A Study On The System And Content Of The Composition Of Textbooks In Primary Schools In The Late Qing Dynasty

In recent years, the late Qing Dynasty textbook has become a hot spot and increasingly gets rid of the embarrassing situation of important but not being taken seriously. Focusing on the elementary school composition textbooks in the late Qing Dynasty and tracing back, it can help us to understand the composition teaching and provide reference for the reform of Chinese education in our country. This paper selects six sets of representative primary school composition textbooks in the late Qing Dynasty, attempts to research on the composition of primary school textbooks from the layout style and content. It helps to clarify the context of the development of teaching writing. By the study of primary school composition textbooks in the late Qing Dynasty, it finds out advantages and disadvantages and provides inspiration for contemporary composition teaching.This study consists of six parts.The first part is introduction. It describes the origin and significance of research and defines the keywords such as late Qing Dynasty, composition textbooks, layout style, elementary school, contents of textbook. Besides, it reviews the research progress of Chinese textbooks.The second part is a general overview of the composition textbooks. It reviews the existing composition textbooks in the late Qing Dynasty and introduces three kinds of textbooks, the elementary-school composition textbooks are named after composition textbooks, they include The Latest Composition Textbook, the elementary school composition textbooks are named after grammar textbooks, they include The Speed through Grammar Textbook and Enlightening School Grammar Textbook, the elementary school composition textbooks are named after chido textbooks, they include Enlightening School Chido Textbook, New Educational Chido Textbook and Latest Application Woman Chido Textbook.The third part analyses the elementary-school composition textbooks named composition textbooks, such as The Latest Composition Textbook, to analyse its layout style and content. In terms of layout style, it introduces the applicable objects, source selection, teaching methods and course contents in the preface of this book. This book is exercise book, and it uses regular script characters to write, illustrates content in the spiral arrangement. In terms of the textbook’s contents, the book contains word recognition, a group of words and looking at the pictures and writing the words. This book pays great importance to word learning, and selects the contents close to the lives of children in the progressive learning.The fourth part analyses the elementary-school composition textbooks named chido textbooks, take Enlightening School Chido Textbook, New Educational Chido Textbook and Latest Application Woman Chido Textbook as examples to analyse theirs layout style and content. In terms of layout style, chido textbooks’ lessons are letters and introduce chido and feature in the preface. Student support has its own uniqueness and personality, but the catalog is not the same and issue more casual form of expression. In terms of the textbooks’ contents, each chido theme has its own focus in the content of textbooks. On the whole, there are both themes as human behavior and study life simultaneously. The letters inherit the concept of making friends in the traditional family, and they embody the distinct characteristics of era.The fifth part analyses the composition textbooks named grammar textbooks, take as Speed through Grammar Textbook and Enlightening School Grammar Textbook as examples to analyse their layout style and content. In terms of layout style, grammar textbooks mainly explain words usage. Their classifications are reasonable and themes are clear. There are more example sentences and a lot of practices, but the catalog is very simple. In terms of the textbooks’ contents, they take Ma Grammar Textbook as the basis to arrange content. However, they are different in contents and the grammars are grammars of classical Chinese essays. All sentences in the books are very useful and closely related to students’ life.The sixth part is summary evaluation, to make an evaluation to the primary school composition textbooks in the late Qing Dynasty and summarize the main features of primary school composition textbooks in this period. It evaluates from four aspects such as the implication of China traditional ritual education, the characteristics of the times, the scientific arrangement and the level of difficulty in contents.