Travelling on parallel tracks: Chinese parents and English teachers

The present study is concerned with the problems in communication which arise between British teachers and Chinese parents in discussions of children's performance in British schools. A discussion of the importance of an understanding of cultural differences for the educational outcomes of ethnic minority children will form the backdrop for an analysis of four parent–teacher meetings and interview data gathered before and after the meetings. It is argued that Chinese parents pay attention to micro aspects of the learning situation, emphasizing accuracy and perfect scores. British teachers, in contrast, consider error as a normal part of the learning process and are more concerned with macro-aspects of learning such as problem-solving. Chinese parents have very high expectations of their children and are prepared to spend a great deal of time and effort in identifying areas where they need support. However, parental efforts to support their children are often perceived as unnecessarily harsh and undermining of children's confidence by British teachers who tend to stress the positive aspects of children's achievements. Considerable importance is attached to the need for dialogue which will increase the awareness of both parents and teachers to differences between Chinese and British expectations of education.