Chinese Traditional Culture Education: Implementing the Child’s Position and Perspective in the Elementary School Textbook Morality and Law

Abstract

Purpose: Failure to clarify the position of children in Chinese culture is a significant issue faced by Chinese traditional culture education (CTCE). Indeed, moral education needs to establish child’s perspective and position in Chinese society and incorporate these into the curricula on the excellent Chinese traditional culture. This study explores how the elementary school textbook, Morality and Law, has approached CTCE. Design/Approach/Methods: First, this article analyzes practical difficulties in CTCE: omission child’s position. Second, this article explores the child's position needed by CTCE based on Rousseau, Montessori, and Dewey’s contemporary views on children. At last, this article explores the strategy of how to implement the child’s position in CTCE based on Morality and Law. Findings: In respect to CTCE, Morality and Law positions children in various ways. In terms of its educational goal, the textbook is intended to improve children’s cultural education and appreciation. While the textbook’s editors mainly select positive content, negative content is also included. Always taking the child into consideration, the textbook incorporates systemized knowledge into children’s own lives, particularly insofar as the teaching strategy uses events or experiences in which children are interested. Originality/Value: Following the reform of China’s curriculum at the start of the 21st century, moral education textbooks were developed on the basis of the child’s position but remained weak in terms of traditional culture education. The approach adopted in Morality and Law and illustrated in this study bridges the gap between children and traditional culture, improves the effectiveness of CTCE, and provides other countries with insight based on China’s experiences in cultural education.