论文总字数：29101字

摘 要

众所周知，家庭是培养人才的摇篮。家庭教育作为最早的也是最重要的教育方式之一，影响着一个人的一生。当今，国际合作与竞争日益显著，高素质人才短缺，家庭教育尤显重要。许多国家也认为家庭教育对塑造儿童的世界观，人生观及思维模式至关重要。本文通过对美剧《摩登家庭》的案例分析，总结得出了美国家庭教育的几个主要特征，例如尊重孩子的独立个性、营造民主开放的教育氛围、重视培养孩子的经济意识。尽管我国政府和学者们越来越重视家庭教育，但我国的家庭教育仍有不足。本文的研究不仅将会促使更多学者反思中国的现有家庭教育，还将为中国家长们进一步提高家庭教育质量提供有益的借鉴。

关键字：家庭教育；《摩登家庭》；特点

Contents

1. Introduction……………………………………………….........……………1

2. Characteristics of American Family Education from Modern Family.......2

2.1 Introduction to Modern Family.......................................................................2

2.2 Characteristics of American Family Education...............................................2

3. Reasons for the Characteristics of American Family Education............7

3.1 Historical Backgrounds...................................................................................7

3.2 Economic Patterns...........................................................................................8

3.3 Cultural Traditions...........................................................................................9

4. Enlightenment for Chinese Family Education............................................9

4.1 More Attention to Developing Personal Independence.................................10

4.2 Focus on Cultivating Methods......................................................................10

4.3 Emphasis on Instilling the Consciousness of Freedom, Democracy and Diligence........................................................................................................11

5. Conclusion .....................................................................................................11

Works Cited.......................................................................................................13

1. Introduction

At present, more and more attention is being paid to to family education in China. Generally speaking, family education is the purposeful influence in the family, no matter parents on the issues, issues on the parents, the elder on the younger or the younger on the younger. (Zhao Zhongxin, 2001:5). The purpose of family education is not only to teach children how to deal with the relationships with their parents and other family members, but also to promote children’s psychological and physiological developments. In other words, as the pre-school education and the life-long education, family education is not just a matter of a certain family, but a matter of the entire society.

Some educators point out that most Chinese parents are concerned about the child’s intellect, instead of paying much attention to the child’s moral education, physical education, aesthetics education, and psychological health. In reality, Chinese parents focus more on child’s score in general knowledge courses, but they rarely take the child’s own interests and hobbies into consideration.

As a famous saying goes “more haste, less speed”, without considering the child’s interests and hobbies, parents are actually killing the child’s curiosity. Unlike China, American parents better understand and respect their children’s interests and hobbies, intending to build an all-round character in their children. American parents prefer to treat their children as equal individuals, so they always encourage children instead of protecting and instruct children instead of inculcating. Therefore, American children can usually take harder work, and be more optimistic in life.

American sitcoms are the reflection of American social changes, through which people can better understand the real American cultures. Focused on the study of American sitcom Modern Family, the thesis consists of five parts. After the introduction to the study, the second part analyzes the main characteristics of American family education by cases study from Modern Family. The third part explores the possible reasons for the characteristics of American family education. The thesis puts forward some enlightenment for Chinese family education in the fourth part. The conclusion part emphasizes that we should value family education and learn from the merits of American family education.

2. Characteristics of American Family Education from Modern Family

2.1 Introduction to Modern Family

Modern Family is an American sitcom debuted on ABC on September 23, 2009. Presented in the mockumentary style, the fictional characters frequently talk directly into the camera. By now there are five seasons with 24 episodes in each season, and Season Five is still updating. The sitcom revolves around three families living in Los Angeles who are interrelated through Jay Pritchett and his first-married children, Claire and Mitchell. The sitcom reflects some typical characteristics of family education in the nuclear family, the re-married family and the gay family. Claire, Phil, Haley, Alex and Luke represent the nuclear family. Joe, Gloria, and Manny represents the re-married family. And Mitchell, Cameron and Lily represents the gay family. All the cases in this thesis are from Season One to Season Four in Modern Family.

2.2 Characteristics of American Family Education

Almost all the stories happened in Modern Family are around children’s educational problems. The characteristics of American family education are displaying vividly in a relaxed and enjoyable way in Modern Family. The following are the cases study of American family education in Modern Family.

2.2.1 Independent Personality

American culture is individual-orientated, emphasizing on individual freedoms, rights and achievements. Respecting the child’s personality and laying emphasis on personal independence and self-cultivation is the main characteristic of American family education. Here are some examples.

Case One (Episode 1, Season 1): Mithell and Cameron adopted Lily from Vietnam when she was a little baby. They bring Lily home and have a room for her, letting her sleep alone in the evening. They babysit Lily by the baby monitor. In order to build Lily’s independent sleeping habit, Mithell and Cameron ignored Lily’s crying, even though they are tortured when Lily is crying.

This case shows that children in American families usually sleep alone in the evening, and parents only need to comfort them for a while if they are crying. It can be seen that American parents start to cultivate children’s independence from childhood. They believe that every child is a separate individual. Therefore children should learn to face and overcome all the problems alone, such as eating, walking and sleeping. Only in this way can children become a strong and independent person.

Case Two (Episode 7, Season 1): Manny wants to withdraw from fencing competition.

Manny: I’m not nervous. I just don’t want to fight a girl.

Gloria: What?

Manny: Defeating a woman would be a mark on my honor.

Gloria: Why? Because men are always so superior to woman?

Manny: Er...er...

Gloria: So superior that you cannot even finish your sentence?

Jay: Dude.

Gloria: Manny, you always call yourself the lover of women. But if you don’t compete with this girl, you’re showing me and all the women that you don’t respect us.

Manny: I’m sorry.

Gloria: Okey. So take back your sword and go fight this girl like a bull!

Manny: Okey.

Gloria: Can’t hear you!

Manny: Okey!

American culture values individualism, utilitarianism, equality and freedom, as well as independence and creation. Americans emphasize on an equal-dialogue attitude toward the communications between parents and kids. They respect and accept kids’ views, staying positive to the right and negative to the wrong. In this case, Manny wants to withdraw from fencing competition because he thinks that defeating a woman would be a mark on his honor. But Gloria points out that withdrawing is a lack of respect for women, and she encourages Manny to do the right thing, that is: “take back your sword and go fight this girl like a bull and show your respect for women”.

There are many similar cases in Modern Family. Luke Dunphy, is Claire and Phill’s only son, who is often doing his own thing. At times, he can be a troublemaker. He once shot his sister with a toy gun and got into a fight with Manny at school. He once announced at a family gathering that his mom, Claire, thought her dad’s new wife, Gloria, was a “gold digger”, although he misheard it as “coal digger”. He is also thought to be a bit vacuous because of many questionable actions, such as getting his head stuck in the banister and jumping on the trampoline wearing only underwear and a box on his head. However, these do not affect Phill who tries all his best to build up Luke’s self-confidence. As one episode shows, Phill was practising casting balls with Luke, but Luke always missed the balls. Phill kept picking up those missing balls and encouraged Luke to keep trying and never lose his heart.

2.2.2 Open and Democratic Educational Environment

American culture emphasizes on humanism, so family education advocates democracy and equality. The purpose of family education is promoting personal interests, potential, and creativity. American parents respect children’s personality and lay emphasis on personal independence and self-cultivation on family education. They see their children as independent individuals, and build an equal relationship in the family. They encourage children more than merely protecting them. They encourage children to keep trying different things, and learn from those experiences.

Case One (Episode 1, Season 1): Here is the dialogue between Manny, Gloria and Jay.

Manny: Brenda Feldman.

Gloria: What’s that?

Manny: A poem I have written for Brenda Feldman.

Jay: Of course it is.

Manny: I put my thoughts into words and now my words into action.

...(Manny run to Brenda Feldman, and Gloria is talking to Jay. )

Gloria: I don’t know what’s happen to him over there. But you’re his family now, and that means only one thing-you be the wind in his back, not the spit in his face.

...(Manny comes back depressed, Gloria runs to Manny.)

Manny: She has a boyfriend.

Gloria: Oh, I’m sorry, minino.

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