Cultural Studies Of Exercise Books’ Symbols For Primary And Middle School Students

Exercise books are commonly used by primary and middle schools’ students,carrying the function and mission of constructing academic knowledge.It basically follows the management rules of exam-oriented education,and puts forward corresponding requirements for students’ academic tasks.In the past 70 years,the contents,formats and styles of exercise books for primary and middle schools’ students have changed to varying degrees,which contains rich educational semiotics.Multi-dimensional symbols have become a key element in the construction of exercise books,reflecting the basic characteristics of current school education in China.The symbols of elementary and middle school student’s exercise books can be roughly divided into three types:cover-designed symbols,exam-oriented symbols and teacher-evaluation symbols.These types of symbols,which combine multiple forms,are the products of educational culture and social evolution.The three types of symbols are distinguished by their distinctive symbolic meanings,in fact they point to common educational norms and symbol disciplines.This research mainly used the method of literature-analysis,the method of image-analysis and the method of symbol-analysis.By describing the basic characteristics of cover-designed symbols,exam-oriented symbols and teacher-evaluation symbols,it reveals its inherent cultural logic and educational laws.On the basis of empirical description,comparatively analyze the cultural production of the exercise books’ symbols,probe into the essence of the construction of educational discourse,and further reflect on the symbolic narrative and cultural nature of the exercise book.By interpreting the semiotics of exercise books,we can see how the cultural production and logical dimensions of exercise books’ symbols are opened,and further understand the “symbol dilemma” of school education.Exercise book is a kind of symbol,a perceptible image of educational culture.It is the cultural production of educational activities and reproduction of social relations.Under this kind of symbolic semantics,the “symbol space” produced by the exercise book is shaping students’ educational behaviors and social habits,and a kind of discipline logic is embedded in the interactive relationship between students and symbols.It has become the distinguishing standard of educational order,proclaimed its legitimacy,and shaped a new symbol system and cultural relations.