The Impact of Social Culture on Creativity: A Comparative Study Between the United States and China

• In Event: 47.095 - MTCC Roundtable Session 19
  In Roundtable Session: 47.095-9 - Advancing Self and Social Transformation Through Cross-Cultural Conversation

Abstract

Social culture can either foster or inhibit students’ creativity and individuality. When the social culture is open and supportive of individual growth, it will create a nurturing environment for students to think freely, critically and creatively. This study was designed to compare the impact of the Chinese and American social culture on students’ creativity and to identify possible factors that hinder Chinese students’ creativity. Preliminary findings showed that the Chinese social culture in general inhibited students’ creativity by repressing Chinese students’ sense of “self” in areas like social standards, cultural rules, parents’ expectations, instructional methods, and practical life/career goals. It is hypothesized that these social culture and beliefs are deeply rooted in China’s historical philosophies such as Confucianism.

Author

• Dengting Boyanton, Sino-American Educational Research Association