CHANGE AND CONTINUITY IN CHINESE EDUCATIONAL THEORY: A STUDY OF THE PERSISTANCE OF CONFUCIAN EDUCATIONAL IDEAS IN THE THOUGHT OF CHINESE REPUBLICAN AND MAOIST EDUCATORS

Problem. This study investigates the extent to which traditional Confucian values continued into the Maoist period of the People's Republic of China. Since historians of China have consistently stated or implied that Confucianism is dead in modern China, it is important to question to what extent this is in fact true in regard to educational ideas. The following questions have guided the research. (1) What were the traditional Chinese educational values in Confucian China? (2) What methods were used to teach these values in Confucian China? (3) What educational values make up present educational thought? (4) What traditional Chinese values persist in modern Chinese educational thought.;Findings and Conclusions. Maoist China rejected the Confucian respect for an aristocratic hierarchy and the maintainance of an educated elite class. Maoists also rejected what they perceived as a Confucian disdain for manual labor. Maoists also saw Confucius as one who strived in his teaching to maintain the status quo.;However, in the attempt to implement his ideas, Mao Tse-tung frequently employed Confucian educational methods. Also, although the goals of the Confucians and Maoists were vastly different, the traditional Confucian effort to combine moral and ethical principles with politics persisted into the Maoist period.;Method. This study is divided into three periods: Confucian, Republican and Communist. Traditional values were selected from classical Chinese literature. These values were defined and explained. These values were traced through the Republican period showing how these values were modified in order to be compatible with modern situations. Finally, there was a careful examination and analysis of what was written by prominent leaders and educators in the People's Republic. This analysis is to ascertain whether there are relationships between Confucian and Chinese Communist educational values.