The Evolution Of Middle School Physics Textbooks During The Republic(1912-1937)

Qian Xuesen, the famous physicist in China has proposed that the academic achievements of the trained students after liberation cannot be compared with those of Masters’during the period of Republic of China. Through the continuous reflection and improvement of China’s education since1949, the status has not changed too much, especially for the science education. As the basic disciplines of science education, physical education exists many problems. Many scholars believe that the physics curriculum reform requires for experience from our own physical development history rather than copying the experience of other countries. From the development path of China’s physical education, physics curriculum development process is also a physics textbook development process. In addition, the best time for students to train their scientific methods and form scientific spirit is in his high school period. During this time, textbooks play an important role. To explore high school physics textbooks of the Republic of China is one of the important way to solve the problem of education.In this paper, we study the physics textbooks evolution for high school from1912to1937.This paper is divided into two parts according to the two periods of academic reform:1912-1922,1923-1937. First, it analyzes the content selection, organization and presentation of physics text book, then it concludes the comprehensive content from1912-1937. There are three features for physics textbooks during this period:the increasing emphasis on the development of students when organizes the textbooks; diversification of presentation for scientific method (from implicit to explicit, then go back to implicit); changes of presentation for textbooks content (from deductive to induction). Finally, it puts forward the following suggestions for the organization the textbooks in China:(1) The organization process of the textbook has to emphasis on the development of the students, especially the integration between the knowledge and skills with emotional experience and values, methods and process.(2) Change the "explicit" way from "implicit" of scientific method presentation for textbook, and put the teaching of scientific method into the normal teaching program.(3) Textbook writing should be noted the embodiment of the essence of the "induction", and combine the" deductive method "with" induction "phase.(4) The development of our textbook is from translation of foreign textbooks to learning foreign countries, then writing by ourselves.The road textbook written is twist and turn. Its main experience is both facing the world and basing on our own status in the process of the preparation.