New Media Path Of Eco-civilization Education

Building eco-civilization is one of China’s main strategies. It’s not only a destined choice, but also the only path which must be passed of defusing risk and achieving sustainable development of human beings. China attaches great importance to building ecological progress, and added ecological progress into the overall plan for promoting economic, political, cultural, social, and ecological progress. As a branch subject of Marxism Theory, Political and Ideological Education (PIE) should keep pace with the times by combining education with China’s vital theoretical and realistic problem. Ecological progress is the latest result of the development of Marxism in China, and building eco-civilization is the strategic mission of current China. These realities of China bring up new demands to Political and Ideological Education.Research about eco-civilization has been one hotspot for a long time. Among all that research, the explanations of eco-civilization as a concept and exploring to the path of achieving it are two important subfields. Recently, more and more scholars combine ecological progress with the construction and development of nations, which help to clarify the relation between ecological progress with economy, politics, culture, and society. Academia has provided amount of paths, one of which was education. Education should be first in the process of building eco-civilization. Eco-civilization education is one kind of practical education for all, and aims to achieve harmonious development between human beings, environment, nature, society. Eco-civilization education is a necessary process of building eco-civilization.Ecological education belongs to PIE. Eco-civilization education becomes more important with the raising and the promoting of ecological progress. "Theories and practices in eco-civilization education" is one research direction in PIE discipline, and that is objective necessary. PIE educates social members by certain values, political viewpoints, and moral standards, and let them acquire certain qualities conformed to national interests. When it comes to China, the mission of PIE is to cultivate citizen and make them acquire the ideological and political qualities accord to Chinese socialism. Ecological progress is both inherent in the concept of socialism core values, and part of Chinese socialism theories. Because of that, ecological progress should be the content of socialism core value system. According to these, eco-civilization education is to educate citizen by teaching them eco-civilization knowledge, instilling eco-civilization values into their mind, improving eco-civilization skills, and cultivating eco-civilization behaviors. Eco-civilization serves the realistic demand and long-term development.New media has been changing with each passing day, which changed the pattern of information dissemination, as well as made new media extensively involved in finance, education and healthcare etc. arears. Academia has made some explores about the influence of new media on society, such as "Weibo, WeChat, and App" is the trend of e-government. In the context of building eco-civilization, new media is used to publicity and education by environmental protection departments at all levels, non-government organization, and school. The role of new media in promoting ecological progress has obtained the affirmation from government. Five "environmental education serial project" were mentioned in National Environmental Publicity and Education of Platform for Action (2011-2015), while three of them were related with new media. It indicated "Internet plus green and ecology", including the supporting public participant in the document Guiding Opinions of the State Council on the Promoting the "Internet Plus" Action Plan (2015-2018) published in 2015. New media provides both platform and opportunity for eco-civilization education and building eco-civilization. In information times, new media should be fully used to enhance the effect of eco-civilization education, improve quality of citizen, and promote the ecological progress. Compared with the practical application, someone and some organization didn’t realize the role of new media in eco-civilization, that made new media don’t been used to its fullest potential.This thesis gives a literature review of theories, including ecological progress, environmental education, and environmental function of media. Then it is an intensive study of the respective definitions of ecological progress, eco-civilization, and new media path of eco-civilization, and the characteristics of new media path of eco-civilization education. Based on the above, the theoretical framework was constructed. The sources of theories of this thesis are ecological education theories and media application theories in PIE, media functions theories, sustainable development theories and eco-civilization theories. The thesis outlines the content system of eco-civilization education. The thesis holds the subjects of eco-civilization education are government, non-government environmental organization, enterprise, citizen, and school, while the new media can’t be a subject because new media as an platform is controlled by its owner. The thesis clearly puts forward the functions and principles of eco-civilization in the path of new media.The process of eco-civilization education in the path of new media can be seen as a process of communication of eco-civilization with an effect on users of new media. This thesis uses the "5W"model in communication theory to study the new media path of eco-civilization. The education subjects (Who) disseminate information about ecological progress (Say What) to new media users (To Whom) on new media (In Which Channel), intending to produce effects on the users. The subjects are stated in chapter 3, while the other four "W"s are studied respectively in chaper4 (case study) and in chapter5 (investigation study). In addition, "1H" (How) is also be discussed, that is how the ecological progress information on WeChat is constructed. Content analysis method is used to study WeChat as a case in chaper4. In this chapter, the content, pattern and framework of information samples are studied. In chapter5, it’s an investigation. An investigation is conducted to explore the status of eco-civilization quality, the relationship between this quality and new media (internet) usage about ecological progress, and the factors which affect this kind of usage. Interview and questionnaire are data acquisition way in chapter 5.WeChat is the case in chapter4. The reason of choosing WeChat as the case is WeChat is one of the most popular patterns of new media, and reflects all typical characteristics of new media. Except that media convergence is possible on WeChat. Green Official Accounts aim to disseminate ecological progress message. Framing theory is used in analysis how the messages are constructed. Using the method of stratified sampling,636 samples in the period from Mar.2015 to Sept.2015, are obtained. Then these samples are coded and analyzed by two coders. Agenda distribution, highlights, educational factors, framing and patterns are coded. Study shows that there are less agendas about the quality of environment, the ecology and environment, pollutant information, environmental protection industry and technology; It focuses on practice and ignores theory, emphasizes values and neglects knowledge and skills; it also shows that there isn’t enough content about culture and public participation. Development is the common value appeal. Simple information form is the disadvantage of most of messages.The purpose of chapter 5 is to find the status of quality of eco-civilization, the usage of new media related to ecology progress, and the correlation between this two. The questionnaire is made of ten single choices, five groups of scales and two gap fillings.1028 questionnaires are issued by snowball sampling and 960 valid questionnaires are reclaimed, the valid collecting rate is 93.3%. It shows that people surveyed have high eco-civilization level, and get higher score on the natural knowledge than that on public policy. Survey respondents show high awareness on eco-civilization, but there are a big gap between them on conscientiousness. Respondents have more eco-civilization behaviors on individual level, but less on public level. Getting information, Web collaboration, expression online and participating are four forms of usage of Internet related to eco-civilization, and this usage is correlated with gender and incomes. More importantly, there is a correlation between this kind of usage of Internet and the respondents’ eco-civilization behaviors; getting information and expression online have influences on eco-civilization awareness; except expression online, the other three forms usage show obvious correlation with eco-civilization as a whole. The correlations between perceive ease of use, perceived usefulness, perceived enjoyment, self-efficacy and use of Internet are all validated.Based on the conclusions of chapter 4 and chapter 5, the following suggestions are proposed. They are the suggestion about strategies of improving the functions of new media and the suggestions about how subjects of eco-civilization education do in the path of new media.