Cultural Differences In Education Essay

It has been a widely known fact that the cultures differ in their educational goals and there is major difference in this respect when Asian and American cultures are taken into consideration. However there are several positives and negatives in both form of cultures in terms of cultural difference in education but at the same time it could be stated that each culture can learn the positive aspect from the other to proceed towards the betterment of the generations to come. The topic would be evaluated and analyzed with explicit connections back to writings of Ho in Cross-Cultural Roots of Minority Child Development in your paper. Since family is such a basic and vital social unit in all societies, persons of all political persuasions have at-times visceral opinions about what things promote the institution and what forces degrade it. In the United States, conservatives and liberals view family very differently. In extended families, more than two generations of the same kinship line lived together, either in the same residence or in nearby dwellings as mostly in Asian family structure. All adults in these extended families shared responsibility for child-rearing which is distinctly different from the Western method. This important social change would have profound effects on how children were raised. In their book Cross-Cultural Roots of Minority Child Development Greenfield and Cooking mention that â€Å"the key fact about human culture is its intergenerational transmission through the socialization process. Socialization is used in the broadest sense to include informal education in the family as well as formal education†. (Greenfield, 1994) According to David Y F Ho in his text Cognitive Socialization in Confucian heritage cultures he mentions that family and community subjects are part of the curriculum. The kids know that we are all different. These same youngsters also know we are all alike in other ways. In today’s society the American people represent many different cultures. Each one has its own viewpoint, traditions, values and political ideas. The challenge is to cement them all together as one. The multicultural education system is the way to go. Not only does it educate the children. The kids go home and pass the information on to their parents and other siblings. Also the teacher learns as the lesson is delivered. Thus, all of society begins to learn about each others, each other. Culture can be defined as the way a particular group of people, live their lives at a certain time. The question we are waiting for is what can Asian and American cultures learn from another? American Civilization is basically a multi cultural objective that has the essence of freedom and opportunity. There are multi strata perspectives of history and history without these layers becomes meaningless academic foliage. These layers of history could be defined as perspective and perceptions related to politics, economic, sociology, cultural and religious. Without the intervention or analysis of these subjects and subsequent incorporation and investigation in accordance to these subjects history would be wrongly incepted. Thus the streamline of education in this regard stands in a midpoint where the system demands an open format to enable maximum space available. This is where Asian culture of philosophy and self development can excel and help the overall perspective of the American education and thereby influence the way of life in the positive aspects. On the other hand it can be said that the Asian perspective of like and attitude towards education appears to be some what rigid and outdated. In this context the implementation of American system of education would certainly be beneficial for the future generations to come. So it can be said that it is eastern philosophy for the Americans and the American system for the Asians and thus a confluence would be formed that would be beneficial for all. However in the modern world the perception and goal of education and its purpose is guided by a large number of variables and can be termed as heavily accountable to the society as a whole. One such variable can be enumerated as the financial factor that is involved in the comparatively higher strata of education system. Standers are set and limitations are imposed regarding the social, economical and financial variables. To precede the higher range of education a subject needs the accumulation of finance. The subject needs to incorporate it in the respective educational institution that has other obligations too like lodgings and such other detailed expenses. For the accumulation of this finance, therefore, the subject must work out a method like part time job which would simultaneously curb away valuable study time and energy. Thus the end purpose of education would be lost by a margin in the process. Moreover there are family obligation whereby an individual is forced to provide for the family in terms of both economics and social quality timings. This also depletes the purpose or end goal of education where it becomes difficult to pursue the availability of education in the first place. (Lamb, 2004) However, the norms of the society are high and difficult to achieve but one must achieve it at the end by formulating the individual priorities in accordance to his or her needs. It should be understood that the education or knowledge is a power in certain senses and to achieve this power one needs to pay a price. This price may be in form of economy or social obligations like devoting time for the family. The idea of education a tool of power has been recognized down the ages. At the time of slavery in the United States slaves were barred from education. This helped their owners to operate them in a better and effective manner as the slaves were unable to conceptualize the actual situation and outcome in a proper manner. More so they were not able to estimate the brighter opportunities of tomorrow thereby were locked in the pothole of slavery. This was just one example how education develops the human mind or being deprived of education depletes it. If this example is taken into account and exercised in practical ways of the modern world the same would stand to be true as the motive of education is to yield awareness and awareness can be utilize into harvesting success. However it should be noted that the main concern is the individual and it is up to the individual who would be responsible in the end to formulate an individual time and energy management process. The society does have its share of obligations but the achievement of an individual must sort a way out beyond limitations. Nothing should be considered as a free meal in this existence of modern world and it is determination of an individual that would be instrumental in achieving the target in the end. All in all it can be stated that the end purpose of education is to prepare a person to deal with all seen and unseen problems and overcome them. References: Greenfield, Patricia M & Cocking Rodney edited; 1994; Cross-Cultural Roots of Minority Child Development; Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers; Hillsdale, New Jersey Hove, UK Lamb, Davis; 2004; Cult to Culture: The Development of Civilization on the Strategic Strata; National Book Trust.