Study On The Cultivation Of Foreign Language Majors In Chinese Modern Universities

Training of professionals is an important function of higher education, and it reflects a university’s educational philosophy and management features. Chinese modern universities’training of foreign language professionals began in the late19th century and early20th century when western higher education paradigm was introduced in, and two approaches were used-professional education and general education. Conditioned and influenced by political, economic, and cultural environment of that time, modern China’s training of foreign language professionals had its own characteristics in training conception, curriculum setting, faculty team and campus culture. A large number of foreign language professionals got their education then and made important contribution to development of many fields. A study of training pattern, system and effectiveness of modern China’s education of foreign language professionals could be useful to researchers and educators who want to better understand foreign language professionals training in universities and colleges, and is of important theoretical and practical significance for the education reform of foreign language professionals in nowadays Chinese universities.This study, therefore, reviews revolution of training conception and pattern, and educational features of foreign language professionals’training in modern Chinese universities.This dissertation is divided into seven chapters. The first chapter provides a brief introduction about the rationale for the study, followed by definition of key terms, literature review and research design. The second chapter reviews the training conception revolution of foreign language professionals’education in modern Chinese universities. The first stage is from "traditional Chinese system combined with westernized methods and ideas" of colleges of foreign language learning to "correcting ideology, training generalist" as an educational mission at late Qing dynasty. The second stage is featured with training of "knowledgeable and professional talents", which is putted forward by "Act of University" in the Republican Period. It’s in the third stage that the idea of general education was introduced from the U.S.A in the1920s’. The issue of common compulsory subjects in1938marked the recognition of general education. The third chapter focuses on training pattern of foreign language professionals’education in Chinese modern universities. Based on a review of elements of foreign language professionals’ education (training goals, curriculum setting, extracurricular activities, and teachers’ quality) of different organization patterns of universities, it clarifies the basic pattern of foreign language professionals’education. The fourth chapter is about the system guarantee-the function and influence of teaching administration system and teachers’ management of foreign language professionals’education. The fifth chapter takes the foreign language education practice of Tsinghua University as a case, and discusses its training goals, patterns and characteristics. Chapter six is an effectiveness analysis-how and why foreign language professionals at that time were successful. Chapter seven is a theoretical discussion-applying higher education theories to explain how political, economic and cultural factors have influenced foreign language professionals’education in modern Chinese universities, and summarizes characteristics of its training conception, curriculum setting, faculty team and campus culture, in hope of providing useful information for the education reform of foreign language professionals in nowadays Chinese universities.Through historical investigation and theoretical analysis, it was found that:First, Foreign language professionals’education in Chinese modern universities’ started and developed during the eastward transmission of western sciences. It focused on general education and adapted to the needs of modern social development, and played an important part in China’s higher education modernization.Second, in terms of educational philosophy and training pattern, foreign language professionals’education of Chinese modern universities experienced the reform period from education of "Traditional Chinese System Combined with Westernized Methods and Ideas" to the education of "Blending Chinese and Western", ultimately formed general education pattern-the education combining liberal-arts compulsory courses and specialized literature courses, creating a humanistic educational atmosphere, and nurturing knowledgeable foreign language professionals.Third, in terms of teachers’hiring and teaching administration, teacher appointment system, tutorial system, part-time teacher system, professors’sabbatical research system, and major choice, credit system, teacher evaluation and transmission system were adopted, which guaranteed teacher quality, education quality and discipline development.Fourth, achievements of foreign language professionals from Chinese modern universities could be taken as evidence of general education’s indispensable role. General education philosophy broadened the scope of foreign language education, laid foundation for students’success, and guaranteed teaching quality.Fifth, the policy implication of foreign language professionals’education of Chinese modern universities lies in:to promote the comprehensive development of foreign language professionals, college foreign language education should be based on general education;"general area" with "specialized area" should be combined; teachers for general courses should be supplemented and curriculum should be reset. Curriculum system should be featured in literature and culture; teaching administration and evaluation system should be improved; various extra-curricular activities should be provided.The major innovations of this dissertation are:First, it provides a systematical review of the evolution of training conception and pattern of Chinese modern universities from the perspective of general education, which is helpful for understanding of the historical trends of foreign language education in Chinese modern universities.Second, through a case study, it highlights the Chinese modern universities’ foreign language education characteristics, and reveals the important role of general education.Third, it summarizes characteristics of foreign language professionals from Chinese modern universities. The analysis of their experiences could be taken as reference of today’s foreign language education and reform.