This study explores 15 Chinese international students\u27 perceptions and concerns regarding Chinese traditional education, Canadian education, and the Quality Education reform in China conducted by means of an ethnographic research method. Data was collected through one-on-one semi-structured interviews. Students\u27 learning experiences in both China and Canada and knowledge of the Quality Education reform program in China help us to understand this large-scale and ongoing educational reform and indicate some issues with and lend some suggestions to the implementation of the reform from a unique perspective. These findings reveal that the difference between Chinese education and Canadian education as experienced by the Chinese international students is mainly due to the contrast between the traditional or transmission model and the constructivist model. The constructivist approach in Canada has some links to the Quality Education reform in China and can serve as a guiding ideology to orient the reform and solve some problems with its implementation as suggested by the Chinese international students. It is suggested that the Chinese government should refer to the constructivist philosophy to conduct fundamental changes on the current educational evaluation system and exam system. The student-centeredness of constructivist philosophy should be introduced to guide the shifting of the traditional educational philosophy. This study helps Chinese international students to become more aware of different teaching styles in China and Canada, and provides a possible way to promote the Quality Education reform. As well, it informs Canadian professors about traditional thoughts held by Chinese international students and the current significant educational reform in China. Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 44-03, page: 1092. Thesis (M.Ed.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 2005
