American vs. European Education - Research Paper Example

Section/# Approaches to Education: An Analysis of the American and European Models One of the most intriguing differences that is evidenced within the educational system is the fact that geographic and cultural differences can have a profound effect on the way that information and education in general is imparted to the shareholder. Obviously this is evident in a range of cultures and even on the micro scale between one county or region to the next; however, it is particularly evident between the United States and Europe. Understanding some of the key determinants as to why this has taken place to the extent that it has is both important and helpful to the educator as it provides a clear level of analysis into the means by which one system establishes itself based upon a different set of values and approaches than another. As a function of this particular level of inquiry, the analysis will seek to view the issue from a historical and sociological approach as well as viewing the different methods in their native environments and seeking to draw inference with regards to the means by which a combination approach is observed and how it ultimately functions. By seeking to integrate with the reader on all of these levels, it is the hope of this author that the educator will not only be made aware of key differences between the United States and European model but that they will also be able to seek to understand a few of the benefits and shortcomings that each model exhibits as a means of incorporating further strength into their own classroom or research experience. As a function of this, the first aspect of the key differentials that exist among the systems of the United States and Europe’s educational models is to seek to understand how and why a seemingly homogenous culture that was more or less established by Europeans has strayed so greatly from the European model of education. One does not need to look very heard to understand that the two greatest reasons for this are geographic separation as well as the result of the Revolutionary War. As a function of the fact that the population of the United States grew further and further apart from Europe for nearly 150 years, it is no surprise the model and approach to education also differs to a great degree. However, it is not merely the United States educational system that has changed as it is important for the reader to understand that the past 250 years of history have provided deep and intrinsic changes to the European system as well (Ingrassia 669). Nations have been born and have been absorbed, forms of government experimented and failed; ultimately, this has led to a nebulous and ever-evolving approach that Europeans have sought to contend with. Whereas the American approach has changed a great deal over the past several decades, it can be definitively argued by the researcher that the American model is more or less unchanged when compared to the European model (Kim 69). From the sociological perspective, it has been observable that the European individual approach to education is much different from the way that the individual and parental approach has evolved in the United States. For instance, from a review of the extant literature, researchers have noted that with regards to the European system, the parent is more likely to provide a supportive and encouraging role but not typically be overbearing and highly involved; choosing instead to praise accountability and personal efforts as the ultimate good (Sy et al 15). Conversely, the same researchers have noted that with respect to the United States system of education, parental involvement on the whole is something of a mainstay; causing the educational system to be predicated on the somewhat untenable grounds of the combination of shareholder emotions, feelings, and needs. Although it is not the intention of this author to make a series of value judgments with regards to what system has the most value for the shareholders, it is impossible not to point out the fact that the United States system has made education somewhat more complicated than it should be by involving the parent to such a high degree. Although he/she can help to motivate the child, the role of the parent can and should be concentric upon their ability to instill values and not insist upon performance. Finally, the research has sought out a model of a mixed approach to education as it exists within the system so that the author and the reader may draw a level of inference with regards to how well these two can harmoniously exist. With reference to the mixed model, the student has selected the University of Leipzig in Germany (Zeiweitz et al 150). This particular combinational approach has created a great deal of growing pains for the students and the other shareholders within the system of education; however, ultimately, it appears to be experiencing a resounding degree of success. From an examination of the key differentials that came to be seen when the two approaches were homogenized, the reader can infer that the ultimate identifier of the United States educational system is the fact of its pragmatic approach (Silova & Brehm 459). The researchers conversely described the key components of the European approach as Humboldtian idealism. However, when the two were mixed and after the growing pains ceased, all individuals involved experienced a higher degree of efficiency and information transfer as compared to before. Ultimately, the approaches themselves cannot be counted as right or wrong; rather, they are merely indicative of the sociological and geographic separation that defines the means by which the respective systems have evolved. However, regardless of the lack of the researcher’s ability to make a value judgment on one being better than the other, it is highly interesting to note that when the systems were combined, the shareholders were able to experience an increase in educational attainment and efficiency. This synergy between the systems bodes well for the educator that might be seeking to combine certain elements of the European approach into his/her practical application of knowledge. Work Cited Ingrassia, Brian M. "From The New World To The Old, And Back Again." Journal Of The Early Republic 32.4 (2012): 667-692. Academic Search Complete. Web. 25 Mar. 2013. This particular piece has been utilized due to the fact that it is the only piece which has been analyzed which strikes at the very root and core of the differentials between the historical growth of the European and American educational approach. By seeking to understand the ways that these two grew apart in the early Revolutionary and post-war period of the 17th and 18th centuries, the researcher is able to gain a higher level of inference with regards to why the two remain so geographically and idealistically separate even to this day. Moreover, the historical approach gives this student the background and ideological springboard from which to approach the research in an informed and rational manner; rather than merely speaking about supposed and innate differences that currently exist. As such, the forthcoming research paper will utilize the historical approach to draw inference upon the means by which the two systems were birthed and how they ultimately pursued different paths; leading to the current split that is experienced. In this way, the reader/researcher will be able to approach the issue from a slightly different perspective. Kim, Young M. "Convergence Of Tertiary Education Policies In Europe And Implications For The United States Of America." Higher Education In Europe 34.1 (2009): 65-76. Academic Search Complete. Web. 25 Mar. 2013. The particular information that was contained in this research article was primarily associated with the means by which the European model of education is influencing the exhibition of tertiary education within the United States. Whereas the model of the US education system has gone through a nearly constant state of flux over the past fifty years, the author of the piece in question argues that the rate of change and differentiation within the European system has been slightly slower; as such, it has been able to transmit a more or less unchanged influence onto the way in which American education integrates with the globalized nature of the understanding and application of education. For purposes of the research, this student will intend on pointing to the fact that the author mentions regarding the means by which American policy makers have been heavily influenced by the slow pressures that the European tertiary educational system has impacted upon the United States system. As such, this information will be utilized as supporting information within the research. Maria Zywietz, et al. "Introducing Service-Learning To Europe And Germany: The Case Of American Studies At The University Of Leipzig." Interdisciplinary Humanities 29.3 (2012): 147-158. Academic Search Complete. Web. 25 Mar. 2013. This particular research is a valuable contribution to the bibliography and the ultimate research which this student will perform due to the fact that it is the only representation that is extant within this analysis that discusses what ultimately happens when the two forms of education and approaches are mixed. By taking the University of Leipzig as an example, the authors discuss the means by which the university adopts both a very European Humboldtian idealism and combines this with an American pragmatism. By analyzing the end result, the reader is left with a more nuanced and profound understanding of what the result of mixture of two otherwise different systems can result in. Moreover, the authors discuss the difficulties and hardships that both staff and students experienced as a result of engaging in this mixed approach. Although it was not specifically elaborated upon by the researchers, the reader is left to understand from the results that were gleaned, the growing pains that the process engendered were far outweighed by its ultimate benefits. Silova, Iveta, and William C. Brehm. "An American Construction Of European Education Space." European Educational Research Journal 9.4 (2010): 457?470. ERIC. Web. 25 Mar. 2013. This particular piece strikes at the very core of what ultimately differentiates between the United States and European system of education; i.e. perception. Whereas there may be a number of verifiable differences that exist within both systems, much of the understanding with regards to this has been fabricated based upon perceptions of one another rather than the actual data. As such, the authors of this particular piece seek to break this down into the most basic levels and delve into the methodological and statistical approaches that define the ultimate differentials. By examining these, the authors claim that fact is ultimately able to be separated from fiction and the reader is able to be presented with a more full and complete picture of what the actual and realized differentials are between the two systems. Sy, Susan R., Stephanie J. Rowley, and John E. Schulenberg. "Predictors Of Parent Involvement Across Contexts In Native Born American And European American Families." Journal Of Comparative Family Studies 38.1 (2007): 1-29. Academic Search Complete. Web. 25 Mar. 2013. This particular study takes a more sociological approach to the means by which the European system of education has impacted, and continues to impact, upon the American educational system. As such, the study seeks to paint a very broad interpretation of the differing levels of social and familial response that different families which have been measured ascribe to the importance and expectation related to education. Although it is dangerous to make any broad or sweeping generalizations within regards to the given context, some key inference was able to be drawn with regards to how society and the interpretation between cultures of the overall importance that education and parental involvement denotes should be considered. The inference that the authors ultimately draw relates to the fact that the European model places a much higher emphasis on personal responsibility and integrating with the need that education implies; whereas the traditional American approach features a much more overbearing and parentally involved style. This will be utilized as a means of evoking the importance that society and the means by which shareholders within the educational process engage differently depending upon cultural background and mentality. Read More