Chinese Students’ Cultural and Behavioural Differences among Domestic and Internationally Oriented Educational Institutions.

Abstract

Research has found a link between active student participation in the classroom and memory retention. Participation can encompass many aspects, including asking questions in class and partaking in classroom activities. Extensive studies have been conducted on Chinese students concerning their overall involvement in class. When compared to their Western counterparts, Chinese students are often regarded as silent passive learners (i.e. not active), hence negatively affecting their ability to learn in the classroom environment. The changeability of education together with ongoing globalization has led to an increase in Chinese students going abroad. As a result, there has been an increase in demand for international high schools and other educational training centres that prepare Chinese students for tertiary education in the West. This research investigates classroom behaviours and face values of students attending a Chinese international high school and compares them with students attending a conventional Chinese public high school. A MANOVA is used to assess these differences based on a questionnaire submitted to 349 students from Taiyuan, Shanxi province in China. Results show that students following an international program ask more questions in class, but no difference is found in regards to the Chinese cultural value of face. Subsequently, auxiliary qualitative research was performed to clarify quantitative outcomes. These outcomes showed that efforts to save face, academic pressure, classroom environment, and pre-existing individual factors contribute to this found difference.