Course paper of Chongqing UniversityA Comparative Study on Family EducationBetween China and AmericaSchool of Foreign Languages and CulturesJune. 2014ABSTRACTIn a lifetime, family is the first school, in which parents are the first teachers for the children. Children are the hopes of a nation, and family education is the elementary ed ucation for children. In a sense, talent competition is the competition of the ability of family education. So family education is very important. In view of this, America gives more attention to family education. Along with the accelerating process of the development, the disadvantage of the Chinese tradition family education gradually reveals. So family education reform is urgently needed. There are great differences in the concepts of education, aim of education, methods of education and contents of education between American family education and Chinese family education. This thesis will complete the comparative study from the importance, the definition, the differences and the reasons of family education between America and China. At the same time, the author hopes this thesis can provide some helpful suggestions for family education in order to make children grow more healthily and roundly.Key : family education, definition, difference, causeContestChapter 1 The Definition of Family Education (4)Chapter 2 The Differences of Family Education between China and America (5)2.1 The concepts of family education are different (5)2.2 The aim of family education are different (5)2.3 The methods are different (6)Chapter 3 The Reasons for the Differences of Family Education between China and America (7)3.2 Different economic form (7)3.3 Different social conditions (7)3.4 Different Thinking Patterns (8)Chapter 4 conclusion (9)Works Cited (10)Chapter 1 The Definition of Family EducationWhat is family education about? Most people including some parents may say that family education simply means raising and educating. However, it is never the case. Family education is more than raising and educating.A General Introduction of Chen Heqin’s Thoughts on Preschool Education defines family education as “Family education is a society use to educate new generation with aims and systems” (Chen Heqin, 2006). It can be proved that as in the period of early childhood, family education processes are critical for elementary-school-age children’s learning and development.According to the traditional concept family education is parents educate their children. Yet, the definition of family education should be extended. Family education is not only the action of family but also concerns the whole society. Family education is not only the way that parents or elder generation educate the child or teenage in family, but all the family members educate each other. Family education is not only the education of the pre-school education, but also all life education.Chapter 2 The Differences of Family Education betweenChina and America2.1 The concept of family education is differentThe different education concepts between America and China lead children to receive different education. In China, many parents only care about whether the children have a promising future, a good job, a good life or not. Based on these expectations, many parents feel that their responsibility for their children is to create as good conditions as possible as they can so that the children will not worry about anything in the future. Therefore, in the process of children’s growth, the most important thing that parents care about is to develop their children’s intellect, except for caring children’s daily life. Contrastively, American parents generally believe that the growth of children must rely on their own strength and experiences. Based on this concept, most Americ an parents emphasize more to train their children’s ability of independence once they are born because they think that children should form a self-supporting will and the capacity to live independently since their childhood.2.2 The aim of family education is differentThe aim of family education is to foster the children to grow in some direction by family education.There is an essential difference between two country’s aim of family education. To most Chinese parents , the aim is expecting their child ren to be a “ dragon ”, which is “ wang zi cheng long ” in Chinese. But American parents take hoping the child to be a man with the ability which is “ wang zi cheng ren ” in Chinese as their aim. For Chinese parents, their aim is to do anything to support their children to get high marks. What forms apparent contrast to it is, America parents give their children moretraining about improving abilities. They try to train their children to have the ability of adapting to environmental variety and the ability of living independently.2.3 The methods are differentThe differences of concepts and aim cause the children to be taught by different ways and methods. In Chinese family, affected by Chinese traditional culture, parents educate children by ‘ control ’ and ‘ seal ’ type. Chinese parents prepare all things for their children in daily life. In Chinese family, children don’t have to do any housework. Chinese parents protect the children to excess in social activities. Chinese parents have a rather strict attitude toward children’s study. So Chinese children spend more time in studying than doing other things.What about America children? Let’s talk about the famous film 《The Pacifier》. In the film, it may be unconscious, but Shane Wolfe had let the kids master many skills by training them during the time when he cared them. So American parents bring up their children by the method of “ letting go ” but “ not indulging ” to exercise children’s abilities of independent living.Chapter 3 The Reasons for the Differences of Family Education between China and America3.1 Different historical backgroundChina with a long history has a sort of conservative sense of worth, which is lack of spirit of adventure and innovative consciousness. By contraries, America is a nation of immigrants with a short history, there remains so little traditional culture. With the influence of muti culture and sense of worth, it is easy to accept new thoughts and culture. So America children are better at taking risks and innovating.3.2 Different economic formChina has a long history with a large population. Therefore, there are so few opportunities to find a job even a good job which can decide one’s life happiness. And getting high marks has become a necessary condition to have a good job and future. The condition of economy in America is better than that in China, so there are more employment opportunities in America. American parents think profession is not distinguished whether it is noble or nidering as long as they can survive in society independently.3.3 Different social conditionsSocial conditions are also the factor to form the different concepts between China Family Education and America Family Education. As we all know, China is a socialist country and America belongs to capitalist country. American has good economic conditions, perfect old-age social system. Instead, they think when they become old, they can go to old people’s home to live the rest of their life. So they rear the children to 18 years old, who become independent persons. They don’t care aboutwhether the children will bring honor to them or not.By comparison, Chinese parents consider that children’s education is connected with the rest of their life. They treat the children as their own property and require children to pay back for them.3.4 Different Thinking PatternsThe Chinese parents care about the reputation in educating the child, thinking educating the child to become a useful person is their achievement, but if not, the parents feel shameful. But the most important point is that their attitude towards the position of family institution is also different. In Chinese traditional family, parents’ authoritative consciousness plays a leading role while in America family mainly emphasizes struggle, equality, democracy and human rights, which is quite different.Chapter 4 ConclusionThrough the analysis above, we can easily conclude that there are numbers of differences between Chinese children family education and American family education. Therefore, family education should change the traditional ideas, on the basis of keeping our advantage. In my opinion, on the one hand, we need inherit and develop the fine educational tradition of ancient China; on the other hand, we need derive the essence from American family education, and promote the reform family education characteristic of China. So Chinese family education should be adjusted reasonably, it mainly includes the following four aspects:1. First of all, family educational idea should be modernized, we should reject obsolete educational idea, keep pace with the times.2. Establish guardian’s concept of law in education,and enhance family educational consciousness of democracy, respect child, equal communication.3. Adopt the scientific method of encouragement, guidance, and tolerance to enhance the child’s self-respect and the self-confidence.4. Follow closely development of the knowledge economy and the information age, further open up the family educational mentality, enhance opening consciousness; Promote organic synthesis between intelligence factors and the non-intelligence factors, and educate the child to learn to study and seek knowledge;Meanwhile the child must also face the world, absorb and introduce the quintessence foreign ideology and culture, and carry out the communication between Eastern and Western family education.Works Cited《The Pacifier》Adam Shankman陈鹤琴.《陈鹤琴幼儿教育思想专题》.上海：华东师范大学出版社,2006.。
