中美高等教育对比The Differences of Higher Education between China and America

Abstract

Education has become a symbol of the national power. Every year a great number of students from all over the world come to American for studying. On the contrary, China as an ancient country civilization with over five thousand years, only have several famous universities. This paper aims to study the difference of higher education between China and America and find out the merit of American education. Then take the essence and discard the dregs to improve the quality of our own education.

Key words: Higher Education; Difference; China; American

Introduction

Higher education is an educational level that follows a completion of a school providing a secondary education, such as a high school, secondary school, or a gymnasium. Higher education is normally taken to include undergraduate and postgraduate education vocational education and training. Colleges, universities and institutes of technology are the main institutions that provide higher education.In many developed countries, a high proportion of the population, now enter higher education at some time in their lives. Higher education is therefore very important to national economic, both as a significant industry in its own right and as a source of trained and educated personnel for the rest of the economy. College educated workers command a significant wage premium and are much less likely to become unemployed than less educated workers.

The American university has been considered as models by the world, although it only has a history of 300 years. Every year thousands of students from all over the world come to American for studying, including a large number of Chinese excellent students. With the development of economic, China also attracts a lot of oversea students in recent years, but there still are many differences on higher education between China and America. As a result, we should learn from America and make improvement in our education.

I The Differences of Higher Education between China and America

Firstly, they are different in teaching methods.In American, inspiring students is great important for teaching. In classroom, teachers will specially put forward some inspiring questions for students. In such a teaching mode, students in the classroom have 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 students develop the ability of independent thinking and solving problem. However, China’s higher education pays 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, this kind of questions tend to be concentrated after the class, rather than in the classroom. It is the main mode that class is taught by teachers and students just listen to the records. This approach is conductive to help the students learn systemic knowledge, and they have less sense of innovation.

Secondly, they have differences in the dependence of students. In America, college students are likely to be more independent of their parents. Students often make decisions by themselves, no matter on studying and live. And students are often expected, as part of learning to be an adult, to pay for part or all the costs of college by themselves. On the other hand, pa rents also give more freedom for children to the best of their abilities. Some American college students thrive in this new found freedom, and some flounder. Many grow up quickly during college, while others fail and leave college to find full-time jobs. In China, college students are likely to be their parents’ only child—the focus of family pride, concern, and hope. Their parents’ work hard to help them succeed, including helping them study for the dreaded college entrance exams. And parents try their best to teach traditional Confucian values of honoring family, teacher, and education and the modern realities of rapidly expanding commerce and technology.

Thirdly, they have different targets. In American, every university has its reasons to exist, no matter how small it is. And each university knows what their target is. For example, the economic institute of Stanford university has three goals for undergraduate. There is no doubt the number of universities in China is increasing but