Date of Award
1990
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Curriculum, Instruction, and Media Technology
Abstract
Although education is not listed in China's "Four Modernizations" initiated in the late 1970s, such a program will remain on paper without a necessary foundation provided by corresponding reforms in education. This study is an attempt to furnish researchers with a comparative perspective of the Chinese and American educational systems. It is designed with the purpose of reaching a better understanding of the two systems through an examination of their historical evolution and a subsequent juxtaposition and comparison of them. In this study, the two systems are examined in terms of their governance structure, equal access to education, and educational financing. First, the history of China's education, dating back to its millennium-old imperial examination system, has made centralization the hallmark of its governance structure, whereas America has inherited from its colonial past the local control of education. Secondly, the historical legacy of China's education is a two-track system, under which students in urban and key schools enjoy more advantageous educational opportunities than their counterparts in rural areas, ordinary schools, minority regions, or with physical handicaps. On the other hand, the evolution of the American educational system has established as a legal precedent equal access to education for all people regardless of differences in race, sex, physical conditions, or geographical location of residence. Lastly, while China's urban and key schools are financed more generously than rural and ordinary schools, educational finance in America has undergone a series of reforms giving it greater equity, providing a foundation for equal access to education. The study concludes that with respect to the three fundamental elements examined, China's education can be characterized as centralized, with limited access and unequal funding, whereas the American educational system can be characterized as decentralized, with greater open access and greater funding equity.
Recommended Citation
Sun, Hong, "The Chinese And American Educational Systems: A Comparative Study Of Some Fundamental Elements In The Two Systems" (1990). All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 2085.
https://scholars.indianastate.edu/etds/2085