Social Transformation And The Value Of Adult Education Research

Adult education, which rose in China in the 1820s, has undergone a quick development a s a new subject in the field of education science since the 1980s. What is the role of adult edu cation during the Social-transformation toward modernization?What is the key value of current adult education in China? How should it be developed in the near future to achieve sustainabl e development of our society?These are the problems adult education has to face both in pra ctice and in theory.Based on the fact that current adult education in China focuses on higher vocational educ ation and pays great attention to essence education and its economic value, this paper first tra ces back to the development of adult education in the construction of socialist modernization, pointing out that the failure of Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 and the Revolution of 1911 pr oves the impossibility of replacing the renovation of education system by scientific and technic al adaptation, or replacing mass education by essence education. Then it, from economic poi nt of view, elucidates the inevitability of focusing on higher vocational education to make the most of the advantage of the late comer in a late-developing country. At the same time, this pa per also points out the limitations of such a strategy, that is, the priority of higher vocational ed ucation has brought forth the injustice of the society and the sluggish growth of the political an d cultural system renovation. Finally, it draws a conclusion that in the future development of a dult education, much more attention should be paid to the development of comprehensive ma ss education and enhancement of the general quality of the whole nation. Only by this can we achieve modernization and sustainable development of our society.