Navigating Cultural Differences in Education: Chinese Students' Perspectives on Classroom Dynamics and Mental Health in Traditional and International Settings

Abstract

This study examines the educational experiences of Chinese students amid China's sociocultural evolution from Gemeinschaft (community with informal education, simple technology, rural residence) toward Gesellschaft (society with formal education, complex technology, urban residence, economic prosperity). Through qualitative interviews with 10 high school students (aged 15–16) in Wuxi, China, we investigated differences in teachers' interpretations of help, student–teacher dynamics, and mental health support across these educational settings. Findings reveal that teachers' cultural backgrounds more strongly influenced their perspectives on help than did institutional environments. Traditional schools maintained teacher-centered hierarchical structures reflecting collectivistic values, while international settings fostered student autonomy and more egalitarian teacher–student relationships aligned with individualistic principles. Though mental health awareness was similar across settings, international school teachers demonstrated greater concern for students' overall well-being. Students in international programs initially experienced unique transition stresses but ultimately reported feeling more relaxed than their peers in traditional schools. These findings highlight the complex interplay between educational systems and cultural values in China's evolving society while underscoring the need for enhanced mental health resources in Chinese schools.

Received: 16 February 2025 | Revised: 28 April 2025 | Accepted: 2 July 2025

Conflicts of Interest

The author declares that she has no conflicts of interest to this work.

Data Availability Statement

In accordance with the stipulations of the UCLA IRB and to protect the identity of the ten participants who provided the qualitative data reported in this paper, the data are available only to the research team.

Author Contribution Statement

Ruochen Yang: Conceptualization, Methodology, Formal analysis, Investigation, Resources, Data curation, Writing - original draft, Writing - review & editing, Visualization, Project administration.