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Web-Based Instruction in China: Cultural and Pedagogical Implications and Challenges[*]

Doris Lee

The use of the Internet and Web-based instruction (WBI), that is, individual instruction delivered wholly or in part via the Internet or an organization’s intranet, is growing at an amaz­ing pace in China. This article describes the sta­tus of using the Internet and WBI for learning in China, and examines the many cultural and pedagogical implications and challenges pre­sented by WBI in China.

The People’s Republic of China is the third largest and the most populous country in the world. Because of a weak eco­nomic foundation and the difficulty of feeding an immensely large population, China is still a developing country. However, recently, China has been experiencing a rapid growth in the use of the Internet and its Web technologies, and many researchers are looking into the implica­tions and impact of this phenomenon. The pur­pose of this article is to discuss the cultural and pedagogical implications related to the use of WBI in China. To this end, it synthesizes perti­nent literature published both in the Western world and in China to reveal the status of using WBI in China and address the many challenges and issues presented by WBI there.