Learning Diversity in the Chinese Classroom: Contexts and Practice for Students with Special Needs

13 - A Chinese Perspective on Guidance and Counseling for Diverse Learners

13 A Chinese Perspective on Guidance and Counseling for Diverse Learners Betty C. ENG In this chapter, a Chinese perspective of guidance and counseling for diverse learners is described, including: • Counseling in traditional Chinese society; • Relating Confucian Heritage Culture (CHC) in China, Hong Kong and other Asian Societies; • The counseling profession in Hong Kong; • A whole-person and whole-school approach to counseling; • Narrative Inquiry for Guidance and Counseling; • Counseling style preference among Asians; • The importance of culture in counseling diverse learners; and • Selected strategies for counseling diverse learners. Introduction This chapter presents a Chinese perspective on guidance and counseling that attends to the emotional, personal and social needs of learners with diverse learning needs through a whole-person and whole-school approach. Framed by the historical and cultural evolution of guidance and counseling in traditional Chinese and Confucianheritage culture (CHC) in the People’s Republic of China and Hong Kong, it discusses Western and Eastern counseling models that are also highly relevant to other Chinese societies such as Singapore and Taiwan. The experiences of cultural crossing of a newly-arrived immigrant from mainland China to Hong Kong are used to highlight the tensions and challenges 432 Betty C. ENG faced in the process of understanding and working with diversity in the classroom. Also, discussion of the growing interest in a non-directive guidance and counseling approach in a traditionally directive society points to the dilemmas and struggles of a society in transition that is emerging from colonization, and is moving toward a democratic system under a “One Country, Two Systems” policy. In exploring the implications for guidance and counseling to meet the diverse needs of learners, the chapter suggests a cross-cultural perspective that cultivates an inclusive classroom in a fluid and expanding global world community. Informed by the experiences of teachers and learners, a cross-cultural understanding is presented through the research methodology of narrative inquiry. A theoretical framework for the implementation of guidance and counseling in the Confucian-heritage culture is also proposed, together with some practical suggestions. Counseling in Traditional Chinese Society Knowledge and wisdom are gained through the experience of our elders. This statement is a common expression in traditional Chinese society that reflects a Confucian ideology or a Confucian-heritage culture (CHC). It suggests that the accumulated experience one gains with age makes one knowledgeable and wise, and assigns a valued and revered position of authority to the elderly that transcends socio-economic status. An understanding of traditional Confucian beliefs provides a helpful backdrop to understanding a Chinese perspective on guidance and counseling. Imperial China established Confucianism, or the religion of the learned, as the official ideology of China in the period 551–479 BC and it continues to influence Chinese societies around the world today. It is widely recognized that Confucianism has had an enduring and profound effect on Chinese culture. The elders who were respected and revered were generally those within an extended family or village in traditional Chinese society. “The Old Man” is how Lang (1946) in her classic study of the Chinese family and society characterizes the importance of age. Lang wrote: The very fact of age evoked reverence. Confucius and his disciples made a special point of this reverence. Respect and devotion were due to parents all their lives, but the feelings of children toward aged parents were especially stressed. Indeed, a respectful attitude was demanded toward all old people, even those who did not belong to one’s own family. Teachers, for instance, were venerated not only for their learning but for their age. By preserving and developing the institution of ancestor worship, Confucius still further strengthened the position of the old man. This rule of the old made a young man of Confucian China a rather weak and insignificant figure. (pp. 10–11) A Chinese Perspective on Guidance and Counseling for Diverse Learners 433 Though women were viewed in Confucian culture as inferior and subordinated to men by nature, they acquired a measure of authority with age. For instance, Confucian teachings held the belief that while old mothers are valued, they are not as highly valued as old fathers since what a son owes his mother is love and not respect. However, the general prevailing belief in Chinese society is that elders are looked to for such important decisions as the selection of partners for a marriage, how members would be educated and the determination...