A Cross-Cultural Comparative Analysis of Educational Methodologies and Their Effects on Depression Levels and Sleep Quality in High School Students

Abstract

This paper undertakes a comparative analysis of educational methodologies in Eastern Asian and Western cultures, focusing on Chinese public high schools and international schools. Chinese pedagogy traditionally underscores foundational education with rote learning and memorization but lacks flexibility. In contrast, the Western educational paradigm prioritizes imagination, observation, and analytical skills, albeit with perceived inadequacies in academic proficiency. The primary objective is to compare depression levels and sleep quality among high school students from diverse domestic and international educational frameworks while evaluating the philosophies of various high schools globally. The study employs a quantitative approach to detect relation between variables. The sample comprises 398 participants from 74 high schools in China, America, the United Kingdom, Singapore, the Philippines, and Canada, obtained through snowball sampling. The research aims to provide insights into the relationship between students mental status and school types, exploring gender differences through cross-tabulations of the Zung Self-Depression Scale(SDS), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and depression levels. The findings reveal significant disparities in depression levels and sleep quality between students from international schools and Chinese public high schools. Notably, the former group reported higher depression levels and poorer sleep quality. Moreover, non-binary students demonstrated the highest depression levels and the poorest sleep quality among the surveyed groups. These observations highlight the urgency of addressing adolescent mental health and emphasize the necessity for a comprehensive educational approach that considers students cognitive and personality development, fostering a more inclusive and equitable school and social environment for minority groups.