Child and Adolescent Development in China: Not That Different From Western Countries After All?

The purpose of this commentary is to discuss the key points addressed in the papers included in the special issue on child and adolescent development in China. The reviews included here suggest that, for the most part, child and adolescent development in China is not significantly different from that reported in Western countries. I further argue that to better understand the role of Chinese culture in academic achievement (this appears to be the major outcome in most studies), we need more cross-cultural studies that contrast the role of multiple factors (e.g., cognitive, linguistic, environmental) simultaneously.