Degree Name

Education Specialist (EdS)

Semester of Degree Completion

1978

Thesis Director

Paul D. Overton

Abstract

As a professor of psychology, also as the Dean of Students of Taiwan Provincial Kaohsiung Teachers' College, I ( the writer ) know quite well the student personnel work in Taiwan, Republic of China. Later I have a chance to study at the Eastern Illinois University in the United States, it is suitable for me to make a comparative study of student personnel work between our two countries.

From this study, the writer has found some similarities and some differences in student personnel work between USA and China.

The similarities is that all the student personnel work is a service to the student, and a service for the purpose of education, also is for the society of tomorrow.

The differences are as follows:

The United States is a democratic and opened society. Every individual wants to have more freedom and independence. Only when a crisis happens, do they stand together. But in ordinary days, they would rather emphasize individuality, liberty and diversity. All of these thoughts reflect in their student personnel work as follows:

  1. The college has many offices which prepare many things for the students.
  2. The college takes the students as first class citizen; the student government can influence the college policy.
  3. The important student personnel work is guidance and counseling.

As to China, they are basically an agriculture society with larger population and keeping a system of larger family. They need more unity and communication. They emphasize on the need of society, more unity and obeisance. All these reflect in student personnel work as follows.

  1. The college has only a few offices, so they need to train the students to do things for themselves.
  2. The student government has limited power, it can service the students themselves.
  3. The most important student personnel work is moral education and discipline.

The writer from the above study makes some recommendations to both USA and China as follows:

1. Recommendations to American student personnel workers:

a. Obtain harmony between individual and society; cultivating within the student a keen sense of community.
b. Perform the student personnel work as an integrated process of education.
c. Arrange more group guidance and communication for the classes, the departments, the colleges, and whole campus.

2. Recommendations to Chinese student personnel workers:

a. More emphasis on individual liberty and independence.
b. Accept the student as a first class citizen.
c. Prepare more services for the students.
d. Give the student government more power.
e. Prepare more guidance and counseling services.

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