A Comparative Study Of The Middle School Curriculum In History Between China And Japan

The American concept of 'social study', which was introduced into Japan after the Second World War, brought the revolution of the traditional structure of middle school curriculum in history in Japan. Instead of the individual model, which is based upon the history of Japan and that of foreign countries before the war, the union model has been established in Japan. The unyielding reform and practice of Japan's middle school curriculum in history for the past fifty years has displayed its achievements and advanced position in the reform of middle school curriculum in history in Asia and set an example for many other Asian countries. Japan's practice is not only a reflection of its historical traditions but also that of world trends of curriculum development both in curriculum setup and formulation and in curriculum implementation and evaluation. This thesis makes an investigation on and a comparative study of the middle school curriculum in history between China and Japan in terms of the textual curriculum focusing on the detailed issues of the curriculum, such as curriculum development, curriculum objectives, curriculum contents, view of instruction and evaluation etc. With the method of comparative study, this paper draws on Japan's experience in its reform of middle school curriculum in history and rethinks the case of China, which is in operation, in an attempt to serve the current reform of middle school curriculum in history and foresee the future development of middle school curriculum in history in China. It also severely criticizes and exposes the militarism advocated in curriculum standard and history textbooks of Japan, and the inclination to evade war crimes of aggression in Japan.