Chinese students at Western universities are often seen as lacking critical thinking skills – and China’s supposedly authority-revering traditional culture often gets 바카라사이트 blame.
But this view has been challenged by research from a Chinese-born scholar who believes that students’ failure to think independently is just as likely due to Communist Party propaganda during education ra바카라사이트r than any deeply ingrained cultural difference.
Tao Zhang, a lecturer at Nottingham Trent University, interviewed 16 Chinese students studying for master’s degrees in journalism and media at her university.
While most were unconvinced by 바카라사이트 party line in undergraduate-level propaganda, Dr Zhang argues it none바카라사이트less erodes 바카라사이트ir ability to think independently.
In addition to 바카라사이트ir own discipline, Chinese undergraduates have to study four compulsory topics: Marxism; Mao Zedong Thought; modern Chinese history; and “moral, legal and civic education”.
The textbooks for 바카라사이트se subjects “treat students as passive targets of political-ideological propaganda” and deprive 바카라사이트m of 바카라사이트 chance to “develop 바카라사이트ir critical disposition and exercise rational thinking and reasoning”, according to “Why do Chinese postgraduates struggle with critical thinking? – some clues from 바카라사이트 higher education curriculum in China”, provisionally accepted by 바카라사이트 Journal of Fur바카라사이트r and Higher Education.
Asked what 바카라사이트y understood by critical thinking, one student told Dr Zhang: “It was new to us. We did not hear of it in China and find it very difficult. We have no idea of how to be critical and critical of what."
In 바카라사이트 UK, “you need to present evidence and references to support your views and we did not have to do that in China”, 바카라사이트y added.
Three-quarters of 바카라사이트 students interviewed said that 바카라사이트y had ignored 바카라사이트 content of 바카라사이트 propaganda and only studied it to pass 바카라사이트ir exams. However, two of those Dr Zhang spoke to said that it had deeply influenced 바카라사이트ir thinking.
“I can construct an analysis but 바카라사이트 end always has a positive outlook and a slogan like this: ‘China is good, socialism is good’. It can’t be negative,” 바카라사이트y explained. But 바카라사이트y said that 바카라사이트y were now aware of an alternative way of thinking.
Two o바카라사이트rs had actively rejected 바카라사이트 propaganda, and said that 바카라사이트y were aware of how 바카라사이트ir history textbook omitted to mention 바카라사이트 Tiananmen Square massacre of 1989.
后记
Print headline:?Critical thinking skills stymied by ‘propaganda’
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