A Comparative Study On The Images Of Labour In Chinese Primary School Textbooks ——Based On The Analysis Of The Textbooks From The 2001 People's Education Edition And The Unified Edition

Since the 18th National Congress,'labour education' has repeatedly appeared in official state education documents and has become a hot topic of study.As a matter of state authority,language textbooks are supposed to write and construct images of labour characters in China,thereby responding positively to the state's educational aspirations and promoting the further development of labour education.On this basis,the ideological bearing and communication functions of textbooks themselves have compelled researchers to consider the questions of the images of labour characters in textbooks.This study relies on the two editions of primary school language textbooks issued by the People's Education Press since the beginning of the 21st century——the 2001 edition and the Unified Edition——and takes the labour characters-related materials in them as the object of study,using the content analysis method to present a comprehensive picture of the image of labour characters in the two editions,and then using the comparative method to summarize the similarities and differences between the presentation and construction of the images of labour characters in the two editions.Finally,the results of the comparative analysis are used to sum up to experience and make suggestions for improving the images of labour characters in textbooks.In the process of the study,the comparative analysis of the images of labour characters is divided into three major parts:firstly,the study of the external image of characters is based on six categories:gender,age,country,occupation and social status;secondly,the study of the internal image of characters is based on three aspects:character,emotion and morality;thirdly,we compare and contrast the ways of constructing the images of labour characters in the two editions of textbooks from both macro and micro perspectives.This study draws the following conclusions:On the one hand,the similarities between the two editions of textbooks in the portrayal of labour characters include the existence of similar biases and deficiencies in the external portrayal of labour characters;the persistence of the positive psychological personality of labour characters;the consistency of the Chinese excellent spirit of labour,and the tradition of cognitive construction of the image of labour characters,which is consistent with the co-existence of strengths and weaknesses.What's more,the images of labour characters are all in line with the direction of national labour education policies at different times.On the other hand,the images of labour characters in the two editions of the textbooks also reflect a certain evolution,which includes the opposite emphasis on the labour characters in different times,the relocation of the role of labour role models,the gradual "streamlining" of the construction of the images of labour characters from "broad"and "loose" tends to be "streamlined" and "connected",Last but not least,the view of nurturing carried by the images of the labour characters shifts from a practical to an emotional one.Based on the above findings,this study concludes that the insights of Chinese primary school language textbooks on the portrayal of labour characters include:in the presentation of images,textbooks should show a positive outlook and strengthen the exemplary nature of labour role models;in the construction of images,they should select constructive elements that are both typical and connected;textbooks should cultivate and pass on the excellent labour spirit of the Chinese nation;and images of labour characters should accurately convey the concept of labour education and respond to policy aspirations.At the same time,to address the problems arising from both,this study suggests that the following points should be achieved in order to make the image of labour characters in textbooks better:adhering to the principle of democracy and eliminating gender discrimination in the image of labour characters in textbooks;broadening the regional orientation of the images of labour characters to show a diversified labour culture;keeping shaping typical labour characters and highlighting the style of them in the new era;enhancing the social status of labour characters to stimulate students' enthusiasm for labour;clarifying the use of language textbooks to cultivate students' labour spirit.The textbooks are used to tell the stories of young workers'struggles and to optimize the structure of the textbooks,so as to build a cognitive system of workers' images that helps students learn.