Narrative research of female educational experiences in China

Abstract

Female education is an indispensable part of educational practice and research. In recent years, along with the development of both the women’s liberation movement and the expansion of the practice of female education, Chinese academic circles have become increasingly concerned with female education. Of these concerns, methodological innovation can be said to have achieved a great breakthrough in recent years. With the rise and development of “narrative research” in the field of education in China, new vitality has been breathed into the sphere of female educational research. Starting from the perspective of either historical studies or reality, researchers have made profound discoveries about the female educational experience, revealing Chinese women’s experiences in education, their stories of development, and the problems they have faced. Moreover, researchers have reviewed not only the freedom and restrictions that education brings to women, but also the influence exerted by Chinese education, cultural conventions, and social economic conditions on female progress and living circumstances. This article is mainly a comprehensive literary review of research by Chinese scholars who have used narrative research in their studies of female education.