Framing Moral Questions: A Comparative Study of Question Design in Chinese and Japanese Junior Secondary Moral Education Textbooks

• In Event: Bridging Moral, Emotional, and Character Education in Diverse Educational Settings

Abstract

This study investigates how moral questions are framed in junior secondary moral education textbooks in China and Japan. Using qualitative content analysis, this study examines 1,012 questions from the Chinese Morality and Rule of Law series and 348 from the Japanese New Morality series. A three-dimensional analytical framework—Contextual, Structural, and Participatory Design—was developed to analyze question features. Findings reveal that Chinese textbooks emphasize civic values through analytical reasoning and structured prompts, while Japanese textbooks favor narrative-rich, dialogic questions fostering empathy and personal reflection. These patterns reflect distinct cultural logics and pedagogical orientations. The study contributes to comparative moral education research by showing how textbook question design mediates between cultural traditions and contemporary educational goals.

Author

• XUAN WU, Shandong University