We present our recent research on children's learning goals and personal agency in the domain of learning in order to show the complexity of selves in Chinese culture. Our research poses challenges to the widely claimed collectivist self-concept in Chinese children and calls for reexamination of selves in specific domains across cultures.…

Two articles address teaching English in the Peoples Republic of China. In "Why Bother About Culture in English Language Teaching?," Hu Wenzhong attempts to determine opinions about the importance of awareness of cultural traits through a study of 36 English-speaking teachers at Chinese institutions and 64 Chinese students who had…

Five distinct images of the educated person are examined: the well-educated American (representing the Western world), the Indian guru or yogi, the Confucian scholar or Mandarin, the socialist comrade from the People's Republic of China, and the "new human being" (a futuristic view of the holistically educated person). These concepts are…

This study analyzes the variation in one measure of son preference that is of particular relevance in rural China: whether a woman considers it important to have a son, and the reasons why sons are important. To summarize our conclusions, we find that the expectation that a son will provide financial support in old age is strongly associated with…

This study investigated Chinese students' use of language learning strategies, and then interpreted the data from cultural and educational perspectives. Using a Strategy Inventory for Language Learning, the researcher discovered some common features shared by Chinese students in their use of learning strategies. An in-depth analysis of the results…

This article pursues two main lines of inquiry: How might postcolonial theory, feminist and postcolonial translation studies sharpen our critical understandings of the micro- and geopolitics of English language learning? What kinds of pedagogical practice might such new developments ground in order to foster our learners' critical ways of knowing…

This book explores the early years of the Cultural Revolution in China's schools, from the mobilization stage through the development of factionalism and the takeover of education by workers and peasants. An analysis of the relations between educational organizations and the larger society that made these developments possible is explored.…

Recognizing and appreciating culturally diverse views of what is best for children is important, as underscored by the views of childhood evident in early childhood education programs in China. Families and schools in modern China experience unique social and political pressures, the most obvious of which is the "one child policy," which…

Discusses the artistic characteristics of children ages two through six years and the culturally endorsed shift of emphasis from symbolic play to technical mastery during the course of their artistic development. Reviews teaching practices, educational resources, and teacher training in schools in Australia and the People's Republic of China in…

Discusses fu, a flowery form of rhetorical writing developed in China during the Han Dynasty. Provides historical background and criticisms of the genre. Emphasizes the feminine principle of fu rhetoric with its resort to pleasure, ornamentation, and flattery. Argues that what is considered love poetry was actually political allegory. (DK)

We examined how mother-child emotional reminiscing is affected by culture, gender, and the valence of the event. Thirty-one Euro-American and 30 Chinese middle-class mothers and their 3-year-old children discussed 1 highly positive and 1 highly negative experience. Mothers and children in both cultures used a greater variety of negative emotion…

This article reports on a study investigating English language teaching (ELT) practices in secondary-level classrooms in China. A sample of 252 secondary school graduates from different parts of the country completed a questionnaire on various instructional practices. Analyses of the data revealed that whereas classroom instruction in…

This paper, commissioned for the development of the national report, "National Excellence: A Case for Developing America's Talent," analyzes the policies and practices for educating high-ability students in Japan, Taiwan, and China. It reports on studies over the past 11 years of East Asian children's academic achievement. In the first…

This document contains issues 83-93 of the curriculum newsletter of Lehigh University's Science, Technology, and Society (STS) program. Each issue contains articles addressing issues relative to STS, course syllabi, reader responses, and announcements. Issue No. 83 discusses establishing an interdisciplinary minor in technology studies at…

This curriculum outline introduces the components of a world mythology and contemporary literature course which incorporates an Asian module focusing on Chinese mythology. Following a course description that discusses the rationale for incorporating Chinese mythology, the goals and student objectives of the course are introduced, emphasizing the…