the parents‟ care and many of them have no ability to adapt themselves to new surroundings except owning high marks. They show a negative tendency in their characters: passive, timid and dependent. Many parents still adopted old teaching ways in the Chinese families, thus take a test which needs mechanical memorizing. In China, children grow up in the care of their parents, and many of them have no ability of independence. They lack of consciousness of independence. That is to say, they lack the ability to
adapt themselves to new surroundings. They only have high marks. In reality, it is not difficult to discover that, children‟s curious and inquisitive habits will gradually disappear as age growth, and many of these children‟s curiosity and thirst for knowledge will be killed by their parents‟rude attitude. Chinese parents so spoil children that when children crying to buy something, they allow them without a second thought in their minds. This kind of spontaneous response will lead children‟s bad characteristics, such as capriciousness, lack of thinking more before making a decision. If children meet with some difficulties they are eager to help children and it makes children form a strong awareness of dependence.
Chapter Three Similarities
In this chapter, it will be trying to put forward some similarities between the family educations of the two countries.
3.1 Moral education with the core of love
Moral values are the motive force of human behaviors belonging to the whole human beings. In both American and Chinese families, moral education all along is the key point. Formed in different cultural backgrounds, American and Chinese moral values have different implications, but love and kindness have the same core and the reflections of universal human morality. Sympathy and kindness offer human beings deep satisfactoriness and happiness. Cultivating children to be perfectly virtuous people is the supreme realm of behavior and the core content of family education as well. Love is the core virtue that permeates with the Bible. From this, many virtues are extended to be the contents of American family education, for instance, endurance, sympathy, honesty, faithfulness etc.
3.2 Intelligent education of diligent study
Knowledge is the primary productive force that directly decides national prosperity and personal success. Books can help us accumulate knowledge and experience. Therefore, family education of both countries stresses study. We always have the misconception that Americans don‟t
attach importance to the children‟s study. But the high modernization of the USA owes to the mastery and application of science and knowledge which are the fruits of diligent study. Edison once said “Genius is one percent of inspiration and ninety-nine percent of perspiration.” American parents also think highly of children‟s study. They always encourage their children to read good books and create the reading atmosphere for them. For instance, they frequently take children to the library, bookstores, etc. They also encourage kids to raise questions and solve problems by reading and self-thinking, and arouse their interests and thirst for knowledge.
3.3 Habit education of being thrifty
Thrift is a traditional Chinese virtue. It closely related with self-cultivation, morality as well as the whole country‟s future. Since ancient China, thrift has been the family motto. Being thrifty, not luxurious is the eternal guarantee of the family‟s, even the country‟s prosperity. America being an economic superpower, people always taught to be thrifty. Parents cultivate the children‟s will power in order to make them adapt themselves to circumstances and enable them to get the competence of independence. They can get their pocket money by way of doing housework. Even in rich families, children do part-time jobs in their right age. The virtue of being thrifty has developed in their practice.
Chapter Four Characteristics of American Family Education Through above comparing we can conclude some advantages of American family education. Flowing is analyzing four characteristics of American family education.
4.1 The consciousness of independence
As is known to all, there are no two leaves exactly the same, just as every child is unique. Most American parents think that their children are independent individuals since they were born. Family education in America always regards children as social people and enables them to be independent person. In order to let their children have the consciousness of independence, American parents usually give their children more freedom and let their children make decisions by themselves. Children are trained to be more independent in thinking and action by their own initiative. In the American family, the parents pay attention to develop children‟s rich development spirit and most children‟s subjective initiative. American parents respect their children and they encourage children to develop according to their own personality. What American parents care about most is their children‟s personality and competence to conform to society. So they make an effort to train children to be independent and initiative.
4.2 The consciousness of democracy
American education is democracy and open. The parents and children have equal rights and interests among various aspects. American parents respect children‟s decision s, and children have equal right to make a decision. Children have more freedom to do what they want to do according to their own willing without any mandatory constraint. If children make mistakes, they can understand children in the harmonious atmosphere, and they even tolerant children‟s mischievous.In many families, children can speak out the words in their inner heart, and children are always be asked before they go to bed, such as “What makes you happy today?”“What do you think of today?” The parents speak with the children are very kind and polite. If parents blame children blindly, children have the right of requiring apology. At this time, parents always say “sorry” “please do forgive me” and so on to the children. American parets would not interfere with children‟s privacy and hold a tolerant attitude to children‟s creativities. In the process of creativity, children‟s ability of thinking and action get improved.
4.3 The consciousness of economy
American children‟s economical consciousness is earlier than Chinese children. This is based on a kind of early economic concept education. In America, children are taught how to spend the limited pocket money in plan, how to make an effort to find solution to earn money. When children are very young, they are asked to do washing and
cleaning. They can get their pocket money by way of doing housework. In this progress, parents stimulate children‟s study competition.
Chapter Five Suggestions on Chinese Family Education In the integration of these differences, advantages and evils of both educational systems have been evaluated respectively. Due to the failure of the family education, parents always think the problems due to their children. However, the root of the problems does not appear in children, but exist in the children‟s parents inappropriate education behaviors. So, being wisdom parents is necessary. There is no doubt that Chinese family education exist some problems, and it is necessary for Chinese parents to improve their education concepts and methods, and corresponding improvement measures were put forward.
5.1 True love education
Both American and Chinese parents love their own children deeply, but there are remarkable differences in the way of loving their children. In American parents‟opinion, loving children is to help their children get the ability of adapting to society. They encourage their children to self-support by their own labor. Many children have already realized the value of labor at a very young age. “No matter how stage of the economic condition at home, their children under 12 years old will be able to help parents cut grass in garden, deliver papers for others in return for pocket money”.(Gan Haiyan, 2006) American parents generally believe that children‟s happiness deprived from their own efforts.
It seems reasonable to admit that children are loved by parents is deserved. Children will be healthy growth in the care of parents. But parents should learn how to love children properly. In Chinese parents‟opinion, the meaning of love is only to care about children‟s physical needs. They only provide their children with a large amount of materials, and put the pressure of study on children and arranging all daily life for children. Those parents who let children let slide is irresponsible to children. Their behavior will also hurt the children. If parents spoil, indulge and always humor children blindly, children will grow up to be selfish, capricious, arrogant and weak in the psychology. Nowadays, with the emergence of a large number of only-one-child, and the rise of living standard, almost all of Chinese parents have such opinions “Loving children is to ensure that children can eat well, wear well and play well”.(黄桂英, 李凤云, 2007)Chinese parents sometimes overly protect and spoil children in life. Children o nce leaving their parents will be at a loss, and can‟t self-reliance in the world. An educator once said: the true love of parents is to teach children the way of self-reliance. Chinese parents are very strict with their children, and many children are prevented from exposuring the outer world because their parents worry about they are affected by bad things.They don‟t care about their children‟s social ability. Chinese parents should let their children experience difficulties when their children are young. Failure is the。