Confucius was a great philosopher and educator in ancient China. His followers recorded his thoughts and philosophy in The Analects. Confucian philosophy developed around 551 to 479 BC, and included his ideas on learning and education. His philosophy has had a fundamental influence on contemporary people all over Asia (including Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia). Contemporary students in Confucian heritage culture (CHC) contexts share some similar motivations, strategies, and beliefs about learning. Understanding of those learning motivations can help non-Asian instructors to deliver their teaching in a way that fits the cultural context and thus teach more effectively. Knowing about the strategies and beliefs can help instructors understand the advantages and shortcomings of the Confucian way of learning and recognize how to adjust their teaching strategies to meet the needs of students. Furthermore, an awareness of the common misunderstandings about Asian students' learning will prevent instructors from making wrong or unnecessary demands on the students. Finally, this chapter addresses some signs that indicate active and deep learning and other signs that indicate passive and surface learning in CHC contexts; understanding these signs can help instructors from making wrong judgments about students' learning.
Learning Motivations in Confucian Heritage Culture ContextsThis chapter explores the historical objectives of education in Asian countries where a typical Confucian approach and input-driven teaching and learning style is evident. To begin, the chapter first discusses the learning motivations shared by many contemporary students in Confucian heritage culture (CHC) contexts. Then the focus is on the methods of and beliefs about learning emphasized in Asian countries and regions. These methods and beliefs include the emphasis on effort and persistence in learning, the NEW DIRECTIONS FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING, no. 142, Summer 2015