The Study On History Of Mathematical Education Thought Of Primary And Secondary Schools In China (1902-1952)

In 1902, China promulgated the new academic structure, which paved the way for the path of modernization of primary and secondary mathematics education in China. From the late Ming Dynasty, the western mathematical works were gradually brought to China, and it has produced important historical significance to the development of mathematics in China, which promoted the modernization of Chinese mathematics and had a positive impact. However, these achievements have not been able to change the Chinese traditional mathematics education. The new academic structure has been able to led to the reform of 2000 years of traditional mathematics education in China. What were the historical background, social environment and cultural and educational environment at home and abroad for the revolutionary change? What were the historical significance resulting from this movement? What was the process of making it more suitable into Chinese situation and what was the internal driving force for the modern mathematics education, and so on? This paper takes these questions as the starting point for the study. The literature research method is the main method and others are secondary in this paper. In the following part, the discussion is carried out the systematical investigation on the 50 years history of mathematics education thought in China between 1902 and 1952.First, in the overview of the history of Chinese traditional mathematics education, the cultural features to the thought of Chinese traditional mathematics, mathematics education purpose, etc are discussed through the Nine Chapters of Mathematical Arts, the classic of Chinese traditional mathematics works. Through introduction of the dialogue of the Rong Fang and Chen Zi in the Mathematical Classic on the Zhou Gnomon and some contents from the South Song dynasty Yang Hui's Outline of Mathematics Study, the thought and methods of Chinese traditional mathematics teaching are discussed. The author also points out strengths and weaknesses; based on the educational purposes and pedagogy of the school charter, curriculum standards and teaching programme, the mathematics education thought of primary and secondary in China is introduced.Second, based on the analysis of the social background and educational background to the production of Chinese mathematics education system under the new system, the author discusses the effects of Japanese mathematics education and its ideology on Chinese modernization of mathematics education.The main contents of this part are as follows:1. After the collision of various ideas and concepts, China borrowed and copied Japanese mathematics education system.2. The position of Fujisawa Rikitarou's Arithmetic Entries and Teaching Methods was confirmed which was translated by Wang Guo-wei in China. The author points out that the Arithmetic Entries and Teaching Methods is the first theoretical works of mathematics education to Chinese people, which made Chinese people begin to understand the "mathematics is the gymnastics of thinking training," and the shape of theory and practice, etc.3. In the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China, Japanese mathematics education affected Chinese from the mathematics education system, textbooks, and teaching methods, etc. The author discusses Kinnosuke Ogura's Fundamental problem of mathematics education, which introduces his mathematics education thought, such as the mathematical shape of academic and education, the integrationist of school mathematics, the scientific spirit in mathematics education in details. On this basis, by Liu Yi-heng's series of lectures in "the National Summer Science Teachers Workshop in Beijing Normal University" and the mathematics education paper of mathematicians Chen Jian-gong, the author elaborates the effects of Kinnosuke Ogura's mathematics education thought on China. And the inherent connection to Liu Yi-heng and Chen Jian-gong's mathematics education thought with Kinnosuke Ogura's is further illustrated. At last, the extent of Japanese mathematics education impact on China is analyzed as well.4. In the discussion of Japanese mathematics education impact on China, the author explains the process of bringing Herbartian teaching method from Japan to China, and focuses on the Herbart's mathematical epistemology, mathematics education thought and the influence on Chinese mathematics education.Third, in the Republic of China, the United States mathematics education had a significant impact on China. The main content of this part is as follows:1. John Dewey's pragmatism education and its impact on Chinese mathematics education.2. Through introducing some translated and wide-spread works in China, such as Arthur Schultze's Teaching of Mathematics in Secondary Schools, D. E. Smith's Teaching of Mathematics in Elementary School, and George Polya's How to solve it, the author discusses the United States mathematics education impact on China.3. With Yu Zi-yi and Liao Shicheng's teaching experiments about the United States's project teaching and Dalton plan in Shanghai, Nanjing and other cites and areas, the author discusses the United States teaching methods impact on China.Fourth, from the perspective of the development of mathematics education purposes, mathematics textbooks and teaching methods, the author discusses the tortuous course of making the western mathematics education system more suitable into Chinese situation. The main content of this part is as follows:1. Chinese mathematics textbooks used in primary and secondary schools had gong through the process of translation, compilation, and self-writing. But some original mathematics textbooks in foreign language were directly used in some primary and secondary schools. In this case, there was a fierce struggle between traditional thought and modern thought.2. It was the beginning of introduction modern mathematics education theory when Wang Guo-wei translated Fujisawa Rikitarou's Arithmetic Entries and Teaching Methods. From that time, Chinese people gradually began to translate and compile works and papers about teaching methods such as general teaching method, teaching all subjects, unidisciplinary approach, and special teaching method. Through this approach, Mathematics teaching method could meet the teaching needs in China and achieved innovation goals.3. Based on the brief introduction of the well-known mathematics educator Wu Zai-yuan and Yu Jie-shi's mathematics textbooks and related theoretical works and papers, the author systematically and thoroughly discuss the Chinese mathematics educators'sense of urgency and ideas on making the western mathematics education more suitable into Chinese situation.Although the development history of mathematics textbooks was investigated in the field of the History of Chinese mathematics education, few studies related to ideological aspects.In addition, previous studies basically focused on the macro or the micro aspects of the education system (school charters, curriculum standards). When did the modern mathematics education research start? How did it get developed? And what are the characteristics of mathematics education? No one has done the researches on the above questions. The significance of this paper can be summarized into the following four points:Firstly, it is the first time that from the perspective of the history of mathematics education thought, the history of Chinese mathematics education from 1902 to 1952 is studied. Systematical study is done on the characteristics of Chinese mathematics education, forms and results. And from the perspective of historiography (or academic history), the relevant theories are discussed.Secondly, through deep study on the first-hand information, the author explores the root to establishment of mathematics education thought, namely, the ideological root and cultural root. Why there is different mathematics education thought in different historical period and the history characteristics in different historical period are summarized as well.Thirdly, the author systematically studies the process of making foreign mathematics education more suitable into Chinese situation mainly from the breadth and depth, which has a certain reference value to the future reform of mathematics education in China. Also it is the first time to study the history of mathematics education based on making foreign mathematics education more suitable into Chinese situation.Fourthly, the author elaborates the changing of some mathematical terminologies and some unknown historical issues.