The 20th Century Chinese Language Education Criticism

The 20^th century saw emergence of self-examination and criticism. Since the birth of instruction of modern Chinese language, criticism and question about it has never stopped and companied its development in last century. Under the main background of innovation of politics, culture and education, criticism of Chinese education has experienced the progress consisting of four historic phases: sprouting phase of foundation, seeking phase of development, lost phase and flourishing phase. By analyzing the historical materials, there being difference in the various phases lies not only in guiding ideology and objects of criticism but in effect of criticism.The guiding ideology in the sprouting phase of foundation is the reason in practice that focused of the criticism on learning to read and write, compiling textbooks and writing teaching in the phase of the primary school when Chinese education was still affected by thinking standard of "style and usage", but it is most often emphasized whether pragmatism is the standard of evaluation in analyzing Chinese teaching phenomena and judging its value. In the course of criticism, some western modern educational thoughts were employed and as a result, the criticizing foundation of Chinese education was laid first.After the new-culture movement, the guiding ideology in the seeking phase of development consists of the thoughts of "science" and "democracy". The key point of criticism was transferred from Chinese education of the primary to middle school. This phase was marked by more emphasis on the scope of criticized objects and depth and dynamics of criticism than before. As far as the contents are concerned, criticism then covered Chinese subjects and textbooks of primary and middle schools, teaching methods, teaching of writing, questions on appreciating ancient Chinese texts as well as those about teaching personnel. On the other hand, Chinese criticism at that time was no longer only a spot of a leopard, but drove the point home of Chinese basic education. Meanwhile, Chinese criticism of that phase, based on experiment, was convincing with criticism theory combined with practical experiment. And this phase brought forward a large leading body of educators of modern Chinese. Their sound insight of problems in Chinese education contributed much to Chinese criticism.Up to the lost phase, the color of politicalization and blindness and irrationality in education, in spite of there being something to say, was deeply branded on criticism of Chinese education owing to the integration of literary and political criticism and the guiding ideology of the first position of political standard. What's more, criticism of Chinese education at that time served as an out-and-out tool for political struggle only to depart from its primary function and value. So the phase is considered a backwardness in the historic progress of criticism of the 20^th century Chinese education.After the arrival of the flourishing phase, criticism of Chinese education, under the guide of humanism, did away with the pattern of criticism and the guiding ideology of the lost phase. To attach prime importance to human-beings' benefit, critics refuted down to the last point the left-leaning thoughts and pseudoscience at...