Process Toward Democracy:Study On British Secondary Education Reform(1868-1944)

The British secondary education reform from 1868 to 1944 is an important part of the realization of the democratization of education in Britain.The complex causes and processes of reform reflect British social development,which can be a significant reference for China's education reform.This paper chooses 1868 to 1944 as the research period,explores the reason,content,success and failure of the secondary education reform in this period.This paper focuses on the two clues: one is the specific process of the reform of secondary education in the UK,analyzes the background,measures and achievements of the secondary education reforms.Another clue is based on the British educational tradition,analyzes the democratization of the secondary education reform and explores the concrete connotation and the trend of the British democratic education.The two clues are intertwined to highlight the uniqueness and complexity of the secondary education reform between 1868 and1944.The text is divided into four parts.Chapter 1 analyzes the reasons,the main factors driving the reform of secondary education in the second half of the 19 th century are the forces of class power,the tide of thought and the development of secondary education itself.After the rapid rise of the industrial revolution,the middle class hoped to accept middle education through the upper class,the formation of their own class of education system.With the rise of education secularization and the idea of scientific education,the middle class began to pay attention to the lack of democracy in secondary education,including education subject,educational purpose,educational content and so on.The problem of the sharp decline in the number of students in secondary schools and public schools,the dissatisfaction of parents and the unreasonable curriculum problems show that secondary education at this time did not meet the needs of social development.Chapter 2 and 3 analyze the process of the establishment and development of public secondary education and the school internal system.By the end of World WarII,secondary education reform mainly achieved two goals: First,secondary education was formally incorporated into the national education system,and separated from the primary education,forming primary-secondary-university ladder education development model;second,the state has established various forms of secondary schools according to different educational goals,carried out preliminary reform on the courses,examinations and teacher training in secondary schools,and ensured the implementation of the three-point system.The reform of secondary education before World War II not only was the first reflection of education in the UK,but also the key step in the democratization of education.Chapter 4 evaluates the success and failure of British secondary education reform in the process of democratization.Its progress is reflected in the relationship between the state and the individual in education,by expanding the scope of secondary education,changing the educational management structure,enhancing the main body consciousness to make secondary education play a social function.The limitations are embodied in conservatism and liberalism.The education tradition is an obstacle to the development of secondary education.British secondary education after World War II inherited the excellent results of this stage,but also continue to seek new development path,including the relationship between state responsibility and individual freedom,advocating diversification,adaptability and flexibility,the trend of integration between British education tradition and liberal democracy.Therefore,in the conclusion,the author will analyze and review the history of British secondary education reform to explore the British national characteristics in the development of secondary education in the UK,enrich the connotation of British education democratization,in order to share the legacy of history.