摘 要

与学校教育和社会教育相比，家庭教育是最基本的教育，对孩子的思维模式和世界观的形成起着至关重要的作用。随着二胎政策的放开，我国越来越多的家庭将会有两个孩子，家庭教育也变得越来越重要。受历史、文化、经济和社会的影响，各个国家的家庭教育差别很大。鉴于此，本论文将通过对比分析的方法, 从家庭教育定义、重要性、中美家庭教育的差异及其形成原因等几方面进行深入研究。中国家庭教育的目的是把孩子培养成才，而美国家庭教育的目的是把孩子培养成人。在教育方法上，中国家长把更多的精力放孩子的成绩上。在孩子的成长过程中，家长总是尽力为孩子提供所有的东西，不管他们是否富有。另外，受中国家庭观念的影响和父母对孩子的干预，中国子女和父母的关系非常的亲近。然而，美国家长十分注重对孩子自立感和独自生活能力的培养。他们要求孩子自己挣钱。另外，美国子女和父母的关系并不像中国子女和父母的关系那么的亲近。本文通过分析得出两国家庭教育的不同点和优缺点，且提出建议供我国家长在家庭教育中参考。

关键词: 家庭教育；教育目的；教育方式；独立

Contents

1. Introduction 1
   1. Definition of family education 1
   2. Significance of family education 2
   3. Research on family education home and abroad 3
      1. Research on family education in China 3
      2. Research on family education abroad 4
2. Reasons for Chinese and American family education difference 5
   1. Culture 5
   2. Historical background 6
   3. Economic pattern 7
   4. Social condition 8
3. The differences of family education between China and America 8
   1. Purposes of family education 8
   2. Methods of family education 9
      1. Cultivation of independence 9
      2. Parents’ support in the aspect of economy 10
      3. Relationship between the parents and children 11
4. Conclusion and suggestion 12

Works Cited 14

Bibliography 15

iv

The Differences of Family Education in America and China

Introduction

With the development of society and economy, people pay an increasing attention to education since education is the root of the country and it plays an important role in personal growth, deciding the IQ, EQ (Emotional Quotient) and MQ (Moral Intelligence Quotient) of people. Nevertheless, family education is the earliest education people have received. Compared with the school education and social education, family education is the basic education. Xiaoping Deng said, “ The basis of a country’s modernization lies in talents, the basis of talents lies in education, and the basis of education lies in family. China is the country with emphasis on home education. The outstanding family education lies in the deep education culture.”( Yuan,

1. As a result, not only is it meaningful to research on family education but also it is necessary to do it. The thesis will study concretely on family education through comparing American family education and Chinese family education in order to provide little enlightenment to the family education of our country. It is not hard to find there are a host of differences of family education between America and China. The Chinese parents pay more attention to the education of social adaptive ability and academic achievement. They always try their best to provide material support to their children. However The American parents show solicitude to the cultivation of independence and capacity of will. They hope their children’s independent ability can be developed through family education.
   1. Definition of family education

Family education is a social issue faced by everybody from ancient time to nowadays. Hence there are a lot of researchers doing the research and giving the

definition of family education.

In the dictionary, family education is that parent or elder generation educates the child or teenage in family. Different society needs different family education. Gu Mingyuan says, “Family education is the mutual influence or education between the family members, especially the education parents give to the issues.”(Gu, 381) Harry Chester, in his Schools for Children and Institutes for Adults(1860), explained in this way: “Education is the development and training of the human being in all his capacities, spiritual, intellectual and physical…”(Lizza, 233)

In a word, the definition of family education can be summed up as the continuous and lifelong influence of the words and deeds of family members on their children.

• 1. Significance of family education

Entering twenty-first century, family education is becoming more and more important in people's life. The reasons for this are as follows.

Firstly family education is the basic education compared with the school education and social education. Family is the first as well as the last school for mankind, and it is the first place that human contacts the world, has the relationship with others, observes the society and acquires knowledge, culture, and living abilities. Family education is given ahead of school education as well as social education. Only on the basis of family education, can people acquire school education and social education. Moreover people are able to receive school education and social education more effectively on the condition of having received family education.

Secondly family education affects all aspect of human. Once family habit and morality are formed, they will influence the interest, morality, characteristic, words and deeds of person unconsciously. What the family members say and do will always