DISCUSSIONS ON THE DISADVANTAGES OF EXAM-ORIENTED EDUCATION

1. Introduction

Exam-oriented education is spread all over East Asia like influenza. Some students have been hopeless about the strict and old-school education systems, and almost every day, there are students’ suicide due to stressed feelings.

But unbelievably, the government and the education bureau didn’t care at all, once another student jumped from a building, what they did was not help stop similar events happen again, instead, they utilized their authority and influence to decrease the popularity of those negative news about them.

To discuss the disadvantages of “exam-oriented education”, we need to know what is an “exam-oriented education” first, this is a recent type of education in certain Eastern Asian countries that emphasizes the importance of “exams”, or in other words, tests. Failure in the exams will make students think that they will be blocked in future learning, which could lead to depression, anxiety, and other emotions. (M. Liu, 2023). In this essay, I am going to talk about the cause and effect of this weird but current education system.

2. The cause of nowadays’ exam-oriented education

To analyze exam-oriented education, we need to look at the imperial examination system in ancient China, as it did somehow impact the education system today.

The imperial examination system was once the strictest education style in the whole of China, it was invented in AD587, by the emperor Wen of the Sui dynasty. He promoted this educational system as the only way to be an official and work for the government, The imperial examination system developed in the Tang Dynasty and lasted for more than 1,300 years until it was abolished in 1905.

The imperial examination system focused on recollection and recitation, emphasizing the exertion and understanding of classical documents. Although this education system indeed caused plenty of great literature works and many poets, it also caused the ossification of thinking and the lack of creativity.

With the arrival of the Industrial Revolution, the demand for education had been altered, the industrial society required new technology, workers, and professional talents. The traditional imperial examination was unable to satisfy the circumstances. In this situation, the system of modern “school” had been built by using a standardized test system, which is exam-oriented education, that pays attention to the transmission of specific knowledge. The system pursues the competition of high grades and rank.

3. The disadvantage of this education style

Despite the motivation for students to have competitiveness, the problems appeared at the same time. Firstly, the excessive desire for rank decreased students’ interest in subjects, examination-oriented education mostly revolves around examination-oriented requirements, and teachers will tell them how to learn. Under such a system, students lack their own independent interests, this system is an incomplete educational system.

(Wang, 2021), which declined the motivation to learn, but also because of the excessive pursuit of scores and ranks, students had no longer interest in the subject.

Then, exam-oriented education demands prominent outstanding memory and the practice of test skills, the student must memorize every single word of the knowledge and the skill of solving questions, which limits the ability to apply, Lastly, in the psychomotor domain, students reported a reduced ability to demonstrate and apply practical knowledge. This study emphasized the need to reassess the effectiveness of exam-oriented education systems to develop alternative approaches that could promote a more holistic development of undergraduate students' competencies. (Yasmin et al., 2023).

In this case, most students might only concentrate on their subject and the questions in the textbooks but ignore the comprehensive abilities to deal with real phenomena in reality, which leads to a deficiency of experiences. Furthermore, Examinations can encourage cheating among students. Some students may resort to cheating to improve their performance, which can compromise the integrity of the examination process.

Meanwhile, examinations can cause stress and anxiety among students. The pressure to perform well can be overwhelming, and some students may become anxious or even experience panic attacks during examinations.it damages the mental health of the students under the educational system, due to facing the environment of competition’s high stress, several psychological illnesses could be discovered obviously. (Dekho, n.d.)

3.1. the graph of experiencing worry or stress

“ ” (Liu, 2023)

According to the graph above, we can see that more Chinese students are “stressed” instead of being” worried”, this shows that the mental pressure most students in China hold is even tragically underestimated by people.

Moreover, it is short of individuation and diversity. unlike exam-oriented education, the creative education system makes each student have their interest and strong suit. On the other hand, exam-oriented education only emphasizes the unified answer and foundation and overlooks personal development, which leads to the stifling of the inborn talent of children, curiosity.

With curiosity, kids can be interested in anything around them, and then they start to learn, and study, this is the first step of education, however, exam-oriented education lets this disappear.

Finally, its educational resources are allocated unevenly, in certain regions students from wealthy family, they can get better education opportunities and resources, while some disadvantaged groups are facing the problems of unfair educational resource allocation.

The most serious part of this education system is that due to the fixed teaching foundation and the competition of ranks, students’ minds could be easily rigidified by the strict standard, in this case, students are not people who gain knowledge for improving themselves anymore, they are robot or zombie of reciting test skills and unitive answers that won’t influence their future.

So, education was gradually doubted by folk and people needed a rethink of exam-oriented education if it is still necessary for the contemporary generation.

4. Methods to solve the circumstance

The reformation is a necessary option now, by the development of society and the rethink of educational concepts, exam-oriented education is transforming its form, and surely it will turn into an educational system with more practices of comprehensive quality and evaluation diversity.

The schools will also focus on training the experience of students, encourage students to innovate and motivate them to service the society or community. At the same time, teacher training must be enhanced.

For this system itself, the government should plan it in a brand-new way, after the renewal, certainly the general teaching environment is going to scale new heights, and the quality of teaching will be better.

Furthermore, the government had invested more in education and resources, trying to allocate the resources as fairly as possible. On the other side, the traditional idea is still tough to change, a couple of parents and students themselves toughly consider grades and ranks as the only standard to judge an individual’s ability and choose to ignore personal progress. Innovation requires support from the whole society, both public and private sectors, to encourage more students who excel in knowledge acquisition and their character and morals.

5.Conclusion

The modern examination system of China has a long history, evolving indirectly from the old imperial examination system which dates back over two millennia. This ancient system was instrumental in selecting the best administrative officials and maintaining peace within the country. However, as times have changed, there is a growing recognition that China's approach to education needs reform in order to remain relevant in today's world.

One key aspect that requires attention is the college entrance exams, which are often seen as the only fair way for students to gain access to higher education. However, it is important to consider alternative methods of assessment that can better reflect a student's overall abilities and potential. Educators should focus on promoting a more holistic development for teenagers, taking into account their emotional well-being, social skills, and creativity alongside academic achievements.

In order to achieve this goal, it is essential for the education system in China to gradually open up and embrace new approaches. By allowing for greater flexibility and diversity in teaching methods and assessment criteria, educators can better cater to the individual needs of students and foster a more inclusive learning environment.

Overall, while acknowledging the historical significance of China's traditional examination system, it is crucial for educators and policymakers to work towards implementing reforms that will ensure its continued effectiveness in preparing young people for success in an ever-changing global landscape.

Reference

Liu, B. L. L. a. D. (2023, March 4). Worry and stress rise in China. Gallup.com.

https://news.gallup.com/poll/189077/worry-stress-rise-china.aspx

Liu, M. (2023). An overview on the impact of the exam-oriented education in China. SHS

Web of Conferences, 180, 02036. https://doi.org/10.1051/shsconf/202318002036

Dekho, S. (n.d.). School Dekho - India’s first search engine for school admissions. Schooldekho. https://www.schooldekho.org/school/blog/details/Advantages-and-Disadvantages-of-Examinations-345

Wang, L. (2021). The Development Trend of Examination-oriented Education and Quality Education in China: Learning from British and America Educational System. Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public Media, 1(1), 128–133. https://doi.org/10.54254/lnep.iceipi.2021184

Yasmin, F., Farooq, N. M. U., & Shah, N. S. K. (2023). Impact of Exam-Oriented education system on undergraduate students’ cognitive, affective and psychomotor competencies. International Journal of Linguistics and Culture, 4(1), 109–125. https://doi.org/10.52700/ijlc.v4i1.180