A comparison of U.S. and Chinese university students' cognitive development: The cross-cultural applicability of Perry's theory

Abstract

The cross-cultural generalizability of William Perry's (1970) theory of intellectual and ethical development was examined via the Zhang Cognitive Development Inventory (ZCDI; L. F. Zhang, 1995, which is based on Perry's theory), with 3 samples of college students, 1 from the United States and 2 from the People's Republic of China. The ZCDI was shown to be reliable and valid for all 3 samples. The results indicated that the Chinese college students' cognitive-developmental pattern differed from that proposed by Perry, but the U.S. students' pattern did not. Possible reasons for the different cognitive-developmental pattern of the Chinese students are presented, leading to the conclusion that Perry's scheme is not universal. Instead, students' cognitive-developmental patterns seem to vary as a function of different cultural and education systems. The implications of these results are discussed in relation to student affairs practice.