Il sistema scolastico cinese : il background formativo degli studenti cinesi nell'università italiana

The aim of this paper is to analyze the educational background of young Chinese students enrolled in Italian universities and identify differences between the Chinese and the Italian school systems that may constitute an obstacle for Chinese students pursuing a university career in Italy. The paper takes into consideration the legal framework behind the current Chinese system of education and describes its different components: preschool education, compulsory education, which includes primary education and junior secondary education, senior secondary education and higher education. Particular attention is paid to the curricula offered at every stage of education, enrollment procedures and admission requirements. A brief description of the highly-feared entry exams, among which the notorious gaokao 高考, brings to light one of the most substantial characteristics of the Chinese system of education, that is competitiveness. A survey, in Italian and Chinese, carried out among Chinese students participating in the Marco Polo project detects a range of various motivations behind the choice to come to Italy to complete one’s education and identifies the lack of autonomy in organizing one’s own studies as the main difficulty in integrating into the local university system in which teachers do not push students towards the development of a high level of competitiveness.