Abstract

     As the primary stage to foster talents, home education is closely related to tens of thousands of families’ vital benefits and urgent need. This thesis mainly studies the differences between American home education and Chinese home education by comparing their education processes and results (paying special attention to the advantages of American home education). Then, it gives a brief analysis of the reasons for the differences and provides some helpful suggestions for Chinese home education.

Key words:  Home education, China, America, difference

摘 要

作为培养人才的基础阶段，家庭教育与千万家庭的关键利益和迫切需求密切相关。本文主要通过对中美家庭教育的不同教育过程和教育结果的比较来研究美国家庭教育和中国家庭教育的差异（尤其关注了美国家庭教育的优点）。接着对造成这些差异的原因进行简要分析，并对中国的家庭教育的提出一些有用建议。

关键词：家庭教育；中国；美国；差异

1. Introduction
There is no need to argue about the importance of home education in the development of a nation, which is closely related to tens of thousands of families’ vital benefits and urgent need. “Children are the expectation of their parents and the hope of a nation. Family education is not only an important component of education but also the first lesson to a child, which will be remembered forever.”. It is well-known to all that the international competition in the 21st century fundamentally lies in the competition for talents. As the primary stage to foster talents, home education has aroused much attention and greatly developed in both practice and theory. Throughout ages, many Chinese educators attempt to obtain some useful experience by referring to the home education system in advanced countries, among which the comparative study between China and America is the most popular one. And they accumulate quite substantial achievements.
 In China, no matter in Harbin or Hainan, when children get home after school, the first thing asked by their parents is almost the same. “Have you been well-behaved in school? Have you finished your homework?” Often, children are accustomed to those questions and even have strong feelings of dislike. However, American parents care about different aspect likes “What questions did you ask in the class today?” Then, full of enthusiasm, children tell their questions asked in class and may feel a sense of achievement if the question is difficult even for the teacher to answer. This typical example, from micro aspect, clearly reflects the different focuses between American parents and Chinese parents in the process of children’s growth. This thesis mainly studies the differences between American home education and Chinese home education by comparing their education processes and results. Then, it gives a brief analysis of the possible reasons for the differences and provides some helpful suggestions for successful home education.