On The Evolution Of Science Curriculum Criterion For Primary Schools In The Period Of The Rrepublic Of China

In 2001, National Ministry of Education promulgated the Outline for Elementary Education Curriculum Reform, which definitely pointed out that national curriculum standards are the basis of teaching materials compilation, teaching, assessment and examination propositions, are the foundation of national course management and evaluation. It should reflect the basic requirements to different stages students in the aspects of knowledge and skills, processes and methods, attitudes and values, prescribe each curriculum's nature, objective, content framework, put forward teaching and evaluating proposals. This new description, which is not just the detailed provisions for teaching materials and the process of teaching, is markedly different with the syllabus, not only emphasizing the "double-base" development, but also increasing the evaluation contents and the flexibility of curriculum guidance. So the Science Curriculum Criterion for Primary Schools is a programmatic document for the construction of the primary school science curriculum. It specifies the curriculum's nature, objective, content, setting, and etc. Particularly, it prescribes that the objective of the primary science teaching is to foster pupil's scientific literacy, including the "double base" and the scientific method, scientific research ability, the emotion, attitude and values to the science and so forth.The Period of the Republic of China is an important period in our history, and is also the rapid developing period in the fields of natural sciences and science education. Therefore, to the development of science subject in primary school, it is both a start and a key point. Science education's entrance to the primary school curriculum and today the occupation of a very important position, both have a close relationship with the development in the Republic of China Period. First, the necessary of Chinese society development promotes the need for the science. After the founding of the Republic, in the face of the backward Chinese society and the decline national power, a group of progressive thinking people struggled to search the roads to save China, and eventually focused on the western advanced scientific culture and thought. The prosperity of western social productive forces and science aroused the study enthusiasm of Chinese people. After the extensive dissemination and the penetration of science thinking, science became a term that everyone is in awe of at that time in China. Secondly, the education development needs the science to bring vitality. Dissemination of scientific thought is inseparable from the strong community advocacy and the development and delivery by the education. The development of education follows the law of keeping pace with the time, and the development of science eventually prompts its entrance into in school education as an important part. Thirdly, the development of pedagogy, psychology, pedagogical psychology, kidology and other subjects provides a theoretical basis for science education entering into the filed of primary education. To the early 20th century, these subjects have developed into finished form, then a great deal of advanced people began to translate a large number of related books, introduce and publicize new educational philosophy and the view on children. In this context, setting science subject in primary school is a natural consequence of era development. However, the development of science subject in primary school must have institutional guarantee and the recognition and attention from education experts and classroom teachers. Primary Science Curriculum Criterion's formulation and implementation just reflect the supports and attentions from various social sectors. The research on Primary Science Curriculum Criterion in the period of the Republic help us to explore the historical evolution and influencing factors of primary science curriculum in historical perspective, to discover the favorable factors and feasible theory of setting the science classes from the angle of curriculum theory, and also find the scientific ways of formulating curriculum standards in the vision of development.Therefore, with the research and analysis, the development of Primary Science Curriculum Standards in this period is divided into four times, which includes the initial establishment, the development period, deepening stage, continuing and the suspension period. In the four periods, the science subject enters development and progress stage following the formulation, development and amendment of Primary Science Curriculum Criterion. Firstly, the subject name changed, from "GeZhi" to "Science", "natural", and "general knowledge". Name's change reveals the meaning and ideas of people's understanding to science, and the changes different perceptions and ways of thinking at different times. Secondly, the education aim and program objectives are much more limited by social and political aspects and the dominant culture impact. The Republic of China's regime alternateness led the phenomenon of educational change repeatedly, making the New Culture Movement ideas spreading spurring scientific thought and science education vigorously develop etc. Thirdly, the curriculum provisions continue to improve in the class, teaching content, teaching materials compilation, teacher rules, and other aspects. Not with the ups and downs of class, science subject is on during the period. Teaching content learns from Japan, the United States and other developed countries, and also combine our own educational characteristics and characteristics of psychological development of children to adjust and modify. Curriculum Criterion itself provides the basis and guidance for teaching material compilation, and it is more and more specific and reasonable with the improvement. Until now, the quality and training of teachers has been the vulnerability for the subject's development. This has a lot more with insufficient attention to science class and the condition of teacher education in China.Through the analysis, summary and reflection on transformation process and impact factors of the Primary Science Curriculum Criterion, paper finds its progress's power and dynamic factors. Namely, the external factors (social stability, the Government attention, scientific educators'efforts, scientific and technological level, traditional culture, etc.) influence and internal motivation (self-development logic of curriculum standards, curriculum theories development ) boost. On this basis, the paper targets factors to be considered for the next curriculum reform from the development law of the Primary Science Curriculum Criterion in the period of the Republic of China, and proposes new breakthroughs in the name of the course, course objectives, class proportion and curriculum content.