Being Modern, Being Civic: A Social-Historical Analysis on Moral Education Reform in Primary Education in China

• In Event: Changing Values, Practices, and Perspectives in Moral Education

Abstract

Though the basic forms of moral education in primary education in China have not changed much, the core values have silently but saliently switched in the past four decades from strict socialistic ethics to more open, modern and civic virtues, which share more and more similarities with the core values of citizenship education in western well-established democracies. Drawing on three major different perspectives, I could be summarized that Chinese government, citizens and Chinese culture and history all play key roles in driving the significant reform of moral education, which in essence could be regarded as an implementation of citizenship education in order to prepare students and the society for the incoming political, economic and social challenges.

Authors

• Tian Fu, Capital Normal University

• Zhikun Zhang, Capital Normal University

• Min Li, Capital Normal University

• Lusha Ou, Capital Normal University