Education+MP

Introduction

education |ˌejəˈkā sh ən| noun the process of receiving or giving systematic instruction, esp. at a school or university : a new system of public education. • the theory and practice of teaching : colleges of education.

Education. It's such a huge part of what we define as being a part of our life today. Why is it so important? Why do people place so much emphasis on it? What is it like in different parts of the world and how is it different when compared to those of in other places? Education is something that is supposed to open us up to new things and lead us to become different people in the world as adults. It's supposed to make us more wise and enlighten us to make the best choices in life. What's the point when many education systems emphasize academic excellence and good grades, when the original purpose was something very different?

In East Asia, education systems place emphasis on competition, outstanding grades, and just constant studying. It has gotten to the point where students have "lost" their childhood; times children should spend playing around and exploring the neighborhood has morphed into a time when children sit at their desks for hours at a time, constantly studying and reviewing material from schools.

Through this project, I was able to examine different educational systems in East Asia, specifically South Korea, China, and Japan.



South Korea South Korea's emphasis on education seems to have started from a long time into history, when Korea first adopted Confucianism into their government. Because Confucianism places heavy emphasis on an educated elite and bureaucracy, and also introduced a civil service examination, Korea was introduced to the concept of competition and hard learning from an early time period.

South Korea is known for its excellent school programs in science, mathematics and reading. This may not stem exclusively from the education offered at the government run public education systems but rather, at least in part, from the long hours students spend in private cram-schools (hagwons) that are geared toward improving their abilities to do well on the annual national university entrance exam. Students cram in private institutes so that they can have high scores in their attempt to enter any one of an elite group of univeristies either in Korea or abroad, namely the SKY Universities (Seoul National University, Korea University, and Yonsei University) and Ivy League Universities. (5.)

The typical Korean parent believes that the more money Korean parents spend on their children's private education, the higher the likelihood that their children will do better on the Korean equivalent of the SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test), and so it is increasingly likely that they will attain higher levels of education at higher ranked postsecondary institutions (5). As the current situation stands, it is true that parents who have invested more in their children's education have seen higher grades on reports.



As such, it is no coincidence that South Korea is the highest spender on private education among the OECD nations.(5) Even the South Korean mass media has gone on the attack against government run schools and the teachers that teach there. Parents are increasingly dissatisfied with government run schools due to what they perceive as a lack of interest on the teachers' part to properly prepare their students for the national entrance exam.

Japan The schooling years in the Japanese education system can be broken up into four subgroupings:6 years of primary or elementary school, 3 years of middle or junior high school, 3 years of high school, and 4 years of university. (2)

Japan has 23,633 elementary schools, 11,134 junior high schools, 5,450 senior high schools, 702 universities, 525 junior colleges, and 14,174 kindergartens (May 2003 Statistics). School attendance rate for the nine years of compulsory education set by the Japanese gov't is currently estimated to be 99.98%. (2)

About 20.7 million Japanese students (May 2003 Statistics) were enrolled in educational institutions in Japan from kindergarten to university levels. (2) 90.8% of Japanese parents send their children to a //juku// (cram school), and those whose children attended cram school four or more days a week accounted for 65.2%. (2)

98% of 15 year-old middle-school graduates go on to high schools or private institutions. When getting a job, a high-school diploma is considered the minimum in requirements. In 2002, The rate of students who advance on to senior high schools was 97.0%. (2)

One-fourth of Japanese students attend private high schools, a small number of which are elite academic high schools. These select few are known throughout the country to be some of the most prestigious schools and require hard interviews as well as academically challenging entrance exams.

Rigorous studying for entrance exams is said to be a huge characteristic of a typical Japanese student's life. To secure entry to most high schools, universities, as well as a few private junior high schools and elementary schools, applicants are required to sit entrance exams and attend interviews.

As a result, a high level of competitiveness (and stress) is often observed among students (and their parents) during their pre-high to high school years. In order to pass entrance exams to the best institutions, many students attend private afterschool study sessions (//juku// or //gakken//) that take place after regular classes in school, and/or special private preparation institutions for one to two years between high school and university (//yobiko//). (2)

China

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">China's education system is currently the largest education system in the world. There are more than 30 million students enrolled in China’s education institutions and Government Investment in education accounts for about 4% of China's total GDP. (3) In 1986, the Chinese government passed a compulsory education law, making nine years of education mandatory for all Chinese children.(3) Today, the China's Ministry of Education estimates that 99.7 percent of the population area of the country has achieved the compulsory nine-year basic education.(6)

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">The higher education sector has growth as well. China has increased its college-age population in higher education to over 20 percent now from 1.4 percent in 1978 ( 3) <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;"> At the same time, China is seeking to improve the quality of education through a major effort by introducing new styles of curriculum to different schools around the country.

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">China has a teacher development system. Teaching has been and remains today a highly respected profession in China.

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Education has historically been a big part of Chinese culture. In the Han Dynasty (206BC-220AD), the government emphasized and encouraged people to write and copy books, which made education unprecedentedly prosperous. The Han dynasty also embraced the Confucian Civil Service Examination, as well as other Confucian aspects. Schools in China were divided into public and private institutions, and public schools were subdivided into local and central schools. Emperor Han Wudi (A Han Emperor) started the Great Academy, which was set up in the northwestern suburban area of the then capital city Chang'an (modern day Xian). The curriculum was based on Confucian teachings and students were expected to read Confucian books. Students who were admitted to the Great Academy were destined for careers in the civil service after they passed the exams and were competitively selected for various positions. (6)

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Because China's education is so large, only 50% of the High Schoolers in China will be able to go to university, as space is very limited. Because of this, the exam that people take when going into university is extremely competitive and hard. Students in high school have to take the GaoKao, the Chinese equivalent of the SAT, which will determine the level of university and also whether the student can even go to university.

<span style="color: #800080; display: block; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 160%; text-align: center;">Conclusion

While all three education systems share different characteristics and also place emphasis on different areas, there are still some underlying similarities that can be observed in all three countries.The similarities are as follows

1. High level of pressure on students, regardless of age or grade level. 2. High levels of stress, which leads to a lot of student suicides. 3. Belief that the more money invested in private education, the better the student will do in school. 4. High levels of competition among students 5. Loss of childhood 6. Creation of "exam-passing robots," not "students" 7. Little or no creativity/imagination 8. Perfectionist Students 9. Unhealthy states of students due to lack of sleep and stress

and

10. Academic excellence in all areas, but specifically science and math.

<span style="color: #e84fb2; display: block; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 260%; text-align: center;">Video on Education media type="youtube" key="NFy7WUObAes" height="349" width="560"

<span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">Self Evaluation

What did you contribute specifically to your project? = I researched extensively on my topic and gathered the info to make it a big project that covered the many important aspects of education in East Asia.

How successful do you think you conveyed your research to your audience? = I think I did pretty well in conveying my research to my audience because I used easy language to convey my words and also a video, which would help show people in a more visual sense!

What would have made your presentation more successful? = Maybe if I was able to interview some teachers who taught in different East Asian countries. It would be nice to get some personal words on what education was like in China, Japan, and Korea.

How successful do you think your technology-based materials were in conveying your research? = I think my technology-based materials were successful in conveying my research because these visuals are easier in making people get more engaged in the topic and also having a visual video helps people understand the material in an easier way!

What would have made your technology-based materials more successful? =Hmm. I think my technology-based materials were quite successful in conveying my research..and I'm not really sure on how to really make my technological materials more successful! :D

What did you learn from this project? Submit any other comments after this question. - I learned a lot about education in East Asia through researching for this project. I found out a lot of new things about Japan and China and I didn't realize that education was such a stressful thing for students even in Japan and China. To me, it was always Korea that had the most competitive education system..but apparently it's the same in Japan and China too!

<span style="color: #0000ff; display: block; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 260%; text-align: center;">Sources

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Works Cited <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">1. "25 Surprising Facts About Chinaâ€™s Education System." Teaching Tips | Teaching Tips. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 June 2011. <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;"><http://www.teachingtips.com/blog/2009/08/30/25-surprising-facts-about-chinas-education-system/>.

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">2. "EDUCATION IN JAPAN." EDUCATION IN JAPAN TOP PAGE. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 June 2011. <http://www.education-in-japan.info/sub1.html>.

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">3. "Education in China." China Tours,China Tour Package,China Tour Company, Small Group, Beijing, Xian, Shanghai, Guilin. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 June 2011. <http://www.warriortours.com/intro/education.htm>.

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">4. "Education in Japan." Amphitheater School District Home Page. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 June 2011. <http://www.amphi.com/~psteffen/fmf/education.htm>.

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">5. Jambor, Paul Z. . "Your Complete Resources on Education in South Korea: A Critical Approach." Education in South Korea. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 June 2011. <sites.google.com/site/southkoreaneducation/>.

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">6. "Primary, Secondary and Higher Education in China - China Education Center." China Education Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 June 2011. <http://www.chinaeducenter.com/en/cedu.php>.

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">7. "South Korea - EDUCATION." Country Studies. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 June 2011. <http://countrystudies.us/south-korea/42.htm>.

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 160%;">Video Links

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYxncG-cWBM

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZ5hOaXD6Oc

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJBIpXpZowk

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmWj5UvOCgI