Experiment shows children taught by Chinese teachers outdo peers

A new experiment run as part of a BBC Two programme has found that British pupils taught by Chinese teachers performed better in maths and science exams.

The study compared the British and Chinese school systems and used the results of a series of exams designed by The Institute of Education who acted as an independent research body.

Year nine

The Year nine pupils taught by Chinese teachers outperformed the rest of their group when they took part in the BBC Two ‘Are Our Kids Tough Enough? Chinese School’ experiment.

At Bohunt School in Hampshire, 50 students were taught by five teachers from China for four weeks.

The students were of mixed abilities and learnt together in one classroom under a Chinese style education system, which included a stricter learning regime based around 12 hour days.

Results

Tests were held at the end of the four weeks and those students who learnt under the Chinese system had an average score 10% higher in maths and science in comparison to the rest of their year group.

The IOE qualified the results by saying: “The results and findings are not refined and can only be used in very broad terms.”

They did go on to report: “There is a higher performance level within the Chinese group and a degree of separation between the groups which did not appear before the project began.”

Neil Strowger, Bohunt Headteacher commented: “I think that the way that the Chinese students respect their teachers is something we ought to have in this country.”