Can education values be borrowed? Looking into cultural differences

Abstract

In this article I describe the cultural origins of educational values and practices in East Asia, particularly Japan and China. Values and assumptions concerning ability and effort have deeply rooted origins in the cultural traditions of these nations. The observable differences in educational practice and thinking between these nations and the West exist for reasons that lie beneath the surface. Such unseen factors are not easily changed by simple advocacy or even by formal educational policies. I argue that at the same time that trends towards global diffusion of educational policies are gathering steam, care must be taken to understand the cultural context from which policies are being borrowed and into which they will be implemented.