Curriculum patterns and issues in East Asia: a comparative survey of seven East Asian societies

Abstract

Drawing on selected literature about education in seven East Asian countries which have shown remarkable economic development since the Second World War, this paper considers how the nature of the curriculum in those countries might have contributed to their economic growth. The systems are presented as highly centralized, each with a curriculum component promoting national goals. Four other common themes emerge from the analysis: the nature of the curriculum is academic, the teaching methods are direct and teacher‐centred, public examinations play an extremely important role, and textbooks are central. Attention is then drawn to several dilemmas associated with such systems of education.