Education mill saps students of their motivation
Editor's Note: Summer vacation becomes a “third semester” for most Chinese primary and middle school students. On the other hand, many students who have already enrolled in a college tend to turn the vacation into a celebration of “freedom”. Two experts share their views on the “vacation” phenomenon with China Daily’s Yao Yuxin. Excerpts follow:
Develop interests to motivate students
Many students and their parents in China regard passing the college entrance examination (or
gaokao) as the ultimate goal of academic life. Almost all students study hard up to senior high school to get higher grades in every subject, and be in a better position to excel in gaokao and get admitted to a “good” university. For the students know, or their parents hammer into them the fact, that once they get admitted to a “good” university, fewer challenges lie between them and a college diploma.
Therefore, quite a few students, over-burdened with studies since their primary school days, lose interest in studies, let alone excelling in academics after entering a university.
To ensure students continue to feel motivated to perform well even in college, school children should be given at least 40 percent of their “normal” afterschool study time to do what they are fond of. They should also be allowed to enjoy the summer vacation by playing with their peers, traveling, getting to know nature. They could also visit museums and factories, as such activities can help develop their interests in academics and build personality in the long run.
There is no reason for the parents to turn the summer vacation into a “third semester”.
As for college students, maintaining their interest in studies may be a big problem. But they could be given challenging tasks to finish, as these could awaken their passion to perform better in college.
Chu Zhaohui, a researcher at the National Institute of Education Sciences
Fulfill basic demands of university education
Minister of Education Chen Baosheng recently signaled a change in college education, which has “reasonably increased students’ academic burden” with the aim to motivate them to study hard and improve their knowledge and skill levels, because at present it is too easy for a college student to get a diploma.
In the United States, colleges put great emphasis on improving the quality of both education and students, for which they keep the students under competitive pressure by assigning them challenging tasks. The students who excel in these tasks are rewarded, while those who fail to meet the aca- criteria could be kicked out by the schools. As such, the graduation and retention rates of students are important yardsticks to measure the teaching quality and standard of a college.
However, given the existing conditions in China, colleges seldom expel nonperforming students, as that would probably end their academic career and leave them helpless for the rest of their lives.
That’s why, compared with their foreign counterparts, Chitheir nese students care more about getting admitted to a “good” university than what kind of college education they want. In fact, quite a few of them have no specific academic goal after they pass
gaokao and get admitted to a college. As a result, many college graduates lack individuality and creativity.
Still, to increase “students’ academic burden” doesn’t mean to put extra pressure on college students. Instead, it means fulfilling the basic requirements of univerdemic sity education by highlighting the importance of teaching. Besides, the reform of the grade-oriented examination system, the establishment of a peer-review system for teachers’ contribution to education, and giving universities greater say in the admission process can also help improve the quality of China’s college education.
Xiong Bingqi, deputy director of the 21st Century Education Research Institute