Western and East Asian Sociocultural Models of Learning: Evidence from Cross-Cultural and Immigrant Groups

Learning is a universal human capacity and activity. However, Western and East Asian people hold fundamentally different beliefs about learning. These beliefs influence how they approach childrearing and learning and how children achieve. Research shows that at the cultural level, different sociocultural models of learning exist that inform individuals’ beliefs. What are the different models and why are they so different? In this presentation, we first outline an important conceptual distinction between the Western mind-model and the East Asian virtue-model of learning both of which date back to their respective cultural origins. The Western model aims at cultivating the mind to understand the world along with the emphasis on individuals’ curiosity and inquiry into the world, enjoyment, and creativity. By contrast, the East Asian model prioritizes the self as a project to perfect morally and socially, emphasizing learning virtues of sincerity, diligence, the endurance of hardship, perseverance, concentration, humility, and respect for teachers. Next, we present cross-cultural empirical research on these two models. We further show how these models influence children’s learning beliefs and parental socialization processes in their respective cultures. We draw on recent empirical evidence for how these different cultural orientations continue to shape East Asian immigrant children who grow in the West, despite their acculturation to Western cultural model. Lastly, we discuss implications of this theoretical framework and empirical research for childrearing and education.