Studies On Education For Farmers In Modern China

Rural economy, rural development and rural demography, the so-called "three rural" issues in China, have always been the fundamentals for the national economic and social development and modernization. Farmers are the main subject for agricultural production in the rural society and they are the basic of the "three rural" issues; and the quality of farmers is principal factors to agricultural development and progress in the rural areas. The farmer modernization is the important foundation for agriculture modernization and the new socialist rural construction. Therefore, to strengthen farmer education and deepen the education reform constitutes urgent theoretical and practical problems. Studying the thoughts and practices of modern farmer education in China is undoubtedly of great theoretical and practical value in promoting the contemporary farmer education theory as well as for solving the existing problems.The paper studied the farmer education in modern China from the educational and historical point of view. The main research methods included literature review, the unity principle of history and logic, and the comparative research methodology. Concepts and categories of management sciences were also applied in studying the farmer education in modern China to achieve the following two purposes: One is to study the special project systematically, as"modern Chinese farmer education", and generalize the current farmer educational theory from the academic aspect, especially the "modern farmer education". The other is to propose the reference and inspirations for contemporary farmer education reform and progression from the aspect of serving the reality by means of summarizing experiences and lessons of modern Chinese farmer education.This paper attempted to explore a complete logic and mentality system, with the "modern farmer education" as the connotation, the historical evolution as the horizontal line, the analysis and review of the thought and practice as the vertical line respectively. The present study was completed in five parts and consisted of seven chapters. Part one was the introduction on the background, purpose, ideas and methods of "farmer education in modern China", and the related concepts were interpreted and defined. Part two consisted of the second and third chapters, mainly introducing the background and historical evolution, analyzing the historical background of the modern Chinese farmer, and outlining the modern Chinese farmer education from the budding, developing to difficultly progressing. The three stages of the modern farmer education development were proposed. Part three was the analysis of ideology and practice, consisting of the fourth and fifth chapters. First, the farmer education thoughts of modern educators Huang Yan-pei, Tao Xing-zhi, Yan Yang-chu, Liang Shu-ming, Yu Qing-tang and Lei Pei-hong were introduced, expounded and compared. Then the implementation of the modern Chinese farmer education in the developing stage, including sponsor, sources of funds, teachers, education content, education form and teaching methods were investigated and elaborated. Part four, also Chapter Six, was macroscopic evaluation inside which is a comprehensive and confirmative comment proposed in macroscopic view of the thoughts and practical activity of modern farmer education. The importance and special role of intellectuals in modern farmer education and the practical effect and major historical significance were fully affirmed. The historical limitations of modern farmer education were summarized from the following three aspects, "concept defects", "the system flaw" and "the strategy defect". Part five was the references and inspiration, consisting of chapter seven. The experience of modern farmer education was analyzed, and references and inspiration to the contemporary farmer education and new rural countryside construction were summarized.Based on other research results, new explorations were made in this study, which as the following.First, the concept and properties of"modern Chinese farmer education"were defined. The time range of modern Chinese farmer education was from 1898 to 1919, organized by different non-governmental forces and government, taking the western agricultural scientific knowledge, professional education, culture education, civil education and health education as its main contents, the school education, social education combined with family education as the main education form, and the rural adult farmers as the object of education. "Modern farmer education" in property not only taught advanced agricultural knowledge and scientific outlook, life style for farmers, but also promoted democracy thought among farmers; meanwhile, it also stimulated farmers' patriotic enthusiasm; therefore it was also an early cultural enlightenment activities with comparatively scientific system, democratic and patriotic ideas in the Chinese countryside.Second was about a dynamic description and analysis of historical development process of modern farmer education. We proposed the three stages of modern farmer education:"the budding period"was marked by western agricultural science promotion;"vigorous development"during which rural construction was the main purpose; and the"zigzag forward period"was featured by anti-Japanese war and saving the nation.Third, we summarized the thoughts and opinions of the six modern China educators'as following: Huang Yan-pei was characterized by "professional education", Tao Xing-zhi by "life education", Yan Yang-chu by "mass education" , Liang Shu-ming by "cultural education", Lei Pei-hong by"National Education", and Yu Qing-tang by "civic education" . These thoughts are important treasures of farmer education and sources of wisdom and nutrition for the later researchers.Fourth, this paper also analyzed and evaluated the values of the subject of farmer education, concluding its inspiration and reference value for contemporary farmer education, that is, to establish farmer as the value subject is the key of contemporary farmer education, and change instrumental education to subjectivity education. The ultimate goal of education for farmers is to improve their quality of life and happiness, which is not only to increase income and improve of material life of farmers, more importantly to improve their own quality and enhance the quality of their spiritual life. At the same time, farmer must play the dominant role in their education. The relevant counterparts must truly grasp and meet their educational demands, so as to stimulate them for active participation.