Page 1 - University Education in China Meeting the Nations' 21st Centry Challenge
P. 1
Distributed by the American Chamber of Commerce in South China
Updated December 15, 2021
Universities contribute to economic growth and national competitiveness by equipping students with critical
thinking and academic skills. In order to build a more innovative economy, China has invested heavily in
university science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. But little is known about how
the critical thinking and STEM skills of China’s university students compare to those of peers in other countries.
The data. Researchers collected internationally standardized assessment
data on critical thinking and STEM skills from nationally representative
samples of tens of thousands of computer science and electrical engineering
undergraduates in China, India, and Russia, which produce about half the
STEM graduates in the world. By using large-scale, representative samples
from each country, this study is the first of its kind. Researchers also expanded
the dataset by including information on critical thinking skills of U.S. STEM
students collected by Educational Testing Service (ETS).
The study measured two areas of skills acquisition: (1) STEM learning based
on student performance in mathematics and physics tests; and (2) critical
thinking skills based on tools developed by ETS that measure students’ ability
to develop valid arguments, evaluate evidence, understand implications and
consequences, and differentiate between causation and explanation.
First-year students in China and U.S. have higher critical thinking skills.
Freshmen students in China exhibit comparable levels of critical thinking skills
to peers in the U.S., and both score higher on these measures than freshmen
in India and Russia.
Levels and gains over four years of college with benchmarks
from the U.S. (in standard deviation units).
Declining critical thinking skills in the latter half of college in China.
Students in China, India, and Russia show virtually no improvements in their
critical thinking skills after two years of college. They then exhibit declines
during their final two years. By contrast, students in the U.S. make significant
strides in critical thinking during their junior and senior years. Thus, despite
similar scores at the outset, students in China score much lower by their senior
year than their fourth-year counterparts in the U.S.
Updated December 15, 2021
Universities contribute to economic growth and national competitiveness by equipping students with critical
thinking and academic skills. In order to build a more innovative economy, China has invested heavily in
university science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. But little is known about how
the critical thinking and STEM skills of China’s university students compare to those of peers in other countries.
The data. Researchers collected internationally standardized assessment
data on critical thinking and STEM skills from nationally representative
samples of tens of thousands of computer science and electrical engineering
undergraduates in China, India, and Russia, which produce about half the
STEM graduates in the world. By using large-scale, representative samples
from each country, this study is the first of its kind. Researchers also expanded
the dataset by including information on critical thinking skills of U.S. STEM
students collected by Educational Testing Service (ETS).
The study measured two areas of skills acquisition: (1) STEM learning based
on student performance in mathematics and physics tests; and (2) critical
thinking skills based on tools developed by ETS that measure students’ ability
to develop valid arguments, evaluate evidence, understand implications and
consequences, and differentiate between causation and explanation.
First-year students in China and U.S. have higher critical thinking skills.
Freshmen students in China exhibit comparable levels of critical thinking skills
to peers in the U.S., and both score higher on these measures than freshmen
in India and Russia.
Levels and gains over four years of college with benchmarks
from the U.S. (in standard deviation units).
Declining critical thinking skills in the latter half of college in China.
Students in China, India, and Russia show virtually no improvements in their
critical thinking skills after two years of college. They then exhibit declines
during their final two years. By contrast, students in the U.S. make significant
strides in critical thinking during their junior and senior years. Thus, despite
similar scores at the outset, students in China score much lower by their senior
year than their fourth-year counterparts in the U.S.
