Chinese Pedagogy or Western Andragogy?

Abstract

This chapter reports the results of a study designed to compare Chinese adult education methods with Western (i.e., United States) educational methods using the conceptual framework of the principles of andragogy. Adult educators from two universities in China and one university in the United States responded to an online survey comprised of closed- and open-ended questions about their teaching practices. Study results indicated that while the U.S. educators were consistently andragogical in their approach, Chinese adult educators were less so. Although a few andragogical elements were reported by the Chinese educators, their approach appeared more pedagogical, a finding that was consistent with reports in the literature of adult education in China. Even in 1998, under the leadership of the former administration, the Chinese people were promised the growth of China’s education system. Today, China provides resources to support education so that China is more competitive in the global market today. China’s blueprint for the future is evidence of the commitment to education China emphasizes. China has created its own Ivy League schools to support the next generation workforce that are competitive with Ivy League schools in the United States. China’s Ivy League is funded by the government. It leads to the question of whether the recession of 2008 in the United States will negatively impact the services American institutions will offer and ultimately affect the number of international students enrolling in universities in the United States. It also leads to the question on whether China will surpass the United States in the quality of education it provides to its students and therefore reduce the number of Chinese students who study in the United States. The style of teaching in this new system may impact both the quality of education provided and its impact.