A Contrastive Study on Family Education in America and China

【Abstract】In the last few years， family education has been a hot spot of society， which is tens of thousands of families’ vital interests. Because good family education is not only closely related to quality and behavior of children， but also related to the future of our country.

【Key words】family education； differences

With the development of human society， education attract more and more people’s attention. Because it not only represents the level of civilization of a country， but also determines the development of the country. American concepts of education is different from China’s. Therefore， the author tries to explore the differences of family education between America and China and analyze the differences from two aspects： the role of parents and methods of the family education.

1. Brief Introduction of the Two Movies

1.1 Introduction of Prematureness

In the film of Prematureness， it tells a love story about a boy Jia Fu of high school student from the poor family and a girl Ruo Nan from an affluent family. They fall in love with each other and pregnant eventually. Ruo Nan’s parents are strict with her. When they tell the pregnancy to their parents， they force them to break up. Ruo Nan is regardless of her parents’ objection， she persists in being together with Jia Fu. So they run away from home. In the desolate place， they suffer torture. Finally， Ruo Nan gives birth to a child successfully. Jia Fu is off to prison to rethink profoundly.

1.2 Introduction of Juno

In the film of Juno， it describes a 16-year-old high school student during her pregnant period. Because of curiosity， Juno and Poly make love and pregnant. After discussion with her best friend， Juno decides to give birth to the child and then find a proper adoptive family. Then she tells the facts to her father and stepmother. Besides a moment of shock， they show their understanding and help Juno give birth to the child. In some ways， the movie reflects the view of American family education.

2. Differences of Family Education between America and China

2.1 The role of Parents

The role of the parents largely determines the success or failure of family education. In accordance with the relationship between parents and children， Western scholars divide families into two types： authority and equality.

In the Chinese traditional families， the parents are the symbol of authority. They believe that children are created by parents， so they should belong to the parents. Therefore， children must obey their parents. In the film of Prematureness， Jia Fu’s father always emphasizes his parental authority by his words. For example， “I am head of our family， you have to listen to me.” So we can see that Chinese family education belong to the authoritative type.

However， American parents treat their children as independent individuals and they are equal with their parents. Parents communicate with their children equally and respect the choice and privacy of their children. For example， in the film of Juno， Juno often calls her father “sir” and calls her stepmother’s name directly；According to the above analysis， American family education belong to the equal type.

2.2 Methods of the Family Education

American families usually use the guiding methods. Parents do not put their views to children， but tell the facts to them and allow them to judge by themselves.

They believe that “giving the key to open the door is more appropriate than to take them into the room.” So they usually use euphemisms to discuss with children. Such as， “if you can consider ...” “Would you like to hear my views on it”. For example， when Juno is doubtful about affection， her father guides her in this way： Juno’s father shares his own failed emotional experience with Juno. He just states his personal opinions to Juno and does not force Juno to accept his views. But he lets Juno get the true meaning of love successfully.

However， Chinese parents tend to make decisions for their children. They often tell them what to do and what not to do. They teach children to discipline themselves from an early age and obey their will. In the film of Prematureness， when Ruo Nan’s father knows that Ruo Nan falls in love with Jia Fu， he tries to get them to break up immediately.

3. Conclusion

This paper makes a general comparison between American family education and Chinese family education comprehensively from the role of parents and educational methods. Different views of family education lead the different character. We can learn from each other by understanding the differences of family education between America and China， so that absorb the proper section of the American family to develop our education.

References：

[1]O培青.中国教育史[M].上海：华东师范大学出版社，2000.

[2]Holt，John.How Children Fail[M].New York：Delacorte Press， 1982.

作者简介：周美丽（1992-），女，汉族，山西朔州人，山西师范大学教师教育学院2016级研究生，专业： 学科教学英语。