The Moment of Dream Come True

My research paper at Harvard University

Introduction

        The recent news that shocked Taiwan’s society and has stirred up fierce debates in this island is that the university admission rate has hit a record high of over 100%, which means any student can be admitted into one of the universities even if they get zero score during the examination (The China Post, “University admission rate hits record high of over 100%”). An increasing number of people have harshly criticized the admission committee and have called for a reform for the Taiwan’s higher education, arguing that an excessive number of universities are the root cause of the low quality of college students. Having experienced graduate studies in both Taiwan and the US, I believe that high admission rate is just one of the numerous factors that lead to low quality of the higher education. Except for admission, we should look into causes deeply in a social and cultural context. This study will scrutinize three major differences between the US and Taiwan’s higher education: time to choose a college major, the teaching and learning styles, and the students’ learning attitudes. By means of comparison of the higher education systems between these two countries, the objectives of the study aim to make suggestions to Taiwan’s college students and to Taiwan’s higher education reform.

The Time to choose an academic major

The time to choose a college major is considerably dissimilar in the higher education systems between the US and Taiwan. While American college students choose their college majors at the end of their sophomore year, Taiwan’s high school graduates choose their fields of study before they go to college. In other words, by the time undergraduates go to college, they have already settled on particular majors. The advantage is that students can closely concentrate on their chosen majors; however, the disadvantages outnumber the advantages. Not knowing their interests before going to college, most Taiwanese undergraduates choose their majors purely based on either the scores of the United Entrance Examination or the expectations of their parents. If they find their chosen majors boring or not a good fit to their interests, they have to patiently stick to their uninterested subject areas until graduation. Although college students still have opportunities to switch their majors at the beginning of a sophomore year, only a few of them are admitted to the majors they like due to the limited vacancies and the fierce competition across the university. American college students, on the other hand, can switch their subject areas several times before they have to make decisions at the end of their sophomore year. They can take a wide variety of classes in whatever field they may be interested in, to explore their talents and real interests. 

         Moreover, the meaning behind the time when a student can choose an academic major is related to the fact that higher education should be a more specialized and vocational approach or general education approach. A great debate has, therefore, emerged between those who call for a more utilitarian and practical education that would prepare students for work and those who believe that this push to focus on a particular field is “leading to overspecialized and narrow areas of study that would be little use as careers and technology changed” (Education Encyclopedia, “General Education in Higher Education”). The mission of American high education is to provide a liberal education which stems from the origin of the European model of classical education. However, higher education in Taiwan tends to be a practice of a specialized approach. I agree that to react and to manage the rising challenges of global competition, college students should broaden their bases of knowledge. General education “encourages an appreciation of knowledge, an ability to think and solve problems, and a desire to improve society” (Education Encyclopedia, “General Education in Higher Education”). That is a greatly essential capability that college students have to possess. Higher education must endeavor to develop a student’s empathy to better understand the world and the society where we live, instead of a particular field of an academic ivory tower.

Teaching and learning styles

The value of engagement is extraordinarily emphasized in the American classroom. Generally, the student’s class participation has a great impact on their grades. “How much you participate in class represents how much you are engaged in this class,” said Nancy, an ESL instructor at Brandeis University. American teaching style stresses the two-way interaction instead of one-way, giving and receiving; American educators believe discussion and critique are essential to the reinforcement principle. “Participation in the classroom can enable students to develop social skills, increase recall of information, improve presentation skills, and increase their scope for improving the quality of work”(Chu; Kim, 1999).

        On the contrary, in Asian culture, the class is prone to one-way interaction. Taiwanese students are more comfortable with listening and taking excellent notes. The power distance in Taiwan is much huger than that in the US. Taiwan’s teachers are treated with respect and students are usually intimidated to ask questions during the class, since they will worry if they ask a stupid question in front of their peers. Most of the students prefer to ask questions during breaks or after classes. In addition, students in the American classroom are encouraged to give feedback to other students, including constructive criticism. This is difficult for Taiwanese students as well, as people in Taiwan tend to avoid conflict, especially confronting or arguing with people in public. 

Students’ learning attitude

Generally, the US’s undergrads and graduates work relatively hard and take their studies seriously. Brandeis’ graduates, for instance, take more courses in a semester than those of students in my school in Taiwan. I am not intending to make a comparison between some top schools and low-ranking schools. My school, National Chengchi University, is ranked as the top five among all of the 168 schools, including colleges and universities, in Taiwan. Brandeis University ranked 31^st in a national survey of America’s Best College 2008, released by U.S.News (U.S.News, “National Universities: Top Schools”). Thus, based on a similar foundation, I believe the comparison is rather reasonable. 

        In Taiwan, children are usually sent to take various extracurricular activities, such piano, computer, English, art and math classes after school, since they were young. Most of the parents expect their kids to get ahead of their counterparts in every aspect. There is a deep belief that a college diploma is a passport to a well-paid job (The China Post, “Higher education needs reform”). Therefore, students in Taiwan have to study very hard from elementary school, middle school to high school. As a consequence, after students pass the university entrance examination and then go to college, they can’t wait to relieve the heavy burden pressured on them for as long as 12 years. For them, university is a synonym of “play for four years.” As a result, students play as hard as they can in college. They don’t take their studies seriously. Some of them skip classes just to surf on the Internet or to sleep in their dorms. In addition, the colleges in Taiwan are heavily subsidized by the government, so tuition is relatively low, compared with that in the US; thus, most of the students take their college education for granted. They seldom think about what they are going to do and where they are going until graduation. In a Taiwan university’s competitiveness survey, a majority of professors rated college students’ learning attitude as poor, according to a Business Weekly poll released in 2002. Compared with the quality of students 10 years ago, those students now studying toward degrees are rated as worse in "attitude toward studies" and "professional knowledge." In particular, 84 percent of the respondents believe the students are "much less earnest" in the quest for professional knowledge (China Post, “Taiwan's college students rated as poor in attitude by their professors”). 

          In contrast, American students, in general, don’t have heavy pressure as Taiwanese children do. They get off school at 3 pm, play baseball or have fun. They play as hard as they can through their childhood and teenage years. Unlike having a united university entrance exam as Taiwan, US colleges require high school graduates to take the SAT, a standardized test which measures students reasoning skills and overall academic strengths (TOFEL Usa Edition, “Overview of the U.S. Higher Education System”). Since American students have had a carefree life through their middle and high school years, they usually study hard when going to college, just totally opposite from the students of Taiwan. Furthermore, due to the low subsidization from government, the tuition of the US colleges is relatively expensive. Some students have to get part-time jobs, either at a library or cafeteria, to make ends meet. Some have to work for a few years to earn their tuition and then prepare themselves to go to graduate school. Because of above reasons, most of the college or graduate students in the US study hard.

Strategies to react the future challenges

In his latest hot-selling book, The World Is Flat, Friedman reminds us that the world has become “flattened” and “converged” with a greater speed than ever before (MITWorld, “The World Is Flat”). Each individual is forced to compete in this new leveled economic world. To face the rising wave of globalization, a higher education reform has to be taken immediately. Taiwan’s college students have to get on board! To react and manage the future harsh challenges, here are suggestions for the educators and the educated students:

1.          In order to foster a deeper understanding of a broad picture of society for
           college students, Taiwan’s higher education must transform from
           specialized and vocational education to liberal education.

2.          Postpone the time to choose an academic major. Thus, students will be able to properly evaluate the subject areas based on their aptitude and talents.

3.          In class, class participation must be taken as an element of grading criteria. Educators must establish an open and friendly discussible environment that encourages students to debate, discuss and express their opinion freely.

4.          Abandon the traditional memorizing teaching methods. Developing the student’s capability to integrate knowledge and to think critically is far more essential than to give answers directly.

5.          Attitudes matter. College students have to adjust their learning attitudes towards knowledge, taking the initiative role from passively receiving to proactively approaching.

6.          College students must develop a broader worldview, cultivating inquisitiveness and concerns towards their surroundings and the world, discarding the convention of focusing on the trivial things happening in Taiwan. 


References