The Development Features Of Children's Life Cognition And Life Value

Because of the intense competition in modern society, the interpersonal relationships become indifferent and incidents involved ignoring lives always happen. Cherishing life and realizing the value of life have become the main theme of social life values. So life education to children and adolescents becomes an important part of education. However, domestic studies in this area are comparatively weak. In such a context, research on children and adolescents'life value is of great realistic and theoretical significance.The current research based on the view of Value Clarification, Considering children's knowledge and feelings on life and death, and children's life values reflected from their treatment to issues on self or interpersonal relationships as the main content. We chose 736 students of grade 2,4,6,8,11 from 6 schools in Xuhui District of Shanghai as subjects. (1)To explore the development features of children's knowledge and feelings on life and death; (2)To explore the development features and traits of children's life value; (3)To understand the traits of children's life value in the ever-changing china society, and to propose corresponding life education intervention principle. Our study consists of two parts: The development features of children's knowledge and feelings on life and death, and the development features and traits of children's life value.In the first part, we used syntax test to explore children's knowledge and feelings on life and death. From the classification of the acquired sentences, we found (1) As the grade increased, children's knowledge about life and death was an in-depth process which gradually changing from vague cognition to image cognition, abstract cognition and rational cognition. (2)On the whole, children's life experience was positive, and with the year increased it became more mature and rich. Their psychological experience of death mainly consisted of sadness and fear. As the grade increased, more and more children began to think of death and realize the sense and value of life from death phenomenon. (3)We found no remarkable differences between boys and girls on knowledge of life and death. But for the experiences on life and death, we found that senior girls formed mellow attitude to life earlier than boys, and senior girls paid more attention to the emotional experience on expressing their feeling of death.In the second part, we used 4 dilemma stories to test children's life value. By analyzing children's answers, we inferred (1) On the point of animal caring, the number of children whose behavior conforms to cognitive and feelings was on a downward trend as the year increased. But in middle school stage, a recoiling process arose. (2)On the point of caring others, the number of children whose behavior conforms to cognitive and feelings was lager than other types. (3)When facing the dilemma of other's life and personal interests, with the year increased, the number of children who treasure other's life growing. (4)When personal life conflicting with collective interests, students chose giving up personal life and protecting collective interests were more than choosing giving up collective ones; as the grade increased, more and more students chose cherishing personal life. (5)We found little difference between boys and girls on the traits of children's life value, but in different situation, the main traits were different. (6)There was little difference between boys'and girls'life values and traits of their life values.At last, we pointed out some issues deserving attention in life education process. Such as teaching life knowledge should consider the development features of children's life cognition and experience. It was unnecessary to set eliminating fear of death as the main task of death education. Life value education should be directly carried out on the base of distinguishing children's life value type.