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5 - Adolescence in China and Japan: Adapting to a Changing Environment
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- By Harold W. Stevenson, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA, Akane Zusho, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Edited by B. Bradford Brown, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Reed W. Larson, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, T. S. Saraswathi, Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda
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- Book:
- The World's Youth
- Published online:
- 05 June 2012
- Print publication:
- 10 October 2002, pp 141-170
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Summary
There is probably no group about which stereotypes are stronger than those concerning children and youth in Japan and China. Part of this situation can be attributed to the eagerness with which the media have presented the most dramatic examples they can find rather than attempting to provide an objective, rounded picture of the adolescent years in these countries.
The image of Japanese or Chinese teenagers as conforming to and being controlled by society, as being devoted to their studies at the cost of participating in other activities, and as being prone to suicide and psychological problems as a result of their devotion to their studies is obsolete and probably never was an accurate portrayal of these teenagers' lives.
We attempt in this chapter to present research findings that dispel such myths and that are helpful in interpreting the rapid developments taking place in these 2 countries. In particular, we focus on how recent societal and economic changes have affected the lives of youth in China and Japan. To accomplish our goal, we cover a wide array of topics, from adolescents' changing relations with their families to their assumption of a role in the civic life of their country.
Background
We chose to focus our discussion on these 2 countries despite the fact that there is vastly more information available about Japan than there is about China.
Teachers and teaching: elementary schools in Japan and the United States
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- By Shin-ying Lee, University of California, Theresa Graham, University of Nebraska, Harold W. Stevenson, University of Michigan
- Edited by Thomas P. Rohlen, Stanford University, California, Gerald K. LeTendre, University of Georgia
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- Book:
- Teaching and Learning in Japan
- Published online:
- 05 June 2012
- Print publication:
- 23 February 1996, pp 157-189
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Summary
Ask typical Americans about Japanese education and the answers usually conform to a stereotyped image: intense, highly pressured children learning under the tutelage of a stern, demanding teacher who seeks conformity and stresses mechanical learning and rote memory. Lectures, group recitation, and daily drill characterize the teaching, they would say, and passive docility describes the children. Japanese students, because of the rote learning, lack the creativity and problem-solving skills of American students. It is through this robotlike perfection, many Americans argue, that Japanese students attain their high level of academic competence. They acknowledge the fact that American students may not be competitive in international comparative studies, but they propose that American schools foster the originality and creativity that have made America the superpower it is.
This stereotyped image of Japanese elementary schools is out of date. It may have had some validity in earlier centuries, when children of the noble and warrior classes were required to master classical Chinese and Japanese texts, and it may describe some Japanese middle schools and high schools. But it is an inaccurate description of what occurs today in Japanese elementary schools. These impressions are typically based on brief visits by Westerners who do not know the Japanese language and who know little about Japanese culture. Indeed, Americans are shocked when they have the opportunity to understand what actually goes on in the typical Japanese classroom.