Education in Chinn and impact on students well-being | Teen Ink

Education in Chinn and impact on students well-being

May 20, 2022
By Anonymous

Abstract 

Education in China has always been respected, so it has been looked at as rigorous by foreign countries. Stereotypes are created with Chinese kids, or East Asian kids in general with many believing they are adept with mathematics. China’s teaching methodology differs from Western education methodology. Rote memorization is emphasized and there is a heavier focus on math, science, and Chinese studies. It is also standard practice for classes to be complemented with extensive test prep throughout middle school, junior high school, and high school for college entrance exams. Education is enforced amongst many cultures, but within many Asian cultures it is looked at as the only way of success. Going to school is one of many priorities in life. Many people work outside of school, extra curricular activities such as sports, church, and school sanctioned events. School creates hybrid terms such as student-athletes. Many parents tell their children/students to focus on their education and then their passion, possibly taking away from their true desires/passions. Many critics would argue that school does not even get you ready for the real world and rest of your life. You are put into a box with other students and people who will pursue other career paths are grouped together. In order to beat the Chinese, America would have to give up their own morals and only focus on education. China is performing better in education because it is enforced more and If people would not take things like tests, or math problems seriously we could focus on the real problems in the world. Not putting pressure on young children and adults to work so much can positively improve the world because many people do not know how to find joy in what they do. If we use our education to learn how education is impacting us as people, we can succeed because we now know the problems. Education is fundamental, but it should not impact one's well-being. 

 

Well-Being of Children

Working hard in school or at one’s place of occupation can take so much recreational fundamental time of life. Many may see when people become adults it is so hard to get together because of other priorities such as work, children, errands, etc. In 1978, China went into a market economy coming from a planned one. This caused parents to become migrant workers in labor-intensive industries, leaving their children unless they come along. With a country having education at its forefront, children become adults at a young age with a lot of expectations/priorities placed upon them with no parents around. Huang states, “In rural areas, many left-behind children do not maintain regular contact with their parents, and often feel lonely and unsupported” (2010). + “Some children see their parents only once a year during the Spring Festival holiday when many migrant workers return to their hometowns to visit their families. The caregivers of left-behind children, particularly grandparents, are often unable to provide adequate emotional support, hygiene and nutrition, and homework supervision. These disparate personal values might stem from separation from their parents” (2016). Working is such a priority that students cannot even get in contact with parents. Grandparents are not even able to help, so the only support students may have is their friends. In rural areas, left behind children were shown to place greater value on social popularity than their peers did (80 vs. 73%) and were more likely to care about school grades and to seek their parents’ praise than were children who resided with their parents. While Chinese people are prioritizing their education, they are not prioritizing the most important things. Relationships, family, happiness, and healthiness, and their children's well being. This can be related to wealthy people having an abundance of money, but the true $1,000,000 question is does money buy happiness? Or does successful education buy happiness. It is great to be smart, but it is greater to know when being smart is impacting your well being. 

 


 

 


Education-Related Gender Differences in Health in Rural China

Something that education and or work can impact is one’s physical well being also known as their health. Internationally and amongst all cultures, there has always been a misogynistic view of women. In China, there is a health inequality amongst women which does not allow them to get equal treatment unlike their male peers. Liu states, “Over the past several decades, China has significantly improved the education of its people. From 1990 to 2000, the illiteracy rate decreased from 15.88"/o to 6.72i'/o.'^ Meanwhile, China's overall health status has improved. For example, the infant mortality rate decreased from 50.2"/oi) in 1990 to 32.2%o in 2000. However, less well known art' Iho situations pertaining to health inequalities in China. Although the general social status of Chinese women has improved over the years, little is known about the role of gender in health inequalities, especially among rural populations” (Liu, 2004, p. 1). China is improving their educational system and continues to get better each year. Working too much can cause many injuries even if it is just from one being exhausted. In Japan, working yourself to death is known as “karoshi”. Education is so prioritized, that it now becomes toxic because women cannot get as many health benefits as men if they begin to work too much. People’s health should be prioritized before education in this case because if one is not well, they cannot work. The other states, “This expectation of mobility created unprecedented levels of internal migration, which has been captured in the recent national survey data sets such as the China Educational Panel Study (CEPS). For generations born in the 1980s and the 1990s, rural to urban migration has been the principal means of improving family well-being” (Xu and Xie, 2015, p. 21). Since most of the health problems occur in rural environments, many families move to urban districts for their well-being, putting that above their education. In conclusion, this is another way that education is put above students' actual well-being. 

 

 


Special Education in China 

With education, there comes students who are naturally talented and ones who need more help. IEPs (Individualized Education Plans) become essential to those who need that extra help in school. Since education is so prioritized, someone being born with a disability/learning defect is looked at as inferior. Armstrong and Farland Smith state,“Stigmatization of people with disabilities is a problem in many countries regardless of how developed they are and this stigmatization can put people with disabilities on the disregarded fringes of society” (2009). + “Historically, China, along with many other Asian countries, placed emphasis on the family unit taking care of their own members before asking for help from organizations or the government” (2009). The stigma of students with defects and disabilities is the origin of these students not receiving the help they need. The well-being of the family is now enforced, but these poor children cannot get help from the government because all they care about is their grades. The Chinese and Asia as a whole are so vain amongst education, that even people who were born with disabilities are not treated due to the fact they are not intelligent enough. Armstrong and Farland Smith state, “School is often one of the places where the struggles between people with and without disabilities are seen and the culture in which children are educated affects their perceptions of the world” (2009). + “After schooling is completed, those individuals who were under-educated or had low achievement often end up facing long-term unemployment and exclusion” (2009). When children are disbaled, they need extra help and attention from family/teachers. Diasabled people are at a higher rate of facing long-term unemployment and exclusion from society as a whole. Not performing well in school and then moving onto the real world these disbaled people can be impacted positively or negatively. They are no long tortured with not being help, but there still may be noone who wants to give them attention because of the way they were born. In conclusion, this is another way education in China impacts their people's well-being. 

 

 

 

 

 

Impact of organizational culture vocational education in China

Vocational education is when students learn skills that prepare them to work in a particular field after high school. The Chinese students are often forced to become doctors, lawyers, etc. Vocational education actually seems like it could be beneficial to a students well-being because they can do what they desire. Wu states, “Aiming at the research on industry-learning cooperation behavior of teachers in higher vocational colleges, this study turns attention and the perspective to the career development of teachers in higher vocational colleges. The question of how organizational culture, other organizational variables, and individual characteristics influence the academic outreach of faculty members has not been well-addressed in prior literature” (2021). Before vocational schools, it seemed like parents decided everything for their children. Now, students can finally live their own lives, but a lot of general psychological problems still occur. 

Wu states, “Yet while it seems especially important to study factors that support this supply, studies on vocational school-industry cooperation mainly focus on structural factors such as policy orientation, standards, and management. In contrast, studies related to social-psychological factors such as cognition, emotion, and behavior are still lacking. Though many scholars’ studies reveal the influences of individual factors like teachers’ gender, age, title, and seniority on industrial participation, few have focused on how interaction between individual and organizational characteristics help generate the forces necessary for dynamic learning-industry connections to thrive” (2021). Although students' schooling now deals with individual factors, they are still suffering from many mental issues. Many are not used to participating in their own interest, so they are lost once their parents no longer give them a career path to pursue. The characteristics needed for the learning-industry is connection between teachers and students' mental health. Nobody seems to care how students are doing, yet teachers care about their work. If one is not doing well mentally, they will not be able to work well in school. In conclusion, students' well-being still is not prioritized. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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