Explanations From Social and Cultural Perspectives: Why Is Gifted Education Underdeveloped in China?

• In Event: 28.090 - MTCC Roundtable Session Nine
  In Roundtable Session: 28.090-6 - International Perspectives on Education Policy

Abstract

The development of gifted and talented children is crucial to enable a nation to compete successfully. In China, though the estimated number of gifted children reaches 20 million, gifted education has seldom gained sufficient policy attention. Starting with an overview and analysis of the gifted education programs and policies in China since 1978, this paper discusses the main reasons for the lack of support for gifted education from social and cultural perspectives. It concludes that the long-lasting ideology of egalitarianism, the overwhelming pursuit of educational equity and the dominant ideology of socialism have significantly hindered the development of gifted education. Then I’ll propose how gifted education should be framed in the future educational reform scheme.

Authors

• Zhikun Zhang, Capital Normal University

• Tian Fu, Capital Normal University

• Min Li, Capital Normal University

• Lusha Ou, Capital Normal University