The rise of China as a global power has been responsible for a good deal of uneasiness among Westerners in the past few years. Panic surfaced recently in the Western world after Shanghai’s dramatic first appearance in international standardized testing. Five thousand Chinese fifteen-year-olds, who were selected to be a representative sample of the population, completed a test called the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA). Fifteen-year-olds from 63 other countries, including Canada, completed the same evaluation. The seemingly benign educational assessment prompted U.S. President Obama to warn, “America is in danger of falling behind”. Why the hysteria from Western parents, educators and politicians?
In the math section of the test, Chinese teenagers scored an average of 600 points—a startling 113 points higher than the average American student, and 73 points higher than the average Canadian student. In fact, the top 5 high-performing nations in mathematics were all located in Asia. By comparison, major Western countries performed poorly, such as the United Kingdom, where students scored a low average of 492 points and Italy scored even lower at 483 points.
Prospects were just as dim in the science section of the assessment, with Shanghai trouncing the United States with an average of 575 points. Canada fared better in science, placing a respectable eighth. However, Finland was the only non-Asian nation to place in the top six high-performers.
These high scores for China, and the rest of eastern Asia, are the result of a culture that promotes hard work, devotion to academics and an unwavering focus on achievement. An Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) report stated that Chinese students “work…long hours every day, and the work weeks extend into the weekends.” As well, the test results have refuted the stereotype that Asian schools only teach by rote. 50% of the students from Shanghai scored a Level 6 in mathematics, demonstrating their deep and comprehensive knowledge, as well as an ability to apply their knowledge creatively.
Fortunately, Canadian students can rest easy, safe in the knowledge that their peers consistently score above the OECD average on this type of assessment. However, the constant domination of Asian countries in important subjects like math and science points to challenges in the future for all Western students. In the age of technology, career opportunities in science and math are increasing in number, while some believe that jobs in the liberal arts are becoming archaic and obsolete. Evidently, the demand for science and technology workers will continue to skyrocket. Having students unprepared in math and science will make it difficult for them to find jobs, especially in these trying economic times.
Should North America and Europe try to create a cultural shift towards a more dedicated work ethic? Should schools assign more homework, put a greater emphasis on math and science or institute a curriculum based on standardized testing? Clearly, the teaching style used by Asian countries, specifically China, leads to success on standardized testing. It remains unseen whether this will also lead to success in life and in the job market.
