This thesis consists of six parts. Part one describes the research background, purpose and meaning of this study. Part two reviews the related studies on the definition and characteristics of family education. Part three focuses on the differences between Chinese and American family education from the purposes, contents and methods, based on the analysis of Home with Kids and Growing Pains. Part four probes into the causes of the differences in family education between China and America, including the different historical backgrounds, economic patterns, social conditions and the traditional cultures. Part five summarizes the inspirations to Chinese family education from American family education. The last part is the conclusion, summarizing the major contents of this study, and reiterating the research significance.

2. Literature Review源'自:吹冰`!论~文'网www.chuibin.com

As a country with a long history and splendid civilization, China had emerged stories about the family education since ancient times. “Early in the Wei, Jin and Northern and Southern Dynasties, the first series of family education monographs appeared” (Wang Dali, 2011: 135). A battery of ancient stories about family education which is filled with inspiration arise gradually and passed on from one generation to the next.

However, in China, the concept of family education was not put forward definitely until the New Culture Movement. Since then, an increasing number of scholars have started to work on this research project. Thereupon, a large quantity of works came out overwhelmingly. 

Zhao Zhongxin held that the definition of family education can be pided into broad sense and narrow sense. In his book he stated that “In narrow sense, it is the influence or education given by parents before the school education” and “In broad sense, it is the purposeful influence in the family, no matter the parents influence the children or the children influence the parents in turn, or the younger influence each other” (Zhao Zhongxin, 2011: 78). 

Nevertheless, American owns disparate viewpoints in definition of family education from Chinese. Kang Yanli once introduced two kinds of interpretations from American Dictionary of Education in Family Education. One regards “family education as the formal preparation including the curriculum in school, religious organizations and welfare groups”. Its aim is to achieve better relationship between children and parents. Another explanation is that “as an informal way of learning, family education refers to the inculcation which proceeds in family with focus on acquiring knowledge and skills of family life” (Kang Yanli, 2010: 206-207).