Culture and Learning in Asian Societies

For decades, many people in the West have been intrigued by the high achievement of students of Asian origin in the international arena. Meanwhile, in the past 2 decades, many stereotypical views about Asian learners have been proved to be wrong. This entry documents some of the major characteristics of Asian learners as they relate to culture. First, the concept of culture is defined and a theoretical model of culture is introduced. Second, key Asian values are noted and hypotheses are made about the characteristics of learning in Asian societies. Third, empirical findings about learning in Asian societies are presented. The final part points out some caveats in discussing cultural differences in learning.