A study of university teacher–student relationships from the perspective of trust: a Socratic and Confucian comparison

Confucian and Socratic schools of thought are famously noted as the foundations of Eastern and Western education systems. Confucianism emphasizes the importance of discipline and teacher’s authority; Socratic methods of teaching highly values critical thinking and the power of questioning. Confucian and Socratic schools of thought have been profoundly influencing the education systems in the Eastern and Western societies, fostering distinctive cultures and values in teaching and learning. Trust has been considered one of the most important determinants of teacher-student relationships and the efficacy of education systems. Past literature has highlighted key factors influencing trust in the teacher-student relationship in both Eastern and Western cultures. Yet more literature on trust in teacher-student relationships has a Eurocentric focus sampled from schools in Western education systems, overlooking the influence of Confucian school of thoughts and empirical data in Eastern education systems. To date, literature has neither discussed the importance of trust in both Eastern and Western education systems subscribed to Confucian and Socratic schools of thought perspectives, nor employed empirical data from higher education to compare and contrast the trust relationships in Eastern and Western education systems. This dissertation will discuss the trust relationship between teachers and students in higher education in two universities located in UK and Hong Kong, which will be indicative of Confucian and Socratic schools of thoughts in Eastern and Western education systems respectively. The first objective is to discuss the different bases of trust in Eastern and Western education systems, coupled with the influence of trust on the teacher–student relationship. Secondly, from the perspective of trust between teachers and students, this dissertation aims to explore existing trust problems in the teacher–student relationship in both Eastern and Western educational contexts. Finally, based on teacher and student trust theory, this dissertation will propose methods and counter-measures to promote a teacher–student relationship that achieves positive interaction in higher education. This dissertation discusses in depth how Confucian and Socratic schools of thoughts influence the value of trust between teachers and student in both Eastern and Western education systems, and uses empirical data to compare and contrast the determinants of trust in teacher-student relationships in the two education systems from the perspectives of both parties. Based the findings, the researcher proposes practical strategies for teachers in higher education systems, who are the potential audience of this dissertation, to establish and maintain trust in their relationships with students

The cultural construction of Chinese universities based on the perspective of Confucian cultural practice

Culture is a source of national cohesion and creativity. In the context of China's national political orientation and higher education development, it has become increasingly important to address the formation of university campus culture, as both a link to cultural tradition and a basis for educating people in the present. The development of Chinese universities has been influenced on the one hand by Chinese culture, especially Confucian culture, and on the other hand by Western universities. However, the integration of Chinese culture and education in universities has not been ideal. Almost all Chinese universities have transplanted higher education systems from the Western English-speaking world, and most of them have not yet formed their own characteristics in development and governance. Hence the role and nature of traditional practices, and their relationship with Western practices, is a subject of great significance in the evolution of Chinese higher education. This dissertation investigates the practice of Confucian culture in universities in China and reviews the cultural origin, construction and improvement of Chinese universities. This study starts with the concepts of Confucian culture and Chinese university campus culture. It then sets down the methodology, which rests on an interpretive epistemology and constructivist approach. The study combines literature-based research and archival research methods, with qualitative interviews in two universities where understanding of Confucian ideas is relatively advanced: Peking University and Qufu Normal University. The researcher conducted semi-structured interviews with eight staff from these two institutions. Three levels of coding and text analysis were carried out in relation to the primary data. The study finds that both Chinese and Western practices emphasized similar functions of university education in the development of Chinese universities. However there was also a collision between Confucian family-based working structures and academic independence, and a conflict between Confucian values of moderation and Western ideas of competition and innovation. The study goes on to summarize the role of Confucian cultural practices in Chinese universities, in relation to teaching and learning, the campus environment, and organization and management. Looking at the specific practices of Peking University and Qufu Normal University, it identifies beneficial attempts to integrate Confucian culture into Chinese universities, including the establishment of Confucian research institutes (see Appendix H and I), and the integration of Confucian culture into classes and practical activities. At the same time, it also reflects on a series of problems that have arisen. Some college students have little sense of identity with Confucian culture, and the connection between Confucian culture and the curriculum is not always well established. Finally, based on the above findings, this study discusses how to improve the contribution of Confucian cultural practice in Chinese universities

Cultivating learning and social interaction in an international classroom through small group work; a quasi-experimental study

Globalisation demands graduates to be culturally adept: cross-cultural experiences within an international classroom are an important part of contemporary higher education agendas (Kimmel & Volet, 2012; Montgomery, 2009; Rienties, Johan, & Jindal-Snape, 2014). The opportunities for learning from other cultures is noted as one of the reasons for international students studying abroad (Merrick, 2004). Patterson, Carrillo, and Salinas (2012) documented that cross-cultural learning could bring a number of advantages for both host-national and international students, such as understanding and appreciation of the world, ability to think critically, integrate multiple perspectives, acquiring global knowledge and hence to be able to work effectively in a global world. While studying abroad is increasingly common (Brisset, Safdar, Lewis, & Sabatier, 2010; Montgomery, 2009), research consistently suggests that international students continue to face a number of transitional challenges (Rienties, Beausaert, Grohnert, Niemantsverdriet, & Kommers, 2012; Ye, 2006; Zhou, Jindal-Snape, Topping, & Todman, 2008)

Конфуцианская традиция и современное педагогическое образование: задачи и проблемы

Педагогическое образование – это не только неотъемлемая часть государственной образовательной системы, но и область, имеющая особую миссию. Китайское образование во многом опирается на многовековую национальную традицию; принципы образования, цель, содержание и методология основаны на конфуцианской традиции. На сегодняшний день педагогическое образование в Китае сталкивается со сложными задачами и проблемами, возникшими в результате серьезных изменений в обществе

Cultural interpretations of Socratic and Confucian education philosophy.

Socrates and Confucius constitute roots of western and eastern civilization respectively, as well as represent very different cultural values and educational traditions. Because of the very limited existing literature on the study of their educational philosophies, this paper is devoted to a comparative study of their educational philosophies, attempting to examine their historical and cultural contexts and unravel their implications on the current educational practices. The method employed in the study is hermeneutics, or interpretation of the literary texts. At the same time, the study is also cross-cultural in nature. Both of the philosophers lived around 4-5th century B.C.E., but there were huge differences in the social and cultural environments in which they lived. Different cultural and social factors in ancient Greece and China led to differences in Socratic and Confucian approaches to learning. In this paper, similarities and differences in Socratic and Confucian educational philosophy have been examined from the perspectives of the aim of education, the content of education, the teaching process and the nature of education. It is argued that the epistemological differences of the two philosophers were interwoven with their respective cultural values. Individualistic and rationalist traits were embedded in Socrates’ education, while Confucius’ teaching was distinctively marked with collective and intuitive characteristics. Their thoughts were the product of their own culture, and at the same time, the thoughts of philosophers also left deep impacts on the development of each culture. Their philosophies of education impacted not only their disciples, but Western and Chinese educational practice as a whole. It has been found that the Socratic traits of individualism and rationality are embedded in Western educational practice, while the Confucian heritage and the collective-intuitive tradition in the Chinese education. The current study is significant in helping readers gain a better understanding of the philosophers from a cultural perspective. In the same way, educational practice must be understood from multiple perspectives. It is suggested that cultural contexts should always be taken into consideration when studying a particular teaching or learning style. In spite of its limitations, the researcher hopes that the study will help western and Chinese teachers and learners gain a better understanding of one another

Dialoguing with dragons. assisting Chinese students' academic achievement

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Yukichi Fukuzawa and the Making of the Modern World

My book The Making of the Modern World; Visions from the West and East was published by Palgrave in 2002. It discussed the work of two major writers who had dedicated their lives to trying to answer the riddle of how our modern world originated and what its future might be. These were F.W.Maitland and Yukichi Fukuzawa. The book was only modestly successful and never went into paperback. By combining these thinkers, the distinctive contribution of each one may have been somewhat muffled. This long and expensive book did not reach a wider audience who might be potentially interested in one or other of the authors treated, but not both of them at once. So I have decided to re-issue each part as a downloadable electronic book. This book on Fukuzawa was originally published in a section of five chapters, which have now been broken down into smaller chapters