On student maturity

My teaching of university aged students in China has challenged me in many ways, and my notions regarding maturity are certainly a part of it. I've heard that Chinese high schoolers are like middle schoolers, and Chinese university students are like high schoolers. Indeed, I have found that my students don't behave like university aged students back home. In Chinese culture, adulthood is reached after graduating from university, not before. Hence, in this culture's mindset, these students are still children. And the way they are often taught, including at university, doesn't allow them much of a chance to take responsibility for their learning. Figuring out what adulthood is and what I should do about it in the classroom are two problems I am struggling with.

The first difficulty is with the concept of adulthood and what it is. Different cultures define it differently and even then, different people reach it at different times. University students can be adults. How much is expected of a person and what experiences he's undergone has much to do with how mature he is and acts. So, do I just accept what this culture says that my students are children or do I treat them as adults as I would in my own culture?

If these students have the developmental potential to be adults, is it demeaning to treat them as anything less? It certainly is demeaning to treat anyone as less mature than he actually is; it is not clear whether it is demeaning to treat someone as less mature than he should be. For example, it is reasonable to hold an immature student to the same expectations of maturity as his peers; however, if most of the class is "immature," a teacher may, for better or for worse, lower expectations of maturity for the whole class.

The second difficulty is with how this affects what teachers do in the classroom. A good teacher is able to use his classroom to teach more than the stated subject matter. The development of well rounded individuals is a laudable goal at any level. So, if students aren't acting mature, teachers have a responsibility to develop maturity.

There certainly is a role for scaffolding, the support teachers give students to help them accomplish more than they otherwise could have. Providing the right amount of scaffolding is not easy. Too much and the student isn't challenged; too little and the student finds the task impossible. The right amount gives the student some support to reach the goal, but leaves room for the student to be challenged and grow. In addition, if the teachers' expectations are too low, the students will only meet those expectations. If the teacher's expectations are high, perhaps the students will rise to meet them; however, if the teacher's expectations are too high, the students cannot meet the expectations.

I'm not sure where that leaves me, but I want to search for an appropriately high set of expectations. If I push too hard, the tasks will seem impossible, and the students will shut down. I need to consistently use helpful scaffolding to give the students support while they build themselves higher.

Dear readers, please give me some feedback, especially those of you who have done this, on what has worked for you and your own educational philosophies. Also, feel free to critique my thoughts and presuppositions.