A Sustainability Lens on the Paradox of Chinese Learners: Four Studies on Chinese Students’ Learning Concepts under Li’s “Virtue–Mind” Framework

Ruixiang Gao,Yirao Liu,Jielin Zeng,Xiaoxiao Huang,Danying Wu,Xiaoqing Liu,Zehui Zhan,Jiayin Zhang,Huang Zuo,Lei Mo

doi:10.3390/su14063334

Abstract

The paradox of Chinese learners refers to a contrast between poor learning approaches and high achievement in China, which reveals a lack of sustainability in Chinese education. In addressing this paradox, Jin Li stood out by studying culture-based learning concepts and providing a comprehensive theoretical framework of the Eastern virtue model versus the Western mind model. However, this framework has not been thoroughly tested in the age of global cultural exchange, and the best learning model for learners has not been determined. This paper used both qualitative (replicating Li’s word association test) and quantitative methods to retest and enrich Li’s theory in present-day China, using four empirical studies. Studies 1 and 2 revealed the influence of global cultural exchange in narrowing the gap between the two models, with appropriate modifications made to Li’s theory. Studies 3 and 4 demonstrated that both of the two models were conducive to students’ academic achievement and creativity, greatly enriching Li’s theory. The implications of achieving a dynamic balance between the virtue model and the mind model to improve the sustainability of Chinese student development are discussed, which contributes to achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

Highlights

Introduction conditions of the Creative CommonsThe Chinese education system, the largest education system in the world, has attracted much research attention, with many studies focusing on the paradox of Chinese learners [1]
The results showed that the tradition of the Confucian virtue model was maintained to a large extent, as the age of the participants increased, they acted out more components of the mind model to the point of exceeding those of the virtue model, which means that learners’ learning concepts are not immutable but will develop with educational experiences
In Study 2, we further tested Li’s bold hypothesis of the influence of culture on Chinese students’ learning concepts proposed in her virtue–mind theory, and we provided direct and strong evidence supporting this hypothesis from the perspective of regional cultural differences

Summary

Introduction

Introduction conditions of the Creative CommonsThe Chinese education system, the largest education system in the world, has attracted much research attention, with many studies focusing on the paradox of Chinese learners [1]. The Chinese education system is primarily characterized by old-fashioned teaching. Sustainability 2022, 14, 3334 and learning, featuring teachers’ authoritarian pedagogy, centralized curricula, obedient students, rote learning, and exam-oriented motivation, which have been criticized in numerous articles, books, and media (see [1–3]). Chinese learners constantly outperform their Western counterparts in large-scale international tests such as PISA, TIMSS, etc., and they continue to perform well when they attend Western universities for further education. The excellent academic performance of Chinese students comes at the expense of some of the valuable sustainable development goals (SDG) proposed by the United Nations. China’s exam-oriented education system is often criticized for putting students’ mental health at risk [2], which is against SDG 3. A lack of intrinsic interest in learning results in limited creativity (against SDG 9)

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Conclusion