Child Study In Chinese Educational Textbooks During The 20^th Century ——Case Study Of Three Educationists At East China Normal University

Child study and the“relationship between education and children’s physical and mental development”are the basic issues in theory of education,and it’s also the basic content in the educational textbooks.These issues can strengthen and improve normal students and teachers’awareness of child study,educating ability.Chinese educationists are always devoted to exploring a way of constructing educational textbooks with Chinese characteristics.East China Normal University is the first normal university established in New China to cultivate teachers.The representative textbooks of educationists at East China Normal University in different eras of the 20^th century still have great influence today,accumulating research resources for reference.Therefore,the core question that this study attempts to explore is:What is the basic situation and inspiration of child study in Chinese educational textbooks during the 20^th century?The core question includes three sub-questions:（1）What are the basic situation and influencing factors of child study in the representative textbooks of three educationists at East China Normal University?（2）What are the similarities and differences between the three educational textbooks?（3）What are the inspiration for textbooks in the new era to absorb the current child study to achieve improvement?This research adopts literature analysis method,text analysis method,historical analysis method and comparative analysis method,and focuses on the representative textbooks of three educationists at East China Normal University:（1）Introduction to Education edited by Meng Xiancheng（1933）;（2）Pedagogy edited by Liu Fonian（1963）;（3）Introduction to Education written by Ye Lan（1991）.Firstly,using the literature research method to form the basic framework;Secondly,using the text research method and historical research method to analyze the basic situation of child study in three educational textbooks;Finally,using the comparative research method to analyze the inheritance,changes and enlightenments on child study,which can form the overall framework,basic content and findings of this research.The thesis has five main chapters.The first chapter is the introduction,which forms the research framework and basic ideas for he subsequent analysis.The second chapter to the fifth chapter are the main body of this thesis.Chapters two,three and four use the analytical framework of this research to sort out,refine and analyze the basic content of child study in the educational textbooks,analyzing the influencing factors and the contributions.The fifth chapter analyzes the basic characteristics,changes and enlightenment of its inheritance through a comparative study of the basic content and influencing factors.By sorting out and comparing the basic content of child study in the three educational textbooks,this study has the following main findings:Firstly,the three educationists all have academic consciousness and responsibility for constructing the education subject,and they all regard child study as the inner perspective and important content of pedagogy research,relevant research content changes with the development of the times and the accumulation of pedagogy;Secondly,child study in the educational textbooks are special,children are unique individuals in the holistic development and active individuals in compound relationships;Thirdly,three educationists all emphasized that child study should achieve multi-disciplinary academic integration,as well as the transformation of educational theory and educational practice.Child study,which based on the combination of theory and practice and results from pedagogical standpoint,is beneficial to the construction of pedagogy and enhance normal students’ability and awareness of child study.