Cross-Cultural Language and Literacy Education Report: Education System in China

Cross–Cultural Language and Literacy Education Report
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Introduction
For this report, I interviewed three people at my school: two Chinese immigrant students from one of my Algebra II classes and my Chinese colleague. All of them were born in China. Student #1 has been in the US for about four years. She was a sixth grader in China before she came here. The student can read and write in Chinese well and have no challenge communicating in Chinese. Student #2 came to the US in 2014, about eight years ago. She was a first grader in China before she came to the US. Even though she came very young, her Chinese is surprisingly good compared to other people I know who also came early in their schooling.
According to the student, she can communicate in Chinese well and reads well, which I can justify during our interview. Her Chinese literacy skill is very close to that of a native Chinese speaker. The only “flaw” was that she couldn’t write in Chinese very much. The student has a strong interest in reading in Chinese but gets little practice in writing. My Chinese colleague came to the US about ten years ago in the middle of eighth grade, then skipped 9th grade here and started 10th grade in the year she arrived. Based on her depiction of her learning experiences in China and my interaction with her at work, she was an excellent student when she was in school. Her grades were at the top both in China and the US. She can communicate in Chinese and read and write very well. All of the interviewees went to public schools in China.
Student # 1 has no specific memory of learning in china but shared notable differences in the education system of America and Chinese. First, she holds that the American education system emphasizes extracurricular activities more than the Chinese, which puts more emphasis on curricular activities and testing. Also, she recalls lunch breaks and between-lesson breaks were longer in china compared to America. Student #2 shared a memory of her when she was a first grader in a Chinese school in Foshan City. She said she was among the top math students, and their school already had math competition tests as early as grade one. She told me of a time when there was a math competition event, and she scored 89, coming in second position. The best student had 90 %, and she felt very proud. Also, she shared a memory of when she could not finish her math on time, and she was disappointed and cried the whole day.
Further, my Colleague from Shanghai, China, shared memories of the Chinese education system. She remembered their reading classes every morning, and their physical education was diverse. She held that they played ping pong, badminton, basketball, swimming, and Kung Fu. My interview rationale with the two students and a colleague was based on the fact that they were immigrants from China and experienced different education systems. This way, they had primary experience in cross-cultural language and literacy education.
Findings
China has committed its effort to improving education quality and literacy levels under the ministry of education. Laws and policies are in place to improve the education system, which allows universal enrollment to school-aged kids (between 6-15years) and full literacy to individuals under the age of 20 years (Schrag, 2021). Further, the government bears partial funding for education to make it accessible to all. In addition, literacy level is a fundamental indicator of access to education. A high literacy level is a baseline for improved access to information and directly enables the individual to contribute positively to society. It is compulsory in China for all citizens to attend education for at least nine years.
The basic Chinese educational structure provides six years of primary education, three years of lower secondary, three years of upper secondary, and four years of university. The first nine years are compulsory in china. Further, the education system can be uneven in china and favors those in urban areas. Schools in urban areas are financed by the government, while parents must partially fund their education in rural areas. Further, the curriculum is competency-based and regular testing is done and ranked according to performance. For instance, they already have a math test competition and events in first grade. Student #2 was thrilled when she came second on the test, while the best score was 90. Further, I found out that the books and syllabi of China and America are different, even though we share the same content.
Further, according to Nord Anglia Education, the Chinese national curriculum comprises eight learning domains for primary school, lower, and senior secondary ( n.d). These include mathematics, language, literature, natural and social science, arts, technology, physical education, and a practicum (specialized course). Teaching is done in Chinese, a national language. In the interview, all three participants confirmed they could speak Chinese even after migrating to the United States. I interviewed the three of them in Chinese. The student # assured me that physical education was diverse and included swimming, badminton, and Kung Fu. Also, my colleague mentioned they had reading classes every morning to improve their mastery of other languages and literature. This made it easier for them to communicate and adapt to the United States education system.
Social Concept of Schooling in China.
Individuals in China value quality education as they believe it is the foundation for the future development of individuals, countries, and families. Thus, much expectation is given to individuals to perform better and have excellent grades ...