Chinese Educational Reforms: Transition of an International Powerhouse

It has been almost everywhere in the media: The People\u27s Republic of China has a powerhouse of an education system. Only a few years ago were Americans being bombarded with advertisement campaigns, outlining the vast disparity between American and European or Asian testing scores [AR1] [JP2] in math [AR3] [JP4] and science. Now, there is a new discussion. Although the current Chinese system is effective for producing excellent test scores, many project that the rigidity will eventually only hinder China, that a lack of encouragement and space for creativity in Chinese students’[AR5] [JP6] educational careers will result in a lack of creativity in their working careers, which is seen as a vital need in a growing, changing economy. There are many aspects of the current education system that are contributing to these issues, such as the emphasis on memorization, or the over-use of examination. This paper concludes that the most effective route of improvement will stem from further reforms to the teacher education system, through the consideration of educator relationships to the nature of Chinese education, individual students, and Chinese society as a whole