A Modernistic Analysis Of Education

In contemporary academic research,"Modernity" is one of hot spots.Researchers focus on modernity of education as a result of their anxieties and inspections when they are facing the challenging and tight situations which modern education is in.Being one of essential factors of our life in modern times,as an educational researcher,I think that the research on modernity of education is not only an academic mission,but also an self-conscious experience and reflection on self-development under the conditions of modernity.Modernity has complex meanings.First of all,modernity is a time category opposite "past". Second,modernity is a dynamic concept with modernization.Third,modernity is a series of principles of action based on rationality,subjectivity and a view of ongoing history as well as a reflective way of thinking.In this article,the "modernity of education" is defined as a series of institutional and structural characteristics of education made by continuous modernization.In the perspective of institution,I try to construct a kind of moderate level of abstract theory in order to explore the native characteristics of modern education.Modernity of education have stemed from the process of educational modernization.Compared with other areas of researches of modernity,this paper argues that in the field of educational modernization,the dominant change is "educational socialization".Educational socialization has a two-tier meaning:in the process of "tradition-modern" change,1) education has been gradually becoming an independent essential subsystem of society with important functions,2) education has changed primarily from a matter for the individual into a matter for society.The creation of class teaching system,the input of scientific knowledge,the popularization of compulsory education,and the bureaucratization of teachers prompt the educational socialization in various aspects.Although a "consolidation" trend has recently been arising in worldwide development of education,I think that before a "global community" is formed,there is no so-called "Educational globalization",but somewhat "sectional internationalization" of nation-state education system.With the popularization of primary education and higher education,more and more people are able to accept a higher level of education,but the direct economic benefits which education give individuals are less and less.Under the conditions of modernity,because of continuous improvement in education-productivity,the value of one unit of educational product has gradually reduced.In order to exchange for the opportunities for upward mobility and elite status with higher value,it has to spend more time for people in education.The necessary time consumption have reduced with enhancement of education-productivity,which could provide more surplus time for the comprehensive development of people.It will reduce individuals' income,while can create more social wealth,which is in favor of the common development of individuals and society overall.The main body of modern education-school education is a kind of institutionalized education, and the educational modernization is primarily a process that school education continues expanding and being institutionalized.Driven by modern nation-states and school system,the institutionalized education is continually invading the areas and occupying the resources of other forms of education to expand its effects by simple means of "structural replication",and eventually has become the mainstay, the lead,even or the total of modern education.The expansion of institutionalized education has improved the efficiency of education,expanded the effects of education,promoted the education equity,and furthered knowledge innovation.But it is at the cost of other forms of education,which results in the decline of other forms of education and the imbalance of entire education system.In order to build a fair social class structure,through disembedding mechanism,modern education attempts to exclude individual original social background factors,to filter social members and to distribute opportunities in full accordance with individuals' abilities and achievements. However,with the constraint of former social structure,education could not achieve this purpose. When he finish his education,the individual must be reembedded in a special social structure.The consequences usually are decided by practice games depend on personal strength,resources and opportunities.Finally the original social class structure would be "reproduced".Either education equity or society equity is a result of the mutual-construction between education and society.The development of education and society in the 30-years Chinese reform and opening up has vividly illustrated this point.In the perspective of human development,modernity is modern humanity which defines what people should be in the modern time.The modernity of education as institutional characters of the education which shapes the modernity of people,would continuously evolve with the enrichment of social practice and humanity.As education researchers,we must be donated in the educational modernization and promoting the free and comprehensive development of human.