Chinese students are widely regarded as academic robots who study for hours each day. In part owing to an educational system that is fiercely competitive and enormous social expectations, this gruelling study schedule. A deep dive on the average time Chinese students spend studying and the cultural/educational forces at play behind these habits.
Daily Study Hours
Chinese students are known to conduct intense preparatory and school lessons work over and above the regular school hours compared to many Western Countries. On a typical school day in China (grades 1~9), students usually stay in school from 8:00 AM to around 3:00 PM, however many students also attend evening study sessions (later into the night). The after-school times are often devoted to tuition, extra classes or homework.
According to reports, the average evening homework of Chinese middle and high school students is between two and four hours. This is not including extra weekend studying, which can be around eight hours a day. This gets more severe at times of exams, especially around China's national college entrance examination, the Gaokao.
Impact of Academic Pressure
This monomaniacal drive to focus on education can be traced back to the competitive nature of the Chinese educational system, and ultimately a belief that success later in life was dictated most by academic achievement. This pressure can start from early age, some students as low as Kindergarten are a part of the different academic training outside of school hours.
Supplementary Education
After-school tutoring, which frequently extends into the evening and on weekends, is a hallmark of Chinese students' daily study life. The other additional class are not just for those who dont do well academically but also the toppers for competitive exams. All of this, including educational services such as WeChat Panda and the free access to a climate in which it is supported to study harder than every else, ends up reenforcing the culture of working hard.
Regional Variations
It should be said that regional differences in study hours in which much studying must be done per day exist across China. For example, students in metropolises such as Beijing and Shanghai are generally up against more competition than those in the countryside - so unsurprisingly they get the long study-hours to match. Nevertheless, there is no place in the nation where this motive to go for better educational standards does not exert influence.
Conclusion
The number of hours that the Chinese study per day demonstrate just how high a value education is placed on in China. The intense environment of these type of schools not only trains students in writing competitive examinations but also imparts a work ethic that could be valuable in higher education and beyond. With the recent changes in education policy in China to support student well-being and development, the balance between study hours and leisure may be readdressed. Nonetheless, Chinese education still holds fast to its foundational principle of academic excellence.