Page 2 - University Education in China Meeting the Nations' 21st Centry Challenge
P. 2
Nature Narrowing advantage in mathematics and physics for
Human Behaviour. students in China. Freshmen in China display significantly
more advanced STEM skills in mathematics and physics
compared to freshmen in both India and Russia. Yet, China’s
advantage in math and physics skills narrows substantially after
two years. While students in India and Russia experience
positive and significant gains, especially in math, students in
China make negligible to negative
progress (i.e., they lose skills). By
the end of sophomore year, student
advantage in STEM skills in China
narrows considerably.
Are China’s investments in higher
education paying off? This analysis
sheds light on the capacity of four
major economies to produce skilled
graduates in STEM fields, which
may have important implications
for their economic development
and competitiveness. When
undergraduates in China begin their
college careers, they consistently outperform students in India
and Russia in both critical thinking skills and STEM skills. Yet,
the critical thinking and STEM skills of China’s undergraduates
decline over the four years of their college education.
These findings raise questions about the quality of China’s
higher STEM education system. Specifically, is China’s increasing
public investment in universities effective at equipping students
with skills critical for its push to build an innovative economy
and escape the middle income trap?
Human Behaviour. students in China. Freshmen in China display significantly
more advanced STEM skills in mathematics and physics
compared to freshmen in both India and Russia. Yet, China’s
advantage in math and physics skills narrows substantially after
two years. While students in India and Russia experience
positive and significant gains, especially in math, students in
China make negligible to negative
progress (i.e., they lose skills). By
the end of sophomore year, student
advantage in STEM skills in China
narrows considerably.
Are China’s investments in higher
education paying off? This analysis
sheds light on the capacity of four
major economies to produce skilled
graduates in STEM fields, which
may have important implications
for their economic development
and competitiveness. When
undergraduates in China begin their
college careers, they consistently outperform students in India
and Russia in both critical thinking skills and STEM skills. Yet,
the critical thinking and STEM skills of China’s undergraduates
decline over the four years of their college education.
These findings raise questions about the quality of China’s
higher STEM education system. Specifically, is China’s increasing
public investment in universities effective at equipping students
with skills critical for its push to build an innovative economy
and escape the middle income trap?
