Contoh Summary Response Essay : Opinion Towards Strict Parenting

In the article "South Korean Education Ranks High, But It’s The Kids Who Pay" by David Santandreu Calonge, states that authoritarian parenting method is very detrimental to children and gives them mental stress. I'm not totally against the authoritarian method, because I think there are still some advantages of authoritarian parenting method which I find quite effective in educating children.

        Mr. Calonge said that Tiger Parenting (authoritarian parenting often in Korean and some Asian cultures) is less effective than a supportive parenting environment. “To be a South Korean (Asian) child ultimately is not about freedom, personal choice or happiness; it is about production, performance and obedience,” He said. In my personal experience who lives in Javanese society, we have the same values too.  Javanese have the principle that obeying the choices of parents is the key to happiness for the children’s future. Authoritarian parenting is also commonplace here. So, what makes the Asian people uphold the authoritarian parenting even when the article states it less effective?

        In that article, the author also mentioned some example of authoritarian parenting adverse effect like student suicide. South Korea has one of the highest rates of suicide (28.9%) in the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development). Korea also ranks among the highest for household debt, depression, divorce, and alcohol consumption. It has been argued South Korean education produces overachieving students who pay a stiff price in health and happiness. Research has found that Asian-American students are more likely to have conflicted relationships with their parents over unmet expectations and more self-image issues than white students. The 2014 Youth Happiness Index found for instance that only 67.6% of Korean youth said they are satisfied with their life (OECD average is 85.8%), mostly because of study pressure.

        I think the article is quite biased towards one side only, we need to consider the authoritarian parenting from another point of view. The authoritarian parenting has been maintained from generation to generation for many reasons, like building high work ethic. According to studies Hong Kong Chinese (Leung et al 1998) and of Asia immigrants to North America (Chao 2001) have linked authoritarian parenting with higher school achievement. Authoritarian parenting also has advantages like it may encourage self-discipline in children and help develop a strong work ethic. It may also teach children to challenge themselves, help them get to grips with problem solving, and encourage them to focus on intrinsic motivation rather than external rewards.  If we don't adopt a strict-lifestyle we will not really try to make significant changes in our lives. We will not “break our limit”, and will only live in our comfort zone. I believe that "more effort" will definitely change our life for the better.

        The results of the Program for International Student Assessment / PISA (a worldwide study by the OECD in nearly 80 countries of the academic performance of 15 year old students in math, science, and reading) show that 7 out of the 10 highest ranking countries are the countries in Asia that generally do a "strict" education method. maybe the reason why this culture continues to be carried out from generation to generation is because the results of this method are very good.

 

        Yale law professor, Amy Chua says the Asian overrepresented in many of the nation's elite universities and being a high achiever not because Asian people enjoy an innate advantage in IQ it’s about parenting. Asian mothers raise more accomplished, academically successful kids because they are more demanding and strict than Western mothers are. There is some evidence in her favor. We know, for example, that parents who set high standards tend to have kids who are more successful at school. It’s also clear that Asian parents tend to spend more time pushing their kids to study, practice, and achieve. Decades of research suggests that Chinese kids have two big advantages, advantages that have little to do with authoritarianism. First, the Asian parents emphasize effort, not innate ability and the children's peers support each other when they work hard at school.

 

        People want to know if authoritarian parenting can sometimes be a bad thing. I'm inclined to say not. In any case, it's clear that there are good things about authoritarian parenting and those are lessons that can benefit us all. Maybe we should pay more attention to our child's mental and increase our communication, to reduce the adverse effects. While both Western and Asian parenting styles come with their own set of merits, they can also lead to extremes, and every child responds differently. Ultimately, whatever style a person resorts to, it's all in the name of love and wanting the best for their child.

TITLE : South Korean Education Ranks High, But It’s The Kids Who Pay

AUTHOR : David Santandreu Calonge

LINK : https://theconversation.com/south-korean-education-ranks-high-but-its-the-kids-who-pay-34430#:~:text=Korea%20also%20ranks%20among%20the,price%20in%20health%20and%20happiness.

References

Chao R. 2001. Extending research on the consequences of parenting style for Chinese Americans and European Americans. Child Development 72: 1832-1843.

Chao R. 1994. Beyond parental control; authoritarian parenting style: Understanding Chinese parenting through the cultural notion of training. Child Development 45: 1111-1119.

Leung PWL and Kwon KSF. 1998. Parenting Styles, Motivational Orientations, and Self-Perceived Academic Competence: A Mediational Model. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly.44(1): 1-19