International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Vol. 2 No. 3 February 2012 [618964]

International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Vol. 2 No. 3; February 2012
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Confucianism and Chinese Families: Values and Practices in Education

Grace Hui -Chen Huang, Ph. D.
Associate Professor
Department of Teacher Education
Cleveland State University
United States of America

Mary Gove, Ph. D.
Associate Professor
Department of Teacher Education
Cleveland State University
United States of America

Abstract

The purpose of this conceptual paper is to exa mine Confucianis m’s influence on Chinese families in the United
States, speci fically in educational practice and fa mily relationships. The authors describe how Con fucianism is
embedded in Chinese culture and plac es value on edu cation at societal, familial, and indi vidual le vel.
Additio nally, the meaning of educational success and the eff orts involved in the educational process associated
with Confucianism are discussed. The authors also examine the hierarchical rel ations hip in Chinese educatio nal
system and within the family’s educ ational practices. Educati onal i mplications are provided to inform
professional practices.

Keywords: Confucianism, Chinese fami ly, education, parental involvement

Introduction

For nearly 2,000 years, Confucianism has shaped the social, ethical and political aspect of Chinese c ultures.
Confucianis m, developed by the greate st Chinese philosop her, Confucius, is a philosophy which focuses on the
conduct and practices of people in daily life. It is a co mplex set of ethical and moral rules that dictate how a
person relates to others. It plays a key role in for ming the nor ms of social morality which influence the cult ure in
personal, familial, and social r elations hips. Confucianism has a signi ficant influence on education. In this paper,
the auth ors will exa mine how Confucian philoso phy and principles i mpact Chinese fa milies’ ed ucational
practices in the United States.

The term “Chinese cultures” – plural – is used in this paper. It is a re minder that “Chinese c ultures” e mbrace a
wide range of diversity. Yet, the diver se “Chinese cultures” share a rel atively ho mogenous cultural heritage as
well.

1. Education in Societal Level

1.1 Education and social class

Education is associated with a person’s s ocial class. In old Chinese society (770 BC to 1910’s), success is defined
by your class, not necessary by a pers on’s wealth (Lien, 2006). Social class is associated with occup ations as well
as the moral character related to the occupation. According to Confucius, there are four social strata based on
occupation: scholars (Shi), farmers (nong ), workers (gong ), and business men (Shang) (Park & Chesla, 2007). The
highest class, scholars did “ mental labor,” and usually made decisions that influenced the whole society. The
second level, far mers gained respect as they pro vided sustenance t o the whole socie ty. The third level, workers,
relied on their individual labor and skills to survive. The lowest class, business men, pr imarily focused on self –
interest to function (Park & Chesla, 2007). So metimes, their wealth would bring them status (Hsu, 1965; Wortzel,
1987). Confucius stated, “The superior man thinks of virtue; the s mall man thinks of co mfort. The superior man
thinks of sanctions of law; the s mall man thinks of favors which he may receive” (Tu, 1998, P.16). Based on
Confuc ianism, leaders needed to be intelligent, have high s tandards of ethics, and learn scholarly work. There fore
scholarship was ass ociated with high social class, leader ship, and high moral character.

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Today, Chinese society in the United States still retains the i dea th at scholars belong to higher social class. And
educat ion provides a route to reach the “scholarly” status. Well and highly educated people will beco me leaders
and contribute to society. This value of education and soci al class in fluences the everyday li fe of Chinese families.
It is believed that ed ucational s uccess leads to a better life, including higher social status, getting a good job, or a
better marriage and relationsh ips (Cheon, 2006; Hildebrand, Phenice, Gray, & Hines, 2008; Louie, 2004; L ien,
2006). Therefore, education is central to most Chinese families. For example, in the United States, Hildebrand,
Phenice, G ray, & Hines (2008) indicated that Asian A mericans have beco me the largest ethnic minority group in
many career fields a nd at many elite colleges. 1n 2003, 51 percent of Asian A merican males and 44 percent of
females a ge 25 and older had a bachelor’s degree or higher co mpared with 32 percent of non -Hispanic white
males and 27 percent of non – Hispanic white fe males. In 198 0, Asian A mericans co mprised only 1.5 percent of
the population but Asian Americans consisted of 5 percent of all engin eers and 8 percent of all doctors in the
United States. Among A sian A mericans, Chinese A merican is the largest group in the U.S (Louie, 2004).
Through these statistics, it is evident that Chinese American places an e mphasis on ed ucation.

1.2 Hier archic al educatio nal syst em

In old China, one needed to attend and pass a ce ntralized n ational exa mination to beco me successful in e ducation
and reach high social status. As one pas sed the exa m, he (wo men were not allowed) would be awarded a special
“scholarly” hat a nd received an official position (Lien, 2006). The educational system was clearly structured and
well- established in the old time. Today, the system continues to be hierarchical in many Chinese societies, such
as China, Taiw an, Hong Kong, and Singapore. The educational achieve ment is visible and measurable. It is
clearly defin ed by one’s test perfor mance, school entered, and degree received. It is b elieved that earning higher
grades, attending higher ranking schools, and receivi ng higher de grees are in disputable ro utes to s uccess in the
society. The system is hierarc hical. Si nce the educational ladder is well structured, it is unnece ssary to de sign
one’s own educatio nal course. The “successful” educational path is al ready laid o ut for the person. Placing a
high value on education and acade mic success co ntinues to exist in Chin ese American cult ure in g eneral as well.

2. Education in Family Level

2.1 Educational practice: The role of the family

Chinese cultures value the collectivist ideology which affects f amily functions and behaviors (Lu and Shih, 1997).
Based on Confucianis m, There are five basic relationships for humans: father -son, e mperor -subject, husband –
wife, elder -younger, friend -friend. Three out of f ive bases of these relations occur in the family (Chang & Holt,
1991). Chinese cultures advocate that one should strive to expand the prosperity and vitality of one’s f amily. (Lu
& Shih, 1997; Miller & Y ang, 1997). It is clear that f amily is in the center of an individual’s life and everyday
existence, including educational practice.

2.2 Education: A family b usiness

Education is considered a f amily busin ess, an interdependent process for many Chinese families. Though
children are responsible for the ir own educational success, Chinese parents believe that their child ren’s
educational achieve ment is greatly influenced by their parenting practices as well. They believe that they have the
obligations and responsibilities to help build their childre n’s success in education. When parents have a difficult
time exerting infl uence over t heir c hildren’s acade mic success, t hey may regard the mselves as a failure as a
parent. They take their children’s acade mic failure as their own respon sibility because they feel that they did not
do their best to work with their childr en. Pressures can be high on both parents and children. When Chinese
childr en do not achi eve, parents feel disappointed, anxious, and e mbarrassed (Ki m, 2006).

It brings sha me and embarrass ment to the family. Children are i mpacted by parents’ e motions and expectations.
On the other hand, if the child succeeds in acade mics, it represe nts the triu mph of the entire fa mily. It is
considered a f amily achieve ment. In Confucianis m, humility and modesty are highly valued. As Leung (2 002)
translated Confucius’ saying, “Contentedness leads to loss, humility lea ds to gain .” It is i mportant for the fa mily
to continue reflecting on their work and find room for i mprove ment even when the child is successful in
acade mics. Chinese parents are concerned that too much praise may have a negative effect on their chil dren’s
achieve ment. Therefore, parents usually provide lower a mounts of praise to their chil dren for acade mic success
(Leung, 2002).

International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Vol. 2 No. 3; February 2012
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2.3 Educational influence: Family hierarchy and harmony

Chinese cultures value fa mily hierar chy and harmony which are also central concepts in Confucianism. These
virtues have an i mpact on an individual’s decision making in education. Based on Confucianis m, not only the
educational system has a clear and highly structured hierarchy, but also does the fa mily syste m. Confucius’
doctrine distinctly stated the order: “Let the prince be a prince, the minister a minister, the father a father, and the
son a son (Kao, 2006).” Each individual’s role and responsibilities are clearly defined.

For exa mple, one of the virt ues of fa mily hierarchy, filial piety, portrays the relationship between parent and
child. It is an expression of respect from the child toward parent and elderly. In Confucianis m, this virtue is
associated with a person’s citizens hips and leaders hips in t he society. It is believed th at chil dren who respe ct their
parents will beco me good citizens and leaders (Terry, 2005). Therefore, filial piety is highly v alued. In daily li fe,
filial piety is reflected in childre n’s res pect a nd obedience on parental de mands and authority. In most ca ses,
children do not have many choices but to co mply with parent s’ expectations. Rebellion a gainst parents’ authority
is unacceptable and will re sult in harsh consequenc es. Being “ unfilial” was conside red a crime in the tra ditional
Chinese society in China. As Terry ( 2005) indicated, it co uld result in death as a punis hment. The virt ue, filial
piety, is i nterwoven with f amily’s ed ucatio nal practice on a daily basis. Today, parent’s authority can be observed
in educational decision – making and behaviors in ho mework, exa ms, sch ool selections, career choices, and so on.
Often, children respect and confo rm to parent’s guidance and proposition.

Confucianism pro motes social har mony in human relationships, including f amily relations hips (Chang & Holt,
1991). To reach har mony within the conte xt of f amily, it often relies on considering parent’s authority,
confo rmity, and role and responsibilities of each in dividual (Lu & Shih, 1997; Miller & Yang, 1997). Thus, the
decisions children make regarding education are associated with family har mony as well. Moneta (2004) stated
that Chinese children learn more behavioral rules than Westerner children do. Chinese children a re comfortable
following i nstructions. A dditionally, Chinese children tend to maintain har mony by avoiding confli cts which is
the quicke st way to r etain har mony.

2.4 Educational practice: Religious practice

Influenced by Confucianis m, parents possess passion and zeal for their children’s education and education in
general (Lien, 2006 ). To many Chinese families, education is an intensive process. It is al most like a reli gious
practice which affects the whole f amily’s daily interaction and routines. Pri mary daily activities and
conversations surrounded the topic of education. For example, parents may converse with their children
regarding the topic of educational practice, such as homework and test res ult as soon as children co ming ho me
from school. How ever, each f amily has its own educational ritual, ro utine, and parenting style. These
pheno menon can be traced back to Confucianism as to how the educati on and scholarship being e mphasized.

3. Implications

Confuciani sm is an inseparable foundation for Chinese fa milies’ beliefs and functions in education. For this
reason, we returned to this philosophy to explore its meanings and influences on Chinese in a modern context.
This co nceptual paper stri ves to enhance our understanding and add new i nsights to ward the ph enomena of
Confuc ian in fluences on Chinese families’ edu cation al practices.

3.1 Factors involved in shaping Confucian infl uence

While considering Con fucianis m’s impact on Chinese families, it is i mporta nt to note that Chinese cultures have a
wide range of diversity as mentioned in the beginning of the paper. Culture is multidi mensional. The impact may
vary due to the co mplex factors involved which may shape the Confucian influence, such as an acculturation
factor. The f amily may have to adap t and learn a new mainstream culture and decide what part of the traditio nal
educational values and practices are to be retained or sacrificed (Coll & Pac hter, 2002). Therefore, com monalities
and diversity need to be conside red at the same time while working with Chinese families and students.
Generational factor may play a role in the degree of the Confucian influence on Chinese families. However,
based on Lu and Shih’s research (1997), certain Confucian values are slow to change. For instan ce, t he
importance of fa mily, value of education, and interpersonal rel ationships (fa mily har mony) are not affected by age
in a significant way. Moreover, sociopolitical factor may impact Confucian influence. For exa mple, China has
undergone changes in th e past few decades as a result of socioecono mic develop ments.

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Among them, one -child -per-family policy has i mpacted fa mily dyn amics (Anqi, Xiaolin, Wenli, Yah, & Dalin,
2007) and educational practices. Thus, further exploration is needed re garding how the societal changes i nterface
with t he Confucian influence. Little is known concer ning how these policies may influence Chinese fa milies who
come from mainland China to the United States. In the United States Western c ultural influence is a factor as wel l.
Through globalization, western culture’s i mpact may weaken Confucian influence. However, Confucianis m’s
influence on education and paren t-child relationship are still ro oted in the f amily (Shenghong & Dan, 2004). For
example, Confucianism values interdependence a mong parent -child relationship while western c ulture in general
strives for independence (Lu & Shih, 1997; Moneta, 2004). According to Monet a, the i mpact of Confucianism
may be lessened, but autono my is still less si gnificant in Chi nese family cultu re. A Chinese mother may be
heavily involved in her young child’s ho mework practice. A Chinese father may actively intervene in his high
school child’s decision making regarding college choices. Based on a perspecti ve from a Western culture, we
might concerned that the involve ment may hinder the child’s autono my or independence. While working with
students regarding decision -making and choices, it is i mportance to think about the bicultural conflict between
independence and inter dependence the c hild may encounter. We may encourage the stu dent to make decision
independently without considering the fa mily factor based on our mainstream value of independence. It may
escalate the co mplexity of the issue the child faces. There fore, we need to carefully evaluate the situation and be
sensitive regarding potentia lly imposing our mainstream cult ure on t hose who str uggle betwe en Western and
traditional Chinese c ultures. Additionall y, Chinese i mmigrants, t hough they gradually acc ulturate into the

United States environ ment, may be influenced by different cultural values while retaining s ome traditio nal
Chinese values. Miller and Yang (1997) indicated that Chinese im migrants still place an emphasis on education,
parent’s a uthority, clearly defined role and responsibilities, and f amily hierarchy. However, they may encounter
the bicultural con flict ( Western and t raditional Chinese). Acc ording to Miller and Yan g, a person of Chinese
cultural descent may be pas sive, have internal s hame, and fe el isolated d ue to bicultural c onflict. One of the
major c hallenges Chinese Ameri cans face is to seek counseling help concerning the person’s life d ecisions and
parents’ expectations (fa mily hierarchy), particularly in educational and career choices. The person may
experience a pull between what is best for him or her and what may contribute to the family har mony.
Additionally, Chinese fa mily and students may put lots of pressure and set high expectations for educational
achieve ment (Chen, Miller, Wang, & Mark, 1996). While working with Chinese, it is critical f or professionals to
understand and consider the potential bicultural fact or and recog nize con flicts that may occur regardi ng
acculturation process.

3.2 Structured educational system

As discussed, the Chinese educational system is highly structured and the perceived successful path is well
defined. T his impacts family educ ational pers pectives and practices at ho me. The Chinese perceptions of the
educational system are built in a way tha t there is little r oom for difference s. Educational success is clearly
defined. Alternative paths are less recognized. For exa mple, achiev ement in areas other than tra ditional academic
subjects, such as the a rts and sports, is not as v alued as the achieve ment in acade mic perfor mance. This is a
disadva ntage for those children who have multiple talents and interests. Because of t he high e mphasis on
academics, their talents and interests can be easily neglected and not developed.

3.3 Filial piety

Influenced by Con fucianis m, filial piety is a very signi ficant virtue in Chi nese f amilies. It has exi sted over 2000
years in Chi nese hi story. Parents play an important role in th eir chil dren’s education in all aspects. As an
educator, it is i mportant to note that wor king with the C hinese family is as critical as working with the child.
Learning their esse ntial family values will aid educat ors to be able to work e ffectiv ely with t he whole family.
Additio nally, it is importa nt to e xamine educator’s own v alue system while working with the se families.
Sometimes, our value s ystem may be a hindra nce to being able to support Chinese children in their education.

In conclusion, this paper infor ms professionals who work with Chinese children and families. It b rings insights
regarding Con fucian in fluence on Chin ese stude nts’ educational achieve ment, parental involve ment in children’s
education, parent -child relationship, and factors involved in decision -making on a daily basis. It is also important
to keep in mind the diversity a mong Chinese cultures. Each Chinese student or f amily we work with should also
be conside red as an indi vidual ca se. Each fa mily may bring its own experiences which will shape t heir practices
in education while co ntinued influenced by Confucianis m.

International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Vol. 2 No. 3; February 2012
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