Taiwanese people, both parents and students, are heavily invested in education. According to reputable sources like the National Center of Education, Taiwan is one of the top-performing countries in terms of education. Taiwan’s academic performance, especially in mathematics and science, is above the global average.

But the truth is, Taiwanese education isn’t as good as the statistics indicate; it hampers the most important academic skill – critical thinking. Critical thinking is the skill in which students remain skeptical towards new information until proven with strong evidence. Critical thinkers are careful and skeptical when forming an opinion.

However, external motivations for academic success and the testing-centric culture in Taiwan restrain Taiwanese students from developing critical thinking skills.

External forces motivate students to study

Students need motivation to study, but when the motivation is external, learning is less effective.

Most Taiwanese students do not study out of a desire to learn. Instead, they study to get into a good college and get a good degree, like their parents and teachers expect them to do. Students don’t care about whether they’re learning effectively as long as they get the grades they want. They prefer teachers who give easy tests that don’t sabotage their report cards.

As a result, students are reluctant to tackle difficult topics that can stimulate complex and deep thinking. They are afraid of getting a bad grade. As such, students strongly prefer topics that they are comfortable with so they are guaranteed to get the “A”. This focus on grades reduces students’ interest in learning, diminishes their thinking skills, and creates an environment where students favor easier tasks.

A little external motivation does push students to work harder, but the main motivation for learning should be internal. We need a school system where students genuinely want to gain more knowledge and develop better critical thinking skills. When students learn for the sake of learning, they are truly satisfied with what they’re doing.

The testing-centric culture takes away the real purpose of learning

Taiwan’s national curriculum centers around preparing students for standardized tests, including HuiKao and the college entrance exam. These tests are fundamentally harmful yet profoundly impactful on the lives of students. Teachers give an overwhelming number of tests to prepare kids for these exams. Taiwanese students spend, on average, 9.5 hours at school each day. This is too many hours spent at school, but still does not take into account hours students spend studying at cram schools or at home.

This mindset is antithetical to the development of critical thinking skills. Students do not have the motivation to go beyond and learn about things that aren’t in textbooks, or even just topics that they may find interesting but they won’t be tested on.

In my class, whenever teachers start explaining what’s going to be tested, students immediately quiet down. They start to engage in class to ask about what they need to study for the test. Once teachers explained everything related to the test, all eyes are back to their laptop screens and students start chatting again.

Because of how they are constantly examined and judged based on their grades, students want a formula to solve questions. Formulas are faster, easier, and don’t require much thinking. Taiwanese students want a step-by-step guide on writing an essay or solving a problem.

Teachers provide these formulas and, sometimes, only teach the techniques to solve a question. Oftentimes, students simply memorize the formulas without asking “why” a certain formula is used or exploring other ways to approach a problem. They have no intrinsic motivation to do so.

Due to the testing-centric culture, students are reluctant to ask questions. Students are fed information instead of exploring ideas and gaining mastery of techniques. This makes it difficult to participate in open discussions. Without open discussions, students don’t exchange ideas or challenge and reflect on their original beliefs.

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Critical thinking is essential to problem solving, decision making, and perspective taking. Unfortunately, Taiwanese students lack this skill. They are constantly buried in heavy workloads of homework and tests, and study for the one-dimensional goal of getting good grades. The test-centric culture is putting too much emphasis on superficial learning.

Testing and test prep are boring, time-consuming, and burden students with frustration and anxiety without substantial benefit. Taiwan’s system of testing doesn’t help students develop the skills to critically analyze a problem and apply knowledge to real-world situations.

Students should be learning because they want to. They should be encouraged to dive deep into a concept, a novel, or a social issue, even when it’s not in the national curriculum. By doing so, students can immerse themselves into an idea, explore that idea through multiple channels, and form a well-reasoned judgment of their own.

Grades aren’t a measurement of how smart you are. Most Taiwanese students stress about getting good grades due to our learning environment. But learning shouldn’t be about getting perfect scores on a report card. Grades shouldn’t overshadow the real purpose of learning – to enjoy the process of gaining new information and sharpen your own critical thinking skills.