Historical Changes Of Teachers’ Value Orientation Since The Founding Of People’s Republic Of China

Teacher value orientation is the common shared preference of teacher community in the homogeneous socialization process. As the advancement of social and education reform, how to have teachers lead with regard to value orientation in the modern society transition has become a primary concern. To improve professional competency, there are growing calls for teacher professionalization; increasing requirements have been imposed to teachers, while their perception, skills and specific behaviors are thoroughly involved in institutional regulation. However, the effect is not satisfactory. With their knowledge structure, skills and material condition improving, their overall sense of responsibility and competency do not fortify significantly. We used to blame the absence of teacher professionalization, shortage of material condition and vague moral instruction, yet never realized that a lack of value and culture concern causes planarization of the teaching profession. Being core element of culture and idea world, value orientation impact teacher’s life and living, determing their attitude toward life and job, as well as every specific decision and behavior. Consequently, a monographic study of teacher value orientation has not only Theoretical significance, but also reality-oriented meaning.Discovered in the literature review process, previous teacher value orientation studies put an objective eye on the oughtness of the values teachers should take, suggesting correspondent criteria and standards on account of social expectation to teacher, yet put little attention to the de facto teacher value orientation or its formation process. To overcome the limit of objective study, we try to from subjective angle exhibit the real state of teacher value orientation in diverse times, promoting studies in this field.Taking account of historical context transition, stage features of education reform and development, evolution of policies pertaining to teachers, this study divides the teacher value orientation into 5 historical stages. The first stage starts in 1949, ends in 1966, including the first 17 years of People’s Republic of China. The second stage starts in 1966 and ends in 1976, is the decade of Cultural Revolution. The third stage starts in 1976 and ends in 1992, is the early stage of reform and opening up. The fourth stage starts in 1992 and ends in 2001, is the market economy stage. The last stage is from 2001 till now. Using history as thread, primary and middle school teachers as research subjects, this thesis attempts to achieve three goals: describing the fundamental track of teacher value transformation; revealing social structure and psychological foundation behind the transformation; and generalizing historical law and features of teacher value transformation, using history to care for reality, providing advice, lesson and insight for the teacher community.Based on defining teacher value orientation, this paper divides its analytic dimension into 3 parts: social mentality, value pursuit and personality characteristics. Social mentality is the foundation and guidance; value pursuit is the aim and inner drive; personality characteristics is the final manifestation. Prerequisite study says that teacher value orientation is not innate nor absolute stable; it is under influence of many elements in the process of socialization, constructed by itself and by the environment. Teacher value orientation does not form in a top-to-bottom or bottom-to-top way. Indeed, national policy superordinately intervenes its formation, determing its basic range and tendency, but specific cultural atmosphere, interpersonal relationship and status also have immeasurable impact on teacher value orientation. To some extent, every life detail may integrate into teachers’ value, making its ultimate pattern both vertically, historically, ideologically, and at the same time horizontally, environmentally penetrating. The former requires an understanding of historical background and orientation of policy and value at certain period of time. The latter requires a meticulous observation and analysis of teachers inner life. Therefore we start from subjective standpoint and particularity, underscoring macro background such as state ideology, policy and socioculture, while analyzing teacher life experience and influential factors.After the foundation of People’s Republic China 60 years ago, China social structure and economic foundation have undergone enormous change during a series of social reform and integration. Correspondingly, Teacher value orientation changed dramatically, taking distinct time features: selfless dedicator in passionate years; passive revolutionist under the oppression of ideology; knowledge disseminator in the era of reform and opening up; survivor in the market economy; professional in the information age. The shift and reaction amidst teacher value orientation and social change leave us valuable lessons. We believe a dialectical eye must be put on the relationship between teacher value orientation and social change: for one thing, the complexity of social shift and regeneration should not be underestimate, current issues being taken into account and its constraint on teacher value orientation; for another, we need to perceive the initiative of teacher value orientation, realizing there is hope in enacting reform from teachers and educational section, believing a single spark can start a prairie fire.