Challenges and Hope: The Role of Education in Breaking Class Barriers
Intelligence, Exams, and Social Mobility: My Journey Through a Complex System
Contents:
Harvard’s study
Fluid and Crystallized Intelligence Theory
My Background
My Views on the Imperial Examination System (Love and Hate)
Can the Current Education System Help the Poor Break Class Barriers?
Harvard’s study
Research Conclusion:
1.Ivy League schools tend to favor admitting wealthy students. The three main reasons: parents are alumni, wealthy students have more non-academic achievements, and many athletes come from wealthy backgrounds.
2.None of these three main reasons have a positive correlation with students’ post-college outcomes/future potential. What truly correlates positively is students’ SAT/ACT scores.
3.The study suggests that using academic performance to predict students’ long-term potential is more effective than using non-academic achievements.
Fluid and Crystallized Intelligence Theory
The theory of fluid and crystallized intelligence was developed by psychologist Raymond Cattell in the mid-20th century to describe and differentiate an individual’s cognitive structure and abilities. This theory emphasizes the multifaceted nature of intelligence, positing that intelligence is not a single factor but comprises various abilities and structures.
Fluid Intelligence:
— Fluid intelligence refers to an individual’s ability to process new, unfamiliar, and abstract information and problems. It involves fundamental cognitive processes like reasoning, problem-solving, analysis, and adapting to new challenges.
— Fluid intelligence is closely related to biology, genetics, and brain structure. It peaks during adolescence and gradually declines with age. It is often considered relatively stable and less influenced by education and training.
— Typical tests of fluid intelligence include abstract reasoning, pattern recognition, and mathematical problems, which do not require specific knowledge or experience.
2. Crystallized Intelligence:
— Crystallized intelligence pertains to an individual’s ability to process domain-specific knowledge and information based on long-term learning and experience. It reflects what a person has learned in terms of culture, education, and environmental background.
— Crystallized intelligence typically increases with age as individuals accumulate more knowledge and experience in their lives. It is influenced by education and cultural background and can be enhanced through learning and education.
— Common tests of crystallized intelligence include vocabulary tests, mathematics assessments, and cultural knowledge assessments, which require individuals to apply the knowledge and skills they have acquired.
In summary, the theory of fluid and crystallized intelligence underscores the multi-dimensional nature of intelligence. Fluid intelligence focuses on the ability to handle new and abstract information, while crystallized intelligence emphasizes the application of accumulated knowledge and skills. These two forms of intelligence complement each other and collectively impact an individual’s cognitive performance in different contexts.
3.My Extended Thoughts on this Theory.
Intelligent children (with strong fluid intelligence) can learn academic knowledge without the need for extra tutoring. In contrast, achieving non-academic accomplishments often requires significant time and resources from parents (cultivating crystallized intelligence).
My classmate’s musical instrument cost as much as my mother’s ten months’ salary. Pursuing talents not only requires time investment but also incurs expenses for equipment, training, clothing, transportation, and competition fees. Even participating in competitions requires registration fees. The reality is that poor families often lack both the time and money to cultivate crystallized intelligence.
My Background
My great-grandfather was a farmer, extremely impoverished. My grandfather, although becoming a high school Chinese teacher, had to repay my great-grandfather’s debts by teaching while also working as a farmer. When my father was in elementary school, he had to work as child labor in his wealthy classmate’s home, carrying bricks to earn pocket money. Sometimes, he and my aunt had to sell vegetables grown by my grandfather, making a circuit around the village. In the rural area where I and my father grew up, most children either helped with farming or sold vegetables if they were not in school.
We lived near an incinerator because our hometown was so underdeveloped that hardly anyone from outside would consider living there. Consequently, the local teaching staff was inadequate. For instance, my elementary school had two stages of acting teachers who sometimes did not even possess teaching certificates. Some substitute teachers had no teaching qualifications at all, but they got the job because they were neighbors of regular teachers or even worked as breakfast shop attendants. They could teach classes in our school as substitute teachers.
The junior high school I attended lacked sufficient teachers, leading to situations where a Chinese teacher taught social studies, a guidance counselor taught English, and a physical education teacher taught physics and chemistry. My younger brother and I were once humiliated publicly for pointing out teaching errors, which happened to me in first grade when a substitute teacher verbally bullied me. My brother was physically hit by a substitute teacher in junior high.
In my childhood, I had no idea about the conditions in other schools, so I did not feel relatively deprived. Regardless of whether the teachers were regular or substitute, I believed that the fundamental factor was their professionalism and ethics. Moreover, I considered the well-being of teachers, both mentally and physically, to be the best guarantee for students.
My Views on the Imperial Examination System (Love and Hate)
Because my father’s original family was so impoverished, he could not afford extra tutoring. Fortunately, he was naturally talented in acquiring academic knowledge, effortlessly achieving good academic performance. He smoothly gained admission to a prestigious school, eventually earning a Ph.D. in physics and serving as a professor at a private technology university. (Due to declining student numbers, professors at private technical universities were also required to assist with admissions. My father did not like administrative work and voluntarily resigned. Later, in his middle age, he returned to a public high school as a physics teacher by passing an examination.)
It is fascinating that the examination system indeed helped children like my father, who came from impoverished backgrounds and found a job with a decent income. When I was a freshman, I once believed that education could no longer help the poor break class barriers. However, I later realized that I was wrong. Our experiences exemplify that it is possible to ascend the social ladder through education.
Yet, the examination system comes with its pains because it encourages a narrow focus on success standards. Many parents and teachers tend to become narrow-minded due to this system, which was originally designed by the upper class. It redirects the attention of impoverished people towards “studying,” reducing disruptions. Some impoverished individuals (those who are exceptionally intelligent or diligent) benefit from this system, rising from the lower class to the middle class. These few success stories give hope to those in the lower class, and their rise reinforces the system’s approval. However, most lower-class individuals are still labeled as failures by this system.
I think my father’s missed opportunity was not having encountered excellent teachers. Although my grandparents were teachers themselves, they were impoverished and highly pragmatic, even harsh. Yet, I cannot blame them because they endured numerous hardships, suppressed their desires, and reached their current positions. They were nurtured through intimidation and threats. I believe my father’s childhood experiences are somewhat similar to what is currently referred to as “raising and killing” in the Chinese entertainment industry. My father excelled in learning, leading to excessive praise from family elders, who used his achievements to boast to relatives and friends. However, this pushed him to a higher level, where he was resented or envied by peers. He also developed a sense of superiority, looking down on others, as he received differential treatment from adults. This led him to believe that he was superior and that others were foolish. Consequently, he often unintentionally belittled his family members.
This is the tragedy of the examination system — whether you successfully climb to a better position, improving your living conditions, or you fail to ascend and work in a blue-collar job. People in the middle and lower classes in Chinese society share a sense of deprivation because our common experience is defined by narrow standards of success. We always feel inadequate, regardless of our actual performance.
Can the Current Education System Help the Poor Break Class Barriers?
I have discovered that it is indeed possible, but there are limitations. We are all employees of the upper class, but the question is whether we are high-level or low-level employees. It’s fascinating that individuals in Asia can receive lower salaries for the same job compared to their counterparts in foreign companies. Even within the same foreign company, Asians tend to receive lower salaries than other ethnic groups.
