From “Example Demonstration” To “Moral Norms”

The widespread lack of moral examples and idol worship of contemporary youth highlights many difficulties in the cultivation of ideal personality and virtue.This dilemma is not only a practical moral education problem,but also a contemporary manifestation of the historical problem of “how to be a modern Chinese” since modern China encountered “the changes that have not occurred in thousands of years”.Since the great changes in modern society,from Liang Qichao’ s “Xin Min”,Chen Duxiu’ s“New Youth”,Li Dazhao’ s “Myself of Youth” to Mao Zedong’ s “New Person”,Deng Xiaoping’ s “New Generation with Four Qualifications” and Xi Jinping’ s “New Generation of the Times”,the design of advanced figures for the new ideal personality of Chinese people in social change has continued to this day.In moral education,it is reflected in the educational issues such as “how to be a modern Chinese”,“what kind of ideal personality to cultivate” and “who is the moral example”,which is embodied in the Chinese moral education textbooks during changes in the centenary.This research focuses on the spiritual quality,change motivation and new era value of “ideal personality and moral example” constructed by primary school moral education textbooks in the context of the centennial social change.The core question of this research is: What kind of historical evolution has the moral example and the ideal personality in Chinese primary school moral education textbooks experienced in the past century? What is the social implication behind it?This core question is divided into three sub-questions:(1)What are the historical evolution process,characteristics and influencing factors of moral models in Chinese primary school moral education textbooks in the past century?(2)How does the evolution of moral models reflect the exploration of constructing Chinese people’s new ideal personality since modern times?(3)What contemporary value and enlightenment does the centennial exploration have for shaping “New Generation of the Times”?From the perspective of knowledge sociology and historical sociology,this research regards the moral examples in moral education textbooks in different periods as a kind of special knowledge;The research hypothesis is: moral example is the reflection of social collective consciousness,which contains the ideal personality of different times to adapt to social changes;The research ideas are as follows: starting from the text analysis of moral education textbooks,based on the typology and structural analysis of moral models,combined with the historical facts of social changes,summarize and refine the ideal personality sought in different periods and the characteristics of new generation of the times;The research materials are 18 sets of 162 main moral education textbooks in different historical periods;The research methods are historical research,literature research and content analysis.The research finds that: Firstly,the evolution of moral example shows the characteristics from single construction to multiple integration,and its efforts to shape the personality have gone through the process of continuing the tradition,turning to the future and integrating creation;Secondly,the main types of moral models include:political-type,cultural-type,professional-type,common-type,ethical-type,collectivetype,self-type and other-type,which can construct a more detailed classification framework of moral models.Thirdly,the traditional moral models represented by Confucius have experienced the process of continuation,rupture and reappearance in the primary school moral education textbooks.New moral models such as politicaltype,self-type,collective-type and organizational-type have entered the primary school moral education textbooks with the overall social requirements of creating a new ideal personality for the future and the specific moral needs of patriotism,collectivism and social morality;Fourthly,Confucius,the leaders represented by Mao Zedong and “I”,as moral examples,have become “the most moral person” in primary school moral education textbooks in different periods,and a number of characters who have appeared frequently in primary school moral education textbooks for a long time have become new traditional moral examples.Based on the above findings,this reaearch suggests that: First,moral example is influenced by cultural changes,the formation and construction of the modern state and society,educational philosophy and other factors,but its moral spirit has continued to this day;second,at the cultural level and in the long-term historical vision,the moral education function of moral models is mainly manifested in the inheritance,integration and creation of the traditional moral spirit.Third,from the perspective of the evolution of moral models,primary school moral education textbooks have completed the transformation from model demonstration system to moral norm system;Fourth,Chinese primary school moral education textbooks realize the historical task of creating a new ideal personality through continuous rationalization,which is mainly reflected in the aspects of clear objectives,standardized system,content integration,scientific design.According to the above conclusions,this research suggests that: first,the moral example design of primary school moral education textbooks should comprehensively consider and integrate the role models in excellent traditional culture,revolutionary culture and advanced socialist culture;Second,we should draw on the moral education power of Confucian exemplary ethics,attach importance to the moral education value of moral emotion,and pay attention to the moral education function of moral spirit condensed in traditional moral examples;Third,the key to improving the effectiveness of the model demonstration method is to help students open their spirit and soul to moral models,establish a deep connection with them,and obtain the sustainable strength of moral growth.