Angle And The Role Of Undergraduate Education Of Primary School Teachers To Learn

After one century's development of the modem teachers education, the Primary Education Major (PEM) has finally been brought into the China Higher Education System. The primary school teacher cultivated by PEM is a new type teacher role. Then, what is the new type teacher role? How do the students majoring in PEM leam the role? These two questions are not only what must be solved in PEM building practice, but also what should be solved by the teacher education theory.Taking the Role Theory in Educational Sociology as the methodology and qualitative research method as the specific method, this paper discusses the above questions by studying the growing of students majoring in PEM. Starting with the experiences of the China's first session of students, this study tries to explain the connotation of the new type teacher role and to expound the learning process of the role, which can provide reference for the developing major building practice.It is reckoned in the paper that the primary school teacher with college academic credentials is a new type teacher role, which is different from that with the middle and high normal academic credentials. With the high expectation from the school which stands for the society, the primary school teacher with college academic credentials should undertake new tasks and need new qualities in the new century. So the role learning will be special.The case study finds that the students have experienced three obvious stages: puzzled at the role, learning and exploring the role in conflict, and identifying and accepting the role. Students' definition of the role comes from the role expectation of the school which stands for society. Because the role is a new type one, the role expectation should be gradually perfected in the exploration. As an experiment subject, the students take active part in the role building when they leam the role during the course of the new type role building. Of course, the new type role learning can't be finished only at school but must be improved in the teaching practice.As an attempt of the qualitative research method, the paper analyzes the study validity in the end. As the initial attempt, the case can still provide references for PEM building practice, although the case is limited'by many factors and the study conclusions may not be spread widely.