A Research On The Early Modernization Of Vocational Education Theory In China (1917-1937)

With the development of economy in the early Republic, the industrial circles needed a great number of practical talents. At that time, however, education was departed from the real life, so that the talents cultivated by schools were difficult to adapt to the needs of society. Therefore, graduation meant unemployment, and social livelihood problems were serious. One the one hand, the industrial circles was eager for talents; on the other hand, the society had no talents available.In view of this situation, HUANG Yan-pei, in order to "find reasons", based on empirical investigation to domestic education, and went out of the country to "read the recipe books" and reviewed foreign education situation. Meanwhile, the Practical Education Thoughts originally advocated by HUANG Yan-pei gradually arose, which aroused the attention of domestic educational circles. Then, the Chinese Vocational Education Agency, as a specialized agency which advocated, researched, and pursued vocational education, its establishment, laid a solid foundation for the early modernization of vocational education theory in China. Students studying in Europe and America returned back, which accelerated the introduction and spread of the western vocational education theory. Dewey came into China to advertise his Pragmatism Education Theory and guided the vocational education, which also promoted the development of the Chinese early vocational education theory. The Early Modernization of the Chinese Vocational Education Theory was launched by the interaction between external promotion and internal needs.The early modernization process of the Chinese vocational education theory roughly went through three stages:In the stage of translation and propaganda of western vocational education theory, the implantation of western vocational education theory mainly went through the transformation—from originally using education journals as the carrier to translate and introduce western vocational education dynamic situation, to basing on the presses to compile and translate the western vocational education books. Its main characteristic is from fragmentarily translate and introduce western vocational education theory articles to organically and systematically compile and publish western vocational education theory books.During the research and practice of Chinese vocational education theory, in addition to found "the Education and Profession", the Chinese Vocational Education Agency also set up research institutes of vocational education, such as Research Department and Research Section. Vocational education theory research was launched through the seminar, top experts meeting and symposium and further probed into the basic theoretical issues about the implications, purposes, scopes and types, principles and so on of vocational education.In the localization stage of Chinese vocational education theory, on the basis of western vocational education theory, combining with the practical needs of Chinese society, and with the vocational education theory weapons of "people’s livelihood" advocated by Sun Zhongshan, the vocational education intellectuals put forward the vocational education theory of people’s livelihood. After20years of hard exploration, before the comprehensive outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, China’s early vocational education theory went from single towards diversification, and initially formed the vocational education theory with Chinese characteristics including vocational school education, vocational guidance and vocational remediation education. At the same time, vocational education intellectuals compiled and wrote a batch of vocational education works about vocational education basic theory, vocational guidance and other aspects.The early modernization of China’s vocational education theory confronted many difficulties:it’s difficult to realize the long-cherished wish of "Saving Our Nation by vocational education", to go out of the "vicious circle" of "learning" breaking away "use", to change the traditional thought of despising vocational education, to deal with the relationship between foreign theory and domestic need. Reviewing the early modernization of China’s vocational education theory and defining the existing problems perhaps can give some beneficial reflections to the realistic vocational education theory research and even education theory research.