Cornelius N. Grove

• Doctor of Education
• Independent Researcher

The title’s question is answered very differently in the U.S. and East Asia. Few Americans assume that students themselves are responsible for learning, i.e., for having the will-power and the perseverance to study long and hard. Parents feel responsible for their youngsters’ learning until they enter school, after which parents assume that teacher...

Spurred by the growing popularity of educational boundary-crossing, anthropologists of education and other scholars became interested around 1970 in the contrasts between East Asia and the West (especially the U.S.) regarding questions such as how to learn, how to behave in a classroom, and how to raise children interested in learning. This article...

East Asian students at all levels have consistently outperformed their American peers on every international comparative test (TIMSS and PISA). How is math taught in East Asian classrooms? The answers are known, thanks to four decades of findings coming from Western researchers there. This article begins by expressing doubt about whether, and to wh...

In this meditation on the nature of children’s learning from prehistoric times until today, Grove contrasts traditional child-rearing with child-rearing in our modern world. In the former, parents are not responsible for the rearing and learning of their children, who are cared for by an older sibling. Youngsters learn everything they need to know...

This excerpt from Grove’s ‘A Mirror for Americans,’ Chapter 2 – East Asian Preschools, Part I: Where Children Learn How to Live – discusses Japanese preschools of the “relationship-oriented” type, which are popular with parents and have been extensively studied. Discussed are two choices faced by preschools everywhere: how to handle children’s inte...

This excerpt from Grove’s ‘A Mirror for Americans,’ Chapter 6 – East Asian Primary Schools, Part I: How Classroom Lessons Are Delivered – discusses the roles of the teacher, the pupils, and the knowledge to be learned during whole-class interactive learning in primary schools. This excerpt opens with a review of the cultural context of East Asian e...

Published in late 2023, this 6-page thought-piece appeared in a magazine dedicated to advancing the efficacy of educational technology. The article’s tagline was, "Once upon a time, long, long ago, growing children learned everything they would need to know as adults simply by watching others. Everything." Based on Grove's research for his 2023 boo...

Published in mid-2023, this 5-page thought-piece appeared on a website that supports teachers. The article’s tagline was, "Cornelius Grove asks an intriguing question about children in societies where formal education doesn’t exist." Based on Grove's research for his 2023 book, "How Other Children Learn," this article holds that children in all soc...

This excerpt from Grove’s How Other Children Learn reviews the ways youngsters are raised in indigenous and traditional societies: They are cared for by a slightly older sibling and learn almost everything they need to know on their own and with other children. To learn, they watch adults, imitate them, and pitch in. These practices revised Grove’s...

To gain comparative insights into middle-class Americans’ child-related values and practices, Grove’s How Other Children Learn examines children’s learning and parents’ parenting in five traditional societies. Such societies are those have not been affected by “modern” – urban, industrial – values and ways of life. They are found in small villages...

This 6-page paper is a straightforward explanation of the “KNOWLEDGE-FOCUSED” and “LEARNER-FOCUSED” sets of values and expectations regarding classroom knowledge transfer (via teaching, training, and presenting to groups). The knowledge-focused approach is discussed first; it has been around in all world regions since formal education began, and is...

This one-day training program is designed for participants who are teachers, trainers, and other presenters. Its goal is to increase their readiness to notice, and ability to respond effectively to, a barrier that undermines effective knowledge transfer to groups of nationally (or ethnically) mixed learners. That barrier is the difference between “...

This 4-page paper overviews the history behind many Americans’ belief that a child’s academic success, or lack of it, is attributable mainly to inborn intelligence. The origin of this belief is traceable to Plato’s teachings about the “Real” world of “essences.” From there, the belief is traced down through the influential perspectives of Aristotle...

This 5-page article is a summary of Cornelius Grove's 2017 book, "The Drive to Learn: What the East Asian Experience Tells Us about Raising Students Who Excel." Grove sought an explanation for why, on the international comparative tests (e.g., PISA) since 1970, East Asian students ALWAYS have scored at or near the top (while U.S. students have alwa...

Social scientists have begun distinguishing between WEIRD and not-weird societies. WEIRD societies are Western, Educated, Individualized, Rich, and Democratic; they differ in myriad ways from the traditional societies that have characterized almost all of human history. For example, the assumptions about children’s learning differ between WEIRD and...

This 7-page article is a summary of Cornelius Grove's 2020 book, "A Mirror for Americans: What the East Asian Experience Tells Us about Teaching Students Who Excel." Grove sought an explanation for why, on the international comparative tests (e.g., PISA) since 1970, East Asian students ALWAYS have scored at or near the top (while U.S. students have...

This 6-page article is a summary of Cornelius Grove’s 2013 book, “The Aptitude Myth: How an Ancient Belief Came to Undermine Children’s Learning Today.” It explores the deep origins and spread to the U.S. of a belief that a student’s academic prowess is largely determined by his or her inborn intelligence. Grove reveals that this belief originated...

This article was written in response to a previous one in “Education Week.” The earlier article was by a school of education professor. Noting the poor results of the NAEP, the professor asked who should be responsible for student learning. In answering his own question, he discussed numerous factors, all under the control of adult educators. Grove...

This article's practical advice for U.S. parents is an outcome of Grove's research for his 2017 book, "The Drive to Learn." Grove emphasizes that East Asian parents think of themselves not as cheerleaders and encouragers of their children classroom learning, but rather as coaches, trainers, and indeed partners with their children in the latter's qu...

Based on the findings of Grove's research for "The Drive to Learn" (2017), this OpEd piece (not selected by the New York Times and other newspapers) posits that a critical contribution to the improvement of U.S. children's academic learning lies not what happens in schools, but what happens in homes. Reference is made to Amy Chua and her 2011 book,...

Drawing on his research for “The Drive to Learn,” Grove contrasts the beliefs of Americans and East Asians regarding young children’s learning, especially learning in school. The first contrast Grove draws is between East Asian and American beliefs about a child’s potential. The second contrast he draws is between their beliefs about how children l...

Grove discusses the Japanese concept of “kata.” Literally translated as “form,” kata means “way of doing” in the sense of an established, orderly process. For example, in the martial arts, kata refers to a finely choreographed pattern of precise physical movements. Kata implies that, if something needs to be learned, a novice should seek active gui...

Grove draws on “The Drive to Learn,” which compared child-rearing in East Asia and the U.S., to identify a critical difference in how parents support their child’s academic learning. East Asian parents take the stance of athletic coaches; American parents adopt a cheerleader’s role. This is a key factor in East Asian children’s academic superiority...

This is the Participants’ Manual for the one-day training program – “Dr. Grove’s Toolkit” – described here on ResearchGate by the summary of the INSTRUCTOR’S MANUAL. The two manuals are identical except that in this Participants’ Manual, Cornelius Grove’s explanations and suggestions for the Instructor are not included. These manuals are not copyri...

This conference paper posits that there are two basic approaches to classroom instruction in use around the world, one strongly associated with the East, known as “KNOWLEDGE-FOCUSED,” and another strongly associated with the West, especially the U.S., known as “LEARNER-FOCUSED.” (They are sometimes termed “Content-Focused” and “Process-Focused,” re...

This article discusses differences in the culture of the classroom. Grove posits that some classrooms are “KNOWLEDGE-FOCUSED,” while others are “LEARNER-FOCUSED,” and that throughout any lesson, the dominant value system affects the expectations and interactions of both teacher and students. When a student accustomed to one classroom culture enters...

Grove posits that two features of secondary schools in Portugal and the United States are strikingly different. In Portugal, students have almost unrestricted social freedom but extremely limited pedagogical freedom. In U.S., students have very little social freedom while enjoying a vast amount of pedagogical freedom. The limited pedagogical freedo...

What is the explanation for American students’ comparatively mediocre academic performance? A Mirror for Americans finds part of it in how they are taught in primary schools. Comparisons with East Asian teaching are supplied by 50 years of research findings. Grove asks not that we copy East Asian teaching approaches, but that we use them as a mirro...

What is the explanation for American students’ comparatively mediocre academic performance? A Mirror for Americans finds part of it in how they are taught in primary schools. Comparisons with East Asian teaching are supplied by 50 years of research findings. Grove asks not that we copy East Asian teaching approaches, but that we use them as a mirro...

What is the explanation for American students’ comparatively mediocre academic performance? A Mirror for Americans finds part of it in how they are taught in primary schools. Comparisons with East Asian teaching are supplied by 50 years of research findings. Grove asks not that we copy East Asian teaching approaches, but that we use them as a mirro...

What is the explanation for American students’ comparatively mediocre academic performance? A Mirror for Americans finds part of it in how they are taught in primary schools. Comparisons with East Asian teaching are supplied by 50 years of research findings. Grove asks not that we copy East Asian teaching approaches, but that we use them as a mirro...

What is the explanation for American students’ comparatively mediocre academic performance? A Mirror for Americans finds part of it in how they are taught in primary schools. Comparisons with East Asian teaching are supplied by 50 years of research findings. Grove asks not that we copy East Asian teaching approaches, but that we use them as a mirro...

What is the explanation for American students’ comparatively mediocre academic performance? A Mirror for Americans finds part of it in how they are taught in primary schools. Comparisons with East Asian teaching are supplied by 50 years of research findings. Grove asks not that we copy East Asian teaching approaches, but that we use them as a mirro...

What is the explanation for American students’ comparatively mediocre academic performance? A Mirror for Americans finds part of it in how they are taught in primary schools. Comparisons with East Asian teaching are supplied by 50 years of research findings. Grove asks not that we copy East Asian teaching approaches, but that we use them as a mirro...

What is the explanation for American students’ comparatively mediocre academic performance? A Mirror for Americans finds part of it in how they are taught in primary schools. Comparisons with East Asian teaching are supplied by 50 years of research findings. Grove asks not that we copy East Asian teaching approaches, but that we use them as a mirro...

What is the explanation for American students’ comparatively mediocre academic performance? A Mirror for Americans finds part of it in how they are taught in primary schools. Comparisons with East Asian teaching are supplied by 50 years of research findings. Grove asks not that we copy East Asian teaching approaches, but that we use them as a mirro...

What is the explanation for American students’ comparatively mediocre academic performance? A Mirror for Americans finds part of it in how they are taught in primary schools. Comparisons with East Asian teaching are supplied by 50 years of research findings. Grove asks not that we copy East Asian teaching approaches, but that we use them as a mirro...

What is the explanation for American students’ comparatively mediocre academic performance? A Mirror for Americans finds part of it in how they are taught in primary schools. Comparisons with East Asian teaching are supplied by 50 years of research findings. Grove asks not that we copy East Asian teaching approaches, but that we use them as a mirro...

What is the explanation for American students’ comparatively mediocre academic performance? A Mirror for Americans finds part of it in how they are taught in primary schools. Comparisons with East Asian teaching are supplied by 50 years of research findings. Grove asks not that we copy East Asian teaching approaches, but that we use them as a mirro...

Cognitive style has an established meaning and an emerging one. The former is associated with research between 1940 and 2000, when most researchers were US‐based individual psychologists, their subjects were usually Americans, their methods were survey and self‐report, their focus was on classifying the ways in which different individuals handle in...

With Greek roots meaning “the child” and “to lead,” pedagogy today may refer to the theory and practice of classroom instruction, or more broadly to the bringing about of a child's development into adulthood. This entry adopts the broader meaning, and applies a cross‐cultural perspective by relying on the voluminous research findings of anthropolog...

Countless books and articles have offered remedies for the poor learning outcomes of American schoolchildren. Virtually all of these publications share one thing in common: They propose improvements in the policies and practices controlled by adult educators. Grove believes that our children’s poor learning cannot be totally the fault of educators....

Countless books and articles have offered remedies for the poor learning outcomes of American schoolchildren. Virtually all of these publications share one thing in common: They propose improvements in the policies and practices controlled by adult educators. Grove believes that our children’s poor learning cannot be totally the fault of educators....

Countless books and articles have offered remedies for the poor learning outcomes of American schoolchildren. Virtually all of these publications share one thing in common: They propose improvements in the policies and practices controlled by adult educators. Grove believes that our children’s poor learning cannot be totally the fault of educators....

Countless books and articles have offered remedies for the poor learning outcomes of American schoolchildren. Virtually all of these publications share one thing in common: They propose improvements in the policies and practices controlled by adult educators. Grove believes that our children’s poor learning cannot be totally the fault of educators....

Countless books and articles have offered remedies for the poor learning outcomes of American schoolchildren. Virtually all of these publications share one thing in common: They propose improvements in the policies and practices controlled by adult educators. Grove believes that our children’s poor learning cannot be totally the fault of educators....

Countless books and articles have offered remedies for the poor learning outcomes of American schoolchildren. Virtually all of these publications share one thing in common: They propose improvements in the policies and practices controlled by adult educators. Grove believes that our children’s poor learning cannot be totally the fault of educators....

Countless books and articles have offered remedies for the poor learning outcomes of American schoolchildren. Virtually all of these publications share one thing in common: They propose improvements in the policies and practices controlled by adult educators. Grove believes that our children’s poor learning cannot be totally the fault of educators....

Countless books and articles have offered remedies for the poor learning outcomes of American schoolchildren. Virtually all of these publications share one thing in common: They propose improvements in the policies and practices controlled by adult educators. Grove believes that our children’s poor learning cannot be totally the fault of educators....

Countless books and articles have offered remedies for the poor learning outcomes of American schoolchildren. Virtually all of these publications share one thing in common: They propose improvements in the policies and practices controlled by adult educators. Grove believes that our children’s poor learning cannot be totally the fault of educators....

Countless books and articles have offered remedies for the poor learning outcomes of American schoolchildren. Virtually all of these publications share one thing in common: They propose improvements in the policies and practices controlled by adult educators. Grove believes that our children’s poor learning cannot be totally the fault of educators....

Countless books and articles have offered remedies for the poor learning outcomes of American schoolchildren. Virtually all of these publications share one thing in common: They propose improvements in the policies and practices controlled by adult educators. Grove believes that our children’s poor learning cannot be totally the fault of educators....

Countless books and articles have offered remedies for the poor learning outcomes of American schoolchildren. Virtually all of these publications share one thing in common: They propose improvements in the policies and practices controlled by adult educators. Grove believes that our children’s poor learning cannot be totally the fault of educators....

The Aptitude Myth addresses the decline in American children’s mastery of critical school subjects. It contends that a contributing cause for this decline derives from many Americans’ ways of thinking about children’s learning: They believe that school performance is determined very largely by innate aptitude. The Aptitude Myth traces the deep hist...

The Aptitude Myth addresses the decline in American children’s mastery of critical school subjects. It contends that a contributing cause for this decline derives from many Americans’ ways of thinking about children’s learning: They believe that school performance is determined very largely by innate aptitude. The Aptitude Myth traces the deep hist...

The Aptitude Myth addresses the decline in American children’s mastery of critical school subjects. It contends that a contributing cause for this decline derives from many Americans’ ways of thinking about children’s learning: They believe that school performance is determined very largely by innate aptitude. The Aptitude Myth traces the deep hist...

The Aptitude Myth addresses the decline in American children’s mastery of critical school subjects. It contends that a contributing cause for this decline derives from many Americans’ ways of thinking about children’s learning: They believe that school performance is determined very largely by innate aptitude. The Aptitude Myth traces the deep hist...

The Aptitude Myth addresses the decline in American children’s mastery of critical school subjects. It contends that a contributing cause for this decline derives from many Americans’ ways of thinking about children’s learning: They believe that school performance is determined very largely by innate aptitude. The Aptitude Myth traces the deep hist...

The concept of "face" is taken seriously in China and throughout Asia, but in the United States is it scarcely recognized, at least consciously. Americans, however, have an experiential basis for recognizing the meaning and purpose of "face" in the notion of a "white lie." This chapter elaborates on the "face" concept and discusses its importance i...

Grove and coauthor Hallowell address the fact that U.S. corporations with a commitment to diversity & inclusion are increasingly exporting their policies and practices to their operations abroad. Such initiatives are widely admired. But this article reveals that globalizing diversity actually presents a corporation with two dilemmas, one ethical an...

This article in "Leadership in Action," a journal published by the Center for Creative Leadership, explains how interculturalists can assist business teams and individuals in learning and applying competencies that can be tailored for specific cross-cultural situations.

Global leadership coaching is becoming increasingly popular. This short paper explains what it is and emphasizes the critical importance of such coaching's being genuinely global in concept and delivery (informed by intercultural and anthropological research), not simply a Made-in-the-USA product disseminated as-is to businesses in other world regi...

For the benefit of expatriates and other newcomers from abroad working in American businesses, explains seven of the "balances" that they will need to attain in their day-to-day behavior if they are to eventually become effective in the American business context. This article was republished half-a-dozen times by various organizations.

Grove and coauthor Hallowell, respectively an interculturalist and an anthropologist, offer a concise account of the origins, antecedent disciplines (not just anthropology), and day-to-day work of intercultural professionals. They also address two common misperceptions: that the field is strictly academic, and that intercultural training is merely...

Grove and coauthor Hallowell clarify the nature and benefits of intercultural training – but not just any intercultural training. They address training with the mission of improving the on-the-job performance and interpersonal effectiveness of businesspeople who interact with counterparts from unfamiliar cultures. Such training must be client- and...

Grove and coauthor Hallowell note that a KPMG report on mergers and acquisitions discusses “Seven Key Practices” that improve the likelihood that an M&A will increase shareholder value. But KPMG’s report admits that even when all seven are applied in combination, merely 67% of M&As add value! What’s missing? Cultural integration, a service of busin...

Grove highlights contributions by the relatively new field of intercultural communication toward understanding how business relationships are built across cultures and distance. Although he admires insights from the field of emotional competence, Grove argues that Goleman and his predecessors “were addressing human encounters wholly within the cont...

Grove challenges the predictive accuracy of the on-line assessment instruments that many global businesses use in selecting employees for assignments that require living and working abroad in an unfamiliar culture. His four challenges are under the headings “Research-based,” “Individually completed,” “Self-report,” and “Personality assessments.” Th...

Presented are three case studies of Asians - two Japanese, one Chinese - who were working as expatriates in the U.S. offices of major global corporations, and of the misunderstandings that emerged for each. Each case is discussed in detail, and likely ways to avoid or at least reduce such misunderstandings in the future are suggested.

In merely 263 words, Grove focuses on the essential contrast between the cultures of the United States and Japan, which reveals this paradox: Japan’s “collectivist” culture actually promotes the acceptance of responsibility by the individual; America’s “individualist” culture actually promotes denial of responsibility by the individual.

In this short discussion, Grove explains why “culture shock,” usually assumed to be a wholly psychological disturbance, is equally physiological in nature. Why? Living every day in an unfamiliar social and physical environment constantly requires newcomers to expend far more perceptual, mental, emotional energy than when they’re in their familiar s...

Three psychological constructs—applicability of behavior, clarity of the mental frame of reference, and level of mere adequacy—are used to reconceptualize the process of adjustment to a highly unfamiliar environment. A model is presented that goes beyond the symptom level to understand intercultural adjustment from the perspective of cognitive and...

Reports the findings of an extensive research project carried out by AFS Intercultural Programs, the student exchange organization, in order to measure the principal gains of the teenaged students who participated in its international homestays abroad. This project also served as the Ph.D. dissertation research of Bettina Hansel.

Having spent 7 months teaching in United States schools, a dozen teachers of English from the People's Republic of China compare teaching methods, rapport with students, and school life in both countries. (JW)