Research On The Guiding Ideology Of Primary School Occupation In The Period Of The Republic Of China (1917-1940)

As one of the few monographic studies on the vocational guiding ideology in the period of the Republic of China,this paper explores the vocational guiding ideology of primary schools during that period.This is the first time to show the general situation,content system and historical influence of the development of primary school vocational guidance thought at that time,and to explore its significance to the development of primary school education thought and its enlightenment to today’s vocational guidance education.In these explorations,the author tries to pave the way for the in-depth study of this topic.In the specific study,combined with some historical materials in the educational journals of the Republic of China mainly focusing on education and occupation,this paper explores the theoretical origin of the vocational guidance ideology in primary schools in the period of the Republic of China,which were the western early pragmatism educationist thought,John Dewey’s pragmatic theory of education,Cai Yuanpei pragmatic theory of education and Huang Yanpei’s early theory of vocational education,and concludes that the realistic reason for the vocational guidance of primary school in the Republic of China was the reform of modern primary education,the contradiction between the supply and demand of social talents during the period of the Republic of China,the blindness of primary school graduates in entering school and their lack of skills in employment.Through combing and summarizing,this paper refines the ideological system of primary school vocational guidance in the period of the Republic of China mainly composed of four sections.The first one is about the relationship between primary vocational guidance and primary education.From 1917 to1940,Tian Min,Gong Chushu,Zou Enrun and other scholars in the field of education believed that it was necessary to carry out vocational education based on vocational guidance in primary schools because of the fact that about 80% of primary school students were out of school to seek employment after graduation,of the fact that primary school education was divorced from the reality of life,and of children’s willingness to practice with their hands.In addition,the scholars further advocated that the primary school vocational guidance based on edification be not contrary to the education of other subjects in primary school,and be organically integrated with each other.The second section of the primary school vocational guidance in the period of the Republic of China is the content theory of primary school vocational guidance.Facing the fact that primary school graduates had no way to find a job and lacked the strength to enter a higher school,Tian Min,Pan Wenan,Wang Zhicui and other scholars began to realize the need to carry out vocational education in primary schools ever since 1917.With the cognitive advancement,scholars such as Zou Enrun and Cheng Xiangfan advocated that primary vocational education should focus on vocational cultivation.In 1928,Gong Chushu,Yang Erlian and other scholars began to advocate that the content of vocational education in primary schools should be the primary school vocational guidance based on cultivation.In the same year,Zhong Daozan specifically put forward the content of primary school vocational guidance,including the guidance of entering a higher school and vocational guidance.Since then,the thinking about the content of primary school vocational guidance had been gradually unified as follows: the content of primary school vocational education should be based on primary school vocational guidance,and the specific content of primary school vocational guidance included entrance guidance and vocational guidance.The third section is the implementation of primary school vocational guidance.The implementation theory of primary school vocational guidance included two aspects.First,the scholars represented by Huang Yanpei and Cao Fengnan advocated that the primary school vocational guidance should adhere to the principles of professional cultivation,being close to the reality of all parties,and being children-oriented.Second,since 1917,Tianmin,Cao Fengnan,Pan Wenan and other scholars had been constantly thinking about and enriching the effective steps of the implementation of primary school vocational guidance.In1933,the Ministry of Education of the Republic of China adopted the idea of primary school career guidance.In the outline of the measures for the implementation of vocational guidance in primary and secondary schools,the Ministry of Education of the Republic of China defined the steps of vocational guidance in primary schools as 15 aspects,thus unifying the scholars’ thoughts on the steps of vocational guidance in primary schools.The fourth section is the methodology of primary school career guidance.From 1917 to 1940,the methodology of primary school vocational guidance mainly included two aspects.First,the scholars put forward the methodology of in-class primary school vocational guidance based on the appropriate professionalization of primary school subjects,manual drawing education and craft education.Secondly,the scholars put forward the methodology of extracurricular primary school vocational guidance,which was based on investigation on various types of vocational guidance and vocational guidance practice.From 1917 to 1940,the guiding ideology of primary vocational education put forward by scholars influenced the practice of primary vocational education at that time.On the one hand,in the process of the emergence,development and improvement of the primary school vocational guidance,some primary schools in Jiangsu,Shandong,Hunan and other places had begun to use it to guide the specific practice of primary school vocational guidance education,which had played a positive role.On the other hand,the guiding ideology of primary school career was approved and adopted by the Ministry of education in 1933.It was carried out in the form of the Outline of the Measures for the Implementation of Entrance Examination and Career Guidance for Primary and Secondary Schools in All Provinces,Municipalities and Counties,which had a wide social impact.Today,we are continuing to advocate the modernization of education.In the guiding ideology of primary school occupation in the period of the Republic of China,scholars advocated to pay attention to train students to use both their hands and brain,open up student’ basic professional cognition,cultivate students’ working spirit,and advocate the integration of knowledge and practice in learning.These beneficial elements still have an enlightening significance to The enrichment and perfection of contemporary primary education thought.From the perspective of the scientific development of contemporary vocational guidance education,in the vocational guidance ideology of primary schools in the period of the Republic of China,those scholars’ ideas stressing the scientificity of vocational guidance,the continuity of vocational guidance process,and the perfection of vocational guidance files are also worth learning.